In Books
  • All Departments
  • In Books
  • In Bargain Books
  • In eReading
  • In Kids' Books
  • In Teens' Books
  • In Toys & Games
  • In Video Games
  • In Lifestyle & Paper
  • In Movies & TV
  • In Music
  • In Used & Rare Books
  • In Used & Rare Movies & TV
  • In Used & Rare Music
Advanced Search
Stumbling on Happiness

Average rating: 4/5

Based on 38 ratings

Rate this

Stumbling on Happiness

by Daniel Gilbert

Knopf Canada | March 20, 2007 | Trade Paperback

A smart and funny book by a prominent Harvard psychologist, which uses groundbreaking research and (often hilarious) anecdotes to show us why we're so lousy at predicting what will make us happy - and what we can do about it.

Most of us spend our lives steering ourselves toward the best of all possible futures, only to find that tomorrow rarely turns out as we had expected. Why? As Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert explains, when people try to imagine what the future will hold, they make some basic and consistent mistakes. Just as memory plays tricks on us when we try to look backward in time, so does imagination play tricks when we try to look forward.

Using cutting-edge research, much of it original, Gilbert shakes, cajoles, persuades, tricks and jokes us into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where we thought it was. Among the unexpected questions he poses: Why are conjoined twins no less happy than the general population? When you go out to eat, is it better to order your favourite dish every time, or to try something new? If Ingrid Bergman hadn't gotten on the plane at the end of Casablanca, would she and Bogey have been better off?

Smart, witty, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, Stumbling on Happiness brilliantly describes all that science has to tell us about the uniquely human ability to envision the future, and how likely we are to enjoy it when we get there.


From the Hardcover edition.

Save 24 %

$21.00
$15.96
$15.16

Usually ships in 2-4 business days

Add To Cart
Qty
Used from $5.29
All Editions Online Member
Kobo Edition (eBook) $13.99 n/a

This item is found in: Health and Well Being

  • Eligible for FREE Shipping on orders over $25. + Details.

Reviews

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 5/5

    Brilliant

    Bonnie

    2 months ago

    I devoured this book like a best-selling novel. Couldn't put it down. A Harvard psychologist supports all of his statements with ample research and with lots of intelligent humour thrown in. For anyone who wonders why people make the choices we do, the answers are all in this brilliant book!

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 5/5

    Definitely recommended

    Patrick Thibeault

    2 years ago

    I bought this book after seeing Gilbert's TED talk. This book obviously goes into more detail than an 18 minute presentation by intelligently illustrating its point in an easy to read format with hilarious tidbits all throughout. It turns out that the key to our future happiness - based on how our brains actually work - is quite simple and doesn't require self-help books (this isn't a self-help book by the way...it's psychology applied to the human condition).

    A great read and really thought inspiring. Gets the wheels going better than the majority of university classes.

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 5/5

    If you love knowledge...

    Donna Logan

    4 years ago

    read this book!
    Amazing and important information on HOW our brain works and WHY we do things the way we do. I could not put this book down. You will recognize yourself in this book. You will see your loved ones in this book. You will not be able to stop thinking about this book. Really it's a mini physchology class without the long boring lectures. Enjoy!

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 5/5

    Witty & insightful!

    esjaywhy

    4 years ago

    Daniel Gilbert has a quirky sense of humor that translates really well in this book. A light read, with the foundations of Psychology explained through examples and interesting case studies. Observed on a societal level, this book will make you think twice about how "people" (including yourself) view happiness and how they dont.

    If this book doesnt do that for you, at least it'll make you laugh ;)

Product Buzz

Details

From the Publisher

A smart and funny book by a prominent Harvard psychologist, which uses groundbreaking research and (often hilarious) anecdotes to show us why we're so lousy at predicting what will make us happy - and what we can do about it.

Most of us spend our lives steering ourselves toward the best of all possible futures, only to find that tomorrow rarely turns out as we had expected. Why? As Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert explains, when people try to imagine what the future will hold, they make some basic and consistent mistakes. Just as memory plays tricks on us when we try to look backward in time, so does imagination play tricks when we try to look forward.

