Even when everything is going wrong, the science of happiness can help you! Pioneering positive psychologist and
New York Times–bestselling author Tal Ben-Shahar shows us how in
Happier, No Matter What. Ben-Shahar busts the all-too-common ideas that
success brings happiness and that we can
seek happiness itself. When hard times thwart our success and steal our joy, these ideas actually invite despair by leaving us with nothing to do.
But we
can do something: We can climb the SPIRE—Ben-Shahar’s five-step staircase to hope and purpose.
- Spiritual: I am experiencing meaning.
- Physical: My body’s needs are met.
- Intellectual: I am learning.
- Relational: My friends support me.
- Emotional: I am allowed to feel.
By truly living these five elements of well-being, we build the resilience to carry us through anything—from a personal loss to a global pandemic. Ben-Shahar’s all-new SPIRE method shows us the way to becoming “whole again”—and when we’re whole, we invite happiness in.
Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD, has written eight books, including the New York Times bestseller Happier and his latest, Happier, No Matter What. He is the cofounder of the Happiness Studies Academy and Potentialife. Ben-Shahar taught the largest course at Harvard, “Positive Psychology,” and the third largest, “The Psychology of Leadership,” attracting 1,400 students per semester—approximately 20 percent of all Harvard undergraduates. He obtained his BA and PhD from Harvard, and for the last twenty years has been teaching leadership, happiness, and mindfulness to audiences all over the world.
“Tal Ben-Shahar has done it again! In your hands is an easy-to-read guide that will help you not only stay happy during tough times, but grow and flourish from hardship. Full of science-based tips, this is a must-read for protecting your mental health.”
—Laurie Santos, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and host of The Happiness Lab podcast
“Ben-Shahar tackles happiness and resilience from every angle to find strategies that work even in our toughest moments. This book couldn’t come at a better time!”
—Emma Seppälä, PhD, author of
The Happiness Track and lecturer at the Yale School of Management
“Ben-Shahar has discovered five conditions that allow us to pursue happiness indirectly and, in turn, help us embrace painful emotions and grow from adversity.”
—Big Think
