Visions Of Happiness

Download Visions Of Happiness full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Visions Of Happiness ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

The Algebra of Happiness

Author : Scott Galloway
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0593084187
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (93 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Algebra of Happiness by : Scott Galloway

Download or read book The Algebra of Happiness written by Scott Galloway and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-05-14 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An unconventional book of wisdom and life advice from renowned business school professor and New York Times bestselling author of The Four Scott Galloway. Scott Galloway teaches brand strategy at NYU's Stern School of Business, but his most popular lectures deal with life strategy, not business. In the classroom, on his blog, and in YouTube videos garnering millions of views, he regularly offers hard-hitting answers to the big questions: What's the formula for a life well lived? How can you have a meaningful career, not just a lucrative one? Is work/life balance possible? What are the elements of a successful relationship? The Algebra of Happiness: Notes on the Pursuit of Success, Love, and Meaning draws on Professor Galloway's mix of anecdotes and no-BS insight to share hard-won wisdom about life's challenges, along with poignant personal stories. Whether it's advice on if you should drop out of school to be an entrepreneur (it might have worked for Steve Jobs, but you're probably not Steve Jobs), ideas on how to position yourself in a crowded job market (do something "boring" and move to a city; passion is for people who are already rich), discovering what the most important decision in your life is (it's not your job, your car, OR your zip code), or arguing that our relationships to others are ultimately all that matter, Galloway entertains, inspires, and provokes. Brash, funny, and surprisingly moving, The Algebra of Happiness represents a refreshing perspective on our need for both professional success and personal fulfillment, and makes the perfect gift for any new graduate, or for anyone who feels adrift.

Hearing Happiness

Author : Jaipreet Virdi
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022669075X
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (266 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Hearing Happiness by : Jaipreet Virdi

Download or read book Hearing Happiness written by Jaipreet Virdi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-08-31 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weaving together lyrical history and personal memoir, Virdi powerfully examines society’s—and her own—perception of life as a deaf person in America. At the age of four, Jaipreet Virdi’s world went silent. A severe case of meningitis left her alive but deaf, suddenly treated differently by everyone. Her deafness downplayed by society and doctors, she struggled to “pass” as hearing for most of her life. Countless cures, treatments, and technologies led to dead ends. Never quite deaf enough for the Deaf community or quite hearing enough for the “normal” majority, Virdi was stuck in aural limbo for years. It wasn’t until her thirties, exasperated by problems with new digital hearing aids, that she began to actively assert her deafness and reexamine society’s—and her own—perception of life as a deaf person in America. Through lyrical history and personal memoir, Hearing Happiness raises pivotal questions about deafness in American society and the endless quest for a cure. Taking us from the 1860s up to the present, Virdi combs archives and museums to understand the long history of curious cures: ear trumpets, violet ray apparatuses, vibrating massagers, electrotherapy machines, airplane diving, bloodletting, skull hammering, and many more. Hundreds of procedures and products have promised grand miracles but always failed to deliver a universal cure—a harmful legacy that is still present in contemporary biomedicine. Blending Virdi’s own experiences together with her exploration into the fascinating history of deafness cures, Hearing Happiness is a powerful story that America needs to hear. Praise for Hearing Happiness “In part a critical memoir of her own life, this archival tour de force centers on d/Deafness, and, specifically, the obsessive search for a “cure”. . . . This survey of cure and its politics, framed by disability studies, allows readers—either for the first time or as a stunning example in the field—to think about how notions of remediation are leveraged against the most vulnerable.” —Public Books “Engaging. . . . A sweeping chronology of human deafness fortified with the author’s personal struggles and triumphs.” —Kirkus Reviews “Part memoir, part historical monograph, Virdi’s Hearing Happiness breaks the mold for academic press publications.” —Publishers Weekly “In her insightful book, Virdi probes how society perceives deafness and challenges the idea that a disability is a deficit. . . . [She] powerfully demonstrates how cures for deafness pressure individuals to change, to “be better.” —Washington Post