Using cutting-edge research, much of it original, Gilbert shakes, cajoles, persuades, tricks and jokes us into accepting the fact that happiness is not really what or where we thought it was. Among the unexpected questions he poses: Why are conjoined twins no less happy than the general population? When you go out to eat, is it better to order your favourite dish every time, or to try something new? If Ingrid Bergman hadn't gotten on the plane at the end of Casablanca, would she and Bogey have been better off?

Smart, witty, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny, Stumbling on Happiness brilliantly describes all that science has to tell us about the uniquely human ability to envision the future, and how likely we are to enjoy it when we get there.


From the Hardcover edition.

From the Jacket

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"A delight to read…. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me."
-Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink

"Underneath the goofball brilliance, Gilbert has a serious argument to make about why human beings are forever wrongly predicting what will make them happy."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Stumbling on Happiness is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won't know for sure until you have read this book."
-Steven D. Levitt, author of Freakonomics
 
"Everyone will enjoy reading this book, and some of us will wish we could have written it. You will rarely have a chance to learn so much about so important a topic while having so much fun."
-Professor Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics
 
"This is a brilliant book, a useful book, and a book that could quite possibly change the way you look at just about everything. And as a bonus, Gilbert writes like a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris."
-Seth Godin, author All Marketers Are Liars

About the Author

Daniel Gilbert is the Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has won numerous awards for his teaching and research, and his scientific research has been covered by The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Money, CNN, U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, Scientific American, Science, O: The Oprah Magazine, Psychology Today and others. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


From the Hardcover edition.

Trade Paperback

336 Pages, 5.32 x 8.06 x 0.77 in

March 20, 2007

Knopf Canada

English


0676978584
9780676978582

From the Critics

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"A delight to read…. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me."
-Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink

"Underneath the goofball brilliance, Gilbert has a serious argument to make about why human beings are forever wrongly predicting what will make them happy."
-The New York Times Book Review

"Stumbling on Happiness is an absolutely fantastic book that will shatter your most deeply held convictions about how your own mind works. Ceaselessly entertaining, Gilbert is the perfect guide to some of the most interesting psychological research ever performed. Think you know what makes you happy? You won't know for sure until you have read this book."
-Steven D. Levitt, author of Freakonomics
 
"Everyone will enjoy reading this book, and some of us will wish we could have written it. You will rarely have a chance to learn so much about so important a topic while having so much fun."
-Professor Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University, Winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics
 
"This is a brilliant book, a useful book, and a book that could quite possibly change the way you look at just about everything. And as a bonus, Gilbert writes like a cross between Malcolm Gladwell and David Sedaris."
-Seth Godin, author All Marketers Are Liars

< close and return to chapters.indigo.ca
kobo
  • Take your library with you wherever you go
  • Use the device you want to use… smartphone, desktop and many of today’s most popular eReaders
  • Use Indigo gift cards to buy eBooks and subscriptions

WHY KOBO?

We love the Kobo eReading service… and we know you will too. We’ve partnered with them to bring you the most flexible, enjoyable eReading experience in Canada.

SHOPPING ON KOBO

You’ll be asked to sign in or create a new account with Kobo. Once you do, you’ll immediately get access to millions of titles and be ready to start eReading. Anytime. Anyplace.

continue to kobo

Protected by Copyright. All Rights Reserved. Legal Notices and Terms of Use | Privacy Policy  

Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation © 2010

Powered by EndecaVeriSign SecuredEssential Accessibility 

As Canada’s purveyor of ideas and inspiration, Indigo is the largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer in Canada. Indigo operates in all provinces under different banners including Indigo Books & Music; Indigo Books, Gifts, Kids; IndigoSpirit; Chapters; The World's Biggest Bookstore; and Coles. The online channel, www.indigo.ca, features books, eBooks, toys and gifts and hosts the award winning Indigo Online Community.

111