We’re all looking for more happiness.

I recently finished reading Daniel Gilbert’s Stumbling on Happiness. It was a very interesting read. Dr. Gilbert explores why we wrongly predict what will make us happy. He pulls on research to make his case. His sense of humor comes through in his writing, which also makes for an enjoyable read.

This book had a big build up, but failed to deliver in the end. This book is ultimately a psychology book, not a self-help book. It spends very little time helping us to solve this problem and a lot of time establishing all the ways we fail to predict what makes us happy. I would have preferred a stronger look at solutions. I suppose this is why I liked The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky. The How of Happiness provides concrete strategies that you can quite easily implement and that I believe will help you achieve the goal of greater happiness. But for an interesting read on the subject, Stumbling on Happiness is definitely worth a read.

Dr. Sharon Martin, LCSW

Sharon Martin, a licensed counselor and psychotherapist in Northern California, specializes in helping adult children of alcoholics and others who struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, and self-criticism. She has a private psychotherapy practice in CA where she is available for online counseling. Sharon is also the author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism and write the blog Conquering Codependency for Psychology Today.