Values of Happiness

Author : Iza Kavedzija
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780986132575
Total Pages : 233 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (325 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Values of Happiness by : Iza Kavedzija

Download or read book Values of Happiness written by Iza Kavedzija and published by . This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How people conceive of happiness reveals much about who they are and the values they hold dear. Drawing on ethnographic insights from diverse field sites around the world, this book offers a unique window onto the ways in which people grapple with fundamental questions about how to live and what it means to be human. Developing a distinctly anthropological approach concerned less with gauging how happy people are than with how happiness figures as an idea, mood, and motive in everyday life, the book explores how people strive to live well within challenging or even hostile circumstances. The contributors explore how happiness intersects with dominant social values as well as an array of aims and aspirations that are potentially conflicting, demonstrating that not every kind of happiness is seen as a worthwhile aim or evaluated in positive moral terms. In tracing this link between different conceptions of happiness and their evaluations, the book engages some of the most fundamental questions concerning human happiness: What is it and how is it achieved? Is happiness everywhere a paramount value or aim in life? How does it relate to other ideas of the good? What role does happiness play in orienting peoples' desires and life choices? Taking these questions seriously, the book draws together considerations of meaning, values, and affect, while recognizing the diversity of human ends.

Philosophies of Happiness

Author : Diana Lobel
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231545320
Total Pages : 443 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Philosophies of Happiness by : Diana Lobel

Download or read book Philosophies of Happiness written by Diana Lobel and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-14 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement. Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful. Visit https://cup.columbia.edu/extras/supplement/philosophies-of-happiness for additional appendixes and supplemental notes.

The Origins of Happiness

Author : Andrew E. Clark
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691196958
Total Pages : 338 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Origins of Happiness by : Andrew E. Clark

Download or read book The Origins of Happiness written by Andrew E. Clark and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new perspective on life satisfaction and well-being over the life course What makes people happy? The Origins of Happiness seeks to revolutionize how we think about human priorities and to promote public policy changes that are based on what really matters to people. Drawing on a range of evidence using large-scale data from various countries, the authors consider the key factors that affect human well-being, including income, education, employment, family conflict, health, childcare, and crime. The Origins of Happiness offers a groundbreaking new vision for how we might become more healthy, happy, and whole.

O's Little Book of Happiness

Author : O the Oprah Magazine
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 1250068568
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis O's Little Book of Happiness by : O the Oprah Magazine

Download or read book O's Little Book of Happiness written by O the Oprah Magazine and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2015-03-31 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of thoughtful and affecting writing on happiness-the first in a series of inspirational books from O. Magazine.

A Brief History of Happiness

Author : Nicholas P. White
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1405153121
Total Pages : 208 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (51 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis A Brief History of Happiness by : Nicholas P. White

Download or read book A Brief History of Happiness written by Nicholas P. White and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2008-04-15 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this brief history, philosopher Nicholas White reviews 2,500years of philosophical thought about happiness. Addresses key questions such as: What is happiness? Shouldhappiness play such a dominant role in our lives? How can we dealwith conflicts between the various things that make us happy? Considers the ways in which major thinkers from antiquity tothe modern day have treated happiness: from Plato’s notion ofthe harmony of the soul, through to Nietzsche’s championingof conflict over harmony. Relates questions about happiness to ethics and to practicalphilosophy.

Real Happiness

Author : Sharon Salzberg
Publisher : Workman Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0761159258
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (611 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Real Happiness by : Sharon Salzberg

