The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

Description

The-Happiness-Advantage-by-Shawn-AchorOur-most-commonly-held-formula-for-success-is-broken.Conventional-wisdom-holds-that-if-we-work-hard-we-will-be-more-successful,-and-if-we-are-more-successful,-then-we’ll-be-happy.-If-we-can-just-find-that-great-job,-win-that-next-promotion,-lose-those-five-pounds,-happiness-will-follow.-But-recent-discoveries-in-the-field-of-positive-psychology-have-shown-that-this-formula-is-actually-backward:-Happiness-fuels-success,-not-the-other-way-around.-When-we-are-positive,-our-brains-become-more-engaged,-creative,-motivated,-energetic,-resilient,-and-productive-at-work.-This-isn’t-just-an-empty-mantra.-This-discovery-has-been-repeatedly-borne-out-by-rigorous-research-in-psychology-and-neuroscience,-management-studies,-and-the-bottom-lines-of-organizations-around-the-globe.In-The-Happiness-Advantage,-Shawn-Achor,-who-spent-over-a-decade-living,-researching,-and-lecturing-at-Harvard-University,-draws-on-his-own-research—including-one-of-the-largest-studies-of-happiness-and-potential-at-Harvard-and-others-at-companies-like-UBS-and-KPMG—to-fix-this-broken-formula.-Using-stories-and-case-studies-from-his-work-with-thousands-of-Fortune-500-executives-in-42-countries,-Achor-explains-how-we-can-reprogram-our-brains-to-become-more-positive-in-order-to-gain-a-competitive-edge-at-work.Isolating-seven-practical,-actionable-principles-that-have-been-tried-and-tested-everywhere-from-classrooms-to-boardrooms,-stretching-from-Argentina-to-Zimbabwe,-he-shows-us-how-we-can-capitalize-on-the-Happiness-Advantage-to-improve-our-performance-and-maximize-our-potential.-Among-the-principles-he-outlines:-•-The-Tetris-Effect:-how-to-retrain-our-brains-to-spot-patterns-of-possibility,-so-we-can-see—and-seize—opportunities-wherever-we-look.-•-The-Zorro-Circle:-how-to-channel-our-efforts-on-small,-manageable-goals,-to-gain-the-leverage-to-gradually-conquer-bigger-and-bigger-ones.-•-Social-Investment:-how-to-reap-the-dividends-of-investing-in-one-of-the-greatest-predictors-of-success-and-happiness—our-social-support-networkA-must-read-for-everyone-trying-to-excel-in-a-world-of-increasing-workloads,-stress,-and-negativity,-The-Happiness-Advantage-isn’t-only-about-how-to-become-happier-at-work.-It’s-about-how-to-reap-the-benefits-of-a-happier-and-more-positive-mind-set-to-achieve-the-extraordinary-in-our-work-and-in-our-lives.