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Malcolm Gladwell is the author of bestselling books Blink and The Tipping Point, and is a staff writer for The New Yorker.Now Gilbert has written a book about his psychological research. It is called Stumbling on Happiness, and reading it reminded me of that plane ride long ago. It is a delight to read. Gilbert is charming and funny and has a rare gift for making very complicated ideas come alive.
Stumbling on Happiness is a book about a very simple but powerful idea. What distinguishes us as human beings from other animals is our ability to predict the future--or rather, our interest in predicting the future. We spend a great deal of our waking life imagining what it would be like to be this way or that way, or to do this or that, or taste or buy or experience some state or feeling or thing. We do that for good reasons: it is what allows us to shape our life. And it is by trying to exert some control over our futures that we attempt to be happy. But by any objective measure, we are really bad at that predictive function. We're terrible at knowing how we will feel a day or a month or year from now, and even worse at knowing what will and will not bring us that cherished happiness. Gilbert sets out to figure what that's so: why we are so terrible at something that would seem to be so extraordinarily important?
In making his case, Gilbert walks us through a series of fascinating--and in some ways troubling--facts about the way our minds work. In particular, Gilbert is interested in delineating the shortcomings of imagination. We're far too accepting of the conclusions of our imaginations. Our imaginations aren't particularly imaginative. Our imaginations are really bad at telling us how we will think when the future finally comes. And our personal experiences aren't nearly as good at correcting these errors as we might think.
I suppose that I really should go on at this point, and talk in more detail about what Gilbert means by that--and how his argument unfolds. But I feel like that might ruin the experience of reading Stumbling on Happiness. This is a psychological detective story about one of the great mysteries of our lives. If you have even the slightest curiosity about the human condition, you ought to read it. Trust me. --Malcolm Gladwell
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Die hilfreichsten Kundenrezensionen
8 von 9 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
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"How do you feel?",
Von
Rezension bezieht sich auf: Stumbling on Happiness (Rough Cut) (Gebundene Ausgabe)
Among the many snappy one-liners spicing the "Star Trek" films, this one, issued by a computer to the resurrected Mr Spock, stands out particularly. Then, it seemed a poor joke. Now, a computer posing such a question is no longer a speculative idea. With many studies of the brain's signal intensity of our outlook on various topics, the question, even if posed indirectly, is valid. The problem, as Gilbert explains, is that we really don't have a secure answer. "Happiness", he reminds us, is a complex emotion with countless factors weighing in on how we view it. In this intriguing study, the author brings a wealth of experience and the work of many researchers into this examination of our various ways of considering what makes us "happy".While this book asks serious questions, recounting how cognitive sciences have revealed some of the answers, this is hardly a ponderous academic study. Gilbert's lively wit ameliorates some of the grim episodes he must use to impart how science has considered these issues. How can a man wrongfully imprisoned for thirty-seven years declare his incarceration "a glorious experience"? More significantly, who are we to judge his viewpoint as "impossible" or "misguided"? Gilbert acknowledges that most of us would view askance such a judgement of a legal mis-judgement. He also contends that both viewpoints are correct - if considered in their actual frame of reference. Our problem is that we have our own views of what comprises happiness, and projecting it on how others should feel is an error. Compounding that situation is that our own view of our own happiness is likely out of whack. One of the major points this author proposes is that any attempt we make to forecast what will bring us happiness will almost surely prove false. Part of the reason for this comes from what studies have shown the brain to be doing "behind our backs". Because the multitude of sensory inputs and body function regulation roles keep the brain so busy, it often has to make judgements based on incomplete information. Among the choices it faces, the mind may settle on something positive whether or not factual or complete supportive information is available. That is what our "consciousness" perceives and considers valid. Even new information may not dislodge this choice from our consideration. How "individual" this selection process is has been borne out by studies of twins - even conjoined twins, who certainly ought to reflect common thoughts for what gives pleasure. It is clear, therefore, that judging our own happiness or that of others is fraught with the likelihood of error. Delusion about what brings happiness isn't merely a possibility. It's fundamental to how we handle values. The other side of this coin is why our approach to happiness appears to be a human universal. The mechanisms that lead us to consider happiness arose with the enlargement of our frontal cortex beginning some two million years ago. Although that sounds like a long time, it's an "eyeblink in the evolutionary time scale". The brain's new capacities gave us the power to imagine. "Imagination", Gilbert argues, is the ability to fabricate a mental image of the future. We have an ability no other creature possesses. We can ponder options, imagine scenarios, consider various paths to follow. We can thus consider what will make us happy. Regrettably, we are unable to choose accurately, because that same cognitive power grants the brain the means to select ways and means with no real capacity for choosing reliably. Gilbert's conclusion to all the research he's summarised is necessarily vague. After all, we aren't dealing with physical trauma or human values in this survey. The topic is how we view our wishes and desires. It's not the sort of thing we feel is normally amenable to analysis or correction. It's a very individual view. Or is it? Gilbert finds that the multitude of "self-help" books might have something to say to us after all. They reflect, he says, a set of things we all hold dear and wish to achieve. While we all treasure our uniqueness, it turns out that people in similar circumstances pretty much strive for similar aims. There are no formulas to follow to achieve happiness. We can only imagine what we would like to have or be, and can only reflect on past endeavours and rewards gained. Our big brains, he concludes, with all its powers, can best be used to allow us to understand what makes us stumble into happiness. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada] Helfen Sie anderen Kunden bei der Suche nach den hilfreichsten Rezensionen
2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
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Zu lesen wie ein Roman,
Von
Rezension bezieht sich auf: Stumbling on Happiness (P.S.) (Taschenbuch)
Das ist das erste wissenschaftliche Buch, das es geschafft hat, dass ich es mit Suchtfaktor lese wie einen guten Roman.Es wird nie langweilig, die dargebrachten Themen sind leicht verständlich ohne oberflächlich zu sein und wer sich noch genauer über eine Sache informieren möchte, kann das im Anhang tun. Dieses Buch ist außerdem so witzig geschrieben, dass man schon alleine deshalb gerne weiterliest. Für mich sowohl inhaltlich als auch vom Schreibstil eines der besten Bücher, die ich seit Langem gelesen habe. Helfen Sie anderen Kunden bei der Suche nach den hilfreichsten Rezensionen
2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich:
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Was macht Glücklich?,
Rezension bezieht sich auf: Stumbling on Happiness (Vintage) (Taschenbuch)
In lockerem und witzigem Schreibstil räumt Daniel Gilbert mit vielen Vorurteilen über das Glücklichsein auf. dabei vermittelt er jede Menge psychologisches Fachwissen auf einfache Weise. Ich habe das Buch sehr gerne gelesen und viel dabei gelernt. Manchmal hat das Buch seine Längen, wenn er mich von etwas überzeugen will, was ich aber schon längst so sehe. Besonders positiv ist mir aufgefallen, dass er (gerade für einen Psychologen) sehr logisch argumentiert.Ob man nach der Lektüre glücklicher ist? Ich weiß es nicht. Auf jeden Fall weiß man danach sehr viel über die eigene Gefühlswelt und dürfte viele Zwänge im Leben gar nicht als so dramatisch betrachten. Helfen Sie anderen Kunden bei der Suche nach den hilfreichsten Rezensionen
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