Download or read book Real Happiness written by Sharon Salzberg and published by Workman Publishing. This book was released on 2010-12-29 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thousands of years prove it, and Western science backs it: Meditation sharpens focus. Meditation lowers blood pressure, relieves chronic pain, reduces stress. Meditation helps us experience greater calm. Meditation connects us to our inner-most feelings and challenges our habits of self-judgment. Meditation helps protect the brain against aging and improves our capacity for learning new things. Meditation opens the door to real and accessible happiness. There is no better person to show a beginner how to harness the power of meditation than Sharon Salzberg, one of the world’s foremost meditation teachers and spiritual authors. Cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, author of Lovingkindness, Faith, and other books, Ms. Salzberg distills 30 years of teaching meditation into a 28-day program that will change lives. It is not about Buddhism, it’s not esoteric—it is closer to an exercise, like running or riding a bike. From the basics of posture, breathing, and the daily schedule to the finer points of calming the mind, distraction, dealing with specific problem areas (pain in the legs? falling asleep?) to the larger issues of compassion and awareness, Real Happiness is a complete guide. It explains how meditation works; why a daily meditation practice results in more resiliency, creativity, peace, clarity, and balance; and gives twelve meditation practices, including mindfulness meditation and walking meditation. An extensive selection of her students’ FAQs cover the most frequent concerns of beginners who meditate—“Is meditation selfish?” “How do I know if I’m doing it right?” “Can I use meditation to manage weight?”

The Geography of Bliss

Author : Eric Weiner
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1448168481
Total Pages : 418 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (481 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Geography of Bliss by : Eric Weiner

Download or read book The Geography of Bliss written by Eric Weiner and published by Random House. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes a nation happy? Is one country's sense of happiness the same as another's? In the last two decades, psychologists and economists have learned a lot about who's happy and who isn't. The Dutch are, the Romanians aren't, and Americans are somewhere in between... After years of going to the world's least happy countries, Eric Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent, decided to travel and evaluate each country's different sense of happiness and discover the nation that seemed happiest of all. ·He discovers the relationship between money and happiness in tiny and extremely wealthy Qatar (and it's not a good one) ·He goes to Thailand, and finds that not thinking is a contented way of life. ·He goes to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and discovers they have an official policy of Gross National Happiness! ·He asks himself why the British don't do happiness? In Weiner's quest to find the world's happiest places, he eats rotten Icelandic shark, meditates in Bangalore, visits strip clubs in Bangkok and drinks himself into a stupor in Reykjavik. Full of inspired moments, The Geography of Bliss accomplishes a feat few travel books dare and even fewer achieve: to make you happier.

Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life

Author : Garrett Thomson
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429875258
Total Pages : 212 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (298 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life by : Garrett Thomson

Download or read book Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life written by Garrett Thomson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-09-24 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Well-being studies is an exciting and relatively new multi-disciplinary field, with data being gathered from different domains in order to improve social policies. In its reliance on a truncated account of well-being based implicitly on neoclassical economic assumptions, however, the field is deeply flawed. Departing from reductive accounts of well-being that exclude the normative or evaluative aspect of the concept and so impoverish the attendant conception of human life, this book offers a new perspective on what counts normatively as being well. In reconceptualising well-being holistically, it presents a fresh vista on how we can consider the meanings of human life in a manner that also serves as a source of constructive social critique. The book thus undertakes to invert the usual approach to the social sciences, in which the research is required to be objective in terms of methodology and subjective with regard to evaluative claims. Instead, the authors are deliberately objective about values in order to be more open to the subjectivities of human life. Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life thus seeks to move away from economic considerations’ domination of all social spaces in order to understand the possibilities of well-being beyond instrumentalisation or commodification. A radical new approach to the human well-being, this book will appeal to philosophers, social theorists and political scientists and all who are interested in human happiness.

Pursuits of Happiness

Author : Gordon Mathews
Publisher : Berghahn Books
ISBN 13 : 9781845454487
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (544 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Pursuits of Happiness by : Gordon Mathews

Download or read book Pursuits of Happiness written by Gordon Mathews and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2009 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anthropology has long shied away from examining how human beings may lead happy and fulfilling lives. This book, however, shows that the ethnographic examination of well-being--defined as "the optimal state for an individual, a community, and a society"--and the comparison of well-being within and across societies is a new and important area for anthropological inquiry. Distinctly different in different places, but also reflecting our common humanity, well-being is intimately linked to the idea of happiness and its pursuits. Noted anthropological researchers have come together in this volume to examine well-being in a range of diverse ways and to investigate it in a range of settings: from the Peruvian Amazon, the Australian outback, and the Canadian north, to India, China, Indonesia, Japan, and the United States. Gordon Mathews is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has written What Makes Life Worth Living? How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Worlds (1996) and Global Culture /Individual Identity: Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket (2000), and co-written Hong Kong, China: Learning to Belong to a Nation (2007); he has co-edited Consuming Hong Kong (2001) and Japan's Changing Generations (2004). Carolina Izquierdo is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for the Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research has centered on health and well-being among the Matsigenka in the Peruvian Amazon, the Mapuche in Chile, and middle-class families in the United States.

Happiness

Author : Richard Layard
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101117710
Total Pages : 302 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (11 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Happiness by : Richard Layard

Download or read book Happiness written by Richard Layard and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-06-27 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a paradox at the heart of our lives. We all want more money, but as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This is not speculation: It's the story told by countless pieces of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have more than doubled. The central question the great economist Richard Layard asks in Happiness is this: If we really wanted to be happier, what would we do differently? First we'd have to see clearly what conditions generate happiness and then bend all our efforts toward producing them. That is what this book is about-the causes of happiness and the means we have to effect it. Until recently there was too little evidence to give a good answer to this essential question, but, Layard shows us, thanks to the integrated insights of psychology, sociology, applied economics, and other fields, we can now reach some firm conclusions, conclusions that will surprise you. Happiness is an illuminating road map, grounded in hard research, to a better, happier life for us all.

The Secrets of Happiness

Author : Richard Schoch
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0743298446
Total Pages : 257 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (432 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Secrets of Happiness by : Richard Schoch

Download or read book The Secrets of Happiness written by Richard Schoch and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2006-11-14 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unhappy is the story of happiness. More than two thousand years ago, when the ancient Greeks first pondered what constitutes "the good life," happiness was considered a civic virtue that demanded a lifetime's cultivation. Not just mere enjoyment of pleasure and mere avoidance of suffering, true happiness was an achievement, not a birthright. Now, in an age of instant gratification and infinite distraction, history professor Richard Schoch takes a refreshingly contemplative look at a question that's as vital today as ever: What does it mean to be happy? Schoch consults some of history's greatest thinkers -- from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas to Buddha -- in his quest to understand happiness in all its hard-won forms. Packed with three thousand years' worth of insights, many long forgotten, The Secrets of Happiness is a breath of ancient wisdom for anyone who yearns for the good life.

The Saints' Guide to Happiness

Author : Robert Ellsberg
Publisher : Image
ISBN 13 : 0385515669
Total Pages : 242 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (855 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Saints' Guide to Happiness by : Robert Ellsberg

Download or read book The Saints' Guide to Happiness written by Robert Ellsberg and published by Image. This book was released on 2005-09-27 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “What is happiness and how can I find it?” may be one of the most frequently asked questions there is. Perhaps that’s because it is so hard to experience lasting happiness. In The Saints’ Guide to Happiness, Robert Ellsberg suggests that some of the best people to show us are holy men and women throughout history—from St. Augustine to Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton to St. Theresa of Avila and Mother Theresa. These people weren’t saints because of the way they died or their visions or wondrous deeds. They were saints because of their extraordinary capacity for goodness and love, which—in the end—makes us happy.

The Book of Happiness: Africa

Author : Joseph Peter
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 0679645403
Total Pages : 130 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (796 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Book of Happiness: Africa by : Joseph Peter

Download or read book The Book of Happiness: Africa written by Joseph Peter and published by Random House. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the book that puts a face on happiness In 2009, photographer Joseph Peter traveled through fifty African nations in seventy-five days and shot 150,000 images—mostly portraits of joyous, proud, glorious faces. He photographed presidents and heads of state, soldiers and workers, and children of all ages. He captured their smiles, their laughter, their humanity. He captured their happiness. First collected in a special handmade leather-bound edition, Joseph Peter’s “book of happiness” was originally presented to Nelson Mandela as a heartfelt personal gift. Now you can experience for yourself the joyful spirit of a place and its people—a dazzling and optimistic vision of Africa that is as simple, beautiful, and universal as a child’s smile.

Whole Person Happiness

Author : Paul Krismer
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN 13 : 9781545371138
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (711 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Whole Person Happiness by : Paul Krismer

Download or read book Whole Person Happiness written by Paul Krismer and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-04-21 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is more happiness possible? Can you learn ways to create more joy in life? Can there be work life balance? Yes, yes, and YES!Everyone can be happier and live a more balanced, full life.Learn the science behind happiness in this practical and easy-to-read book. What researchers have been studying and have tested in laboratories over decades is now all right here for you!Whole Person Happiness will take you on a journey toward a more fulfilling life. Learn:� how small steps lead to big strides� why good enough is VERY good� how a change in mind changes body, and vice versa� how achieving goals can be automatedYou can feel better physically. You can move through the day with zest, and knock your work tasks off with skill and ease. Your daily grind can instead be filled with meaning, purpose and joy. You can combat depression and anxiety with powerful principles of proven therapeutic interventions. If you want a book about personal growth that is inspiring and as unique as you are, then pick up this book. Does it make sense that health and well-being include all of body, mind and spirit? Can a sharp and lively intellect reap good friends and warm relationships? Does the cultivation of our own good character help us sleep at night and feel great through the day? Whole Person Happiness shows the way. Discover how cutting edge positive psychology research has advanced such that we really do know how people can be happier in everyday life. Written by Paul Krismer, "The Happiness Expert", this book provides a practical guide to living your best life. Paul's extensive work as an executive coach, both with individual and corporate clients, shines through in his captivating storytelling and his accessible presentation of the science of happiness. His teaching is a powerful call to action.As the title suggests, Whole Person Happiness will engage you in a thoughtful consideration of the component parts of a holistic life: body, mind and spirit. � Body-the book describes the material needs that must be met in order for biological contentment to give way for emotional and spiritual sufficiency. � Mind-the book considers how and why we benefit from conscious attention to our intellectual and emotional well-being. � Spirit-without religious dogma, the book explores our deep relationship with the reality beyond our physical selves. Explore the ways in which each of us benefits from a balanced, healthy ecosystem made up of body, mind and spirit. Whole Person Happiness guides you to fundamental truths about how to live your happy life.Get happier! Get this book!

The Architecture of Happiness

Author : Alain De Botton
Publisher : McClelland & Stewart
ISBN 13 : 1551993872
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (519 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Architecture of Happiness by : Alain De Botton

Download or read book The Architecture of Happiness written by Alain De Botton and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2010-12-03 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bestselling author Alain de Botton considers how our private homes and public edifices influence how we feel, and how we could build dwellings in which we would stand a better chance of happiness. In this witty, erudite look at how we shape, and are shaped by, our surroundings, Alain de Botton applies Stendhal’s motto that “Beauty is the promise of happiness” to the spaces we inhabit daily. Why should we pay attention to what architecture has to say to us? de Botton asks provocatively. With his trademark lucidity and humour, de Botton traces how human needs and desires have been served by styles of architecture, from stately Classical to minimalist Modern, arguing that the stylistic choices of a society can represent both its cherished ideals and the qualities it desperately lacks. On an individual level, de Botton has deep sympathy for our need to see our selves reflected in our surroundings; he demonstrates with great wisdom how buildings — just like friends — can serve as guardians of our identity. Worrying about the shape of our sofa or the colour of our walls might seem self-indulgent, but de Botton considers the hopes and fears we have for our homes at a new level of depth and insight. When shopping for furniture or remodelling the kitchen, we don’t just consider functionality but also the major questions of aesthetics and the philosophy of art: What is beauty? Can beautiful surroundings make us good? Can beauty bring happiness? The buildings we find beautiful, de Botton concludes, are those that represent our ideas of a meaningful life. The Architecture of Happiness marks a return to what Alain does best — taking on a subject whose allure is at once tantalizing and a little forbidding and offering to readers a completely beguiling and original exploration of the subject. As he did with Proust, philosophy, and travel, now he does with architecture.