I really like this book. This book might seem like a self-help book, but it's not. It basically takes into account a large amount of "ancient" and "modern" wisdom about what really makes us happy. This book attempts to answer many questions about happiness, and I will discuss just three core questions here: 1) Can we change the way we view the world? 2) Why do we need love and attachment? 3) How can adversity be beneficial and why? For the first question, it seems that Haidt's answer might just be a resounding NO. First, twins research reveals that identical twins separated at birth often have similar ways of viewing the world. Second, we react to bad things more quickly, strongly, and persistently than we do to good things. As for what we can do about changing our view of the world Haidt offers meditation, cognitive behavior therapy and Prozac as solutions. Meditation reduces anxiety and increases contentment, while cognitive therapy gives patients tools to control their behavior and feelings, and Prozac increases serotonin allowing you to see the world as a better place. In the end, Haidt discusses how lasting change occurs through the retraining of our mind and behavior over a period of time. For the second question, Haidt discussed Harlow and Bowley's research that demonstrates that love and attachment are crucial in terms of proper development. We crave connection. Caregivers help us to create bonds that increase our confidence to explore and develop a sense of independence. This need for love and attachment is found in romantic relationships as well as all valued social connections. Humans are "designed" to be connected to others. For the third question, Haidt discusses post-traumatic growth, and here he talks about how adversity reveals one's hidden abilities and revealing these alters our self-esteem, our feelings of self-actualization and our very self-concept. Another result of post-traumatic growth is that it helps develop and strengthen relationships and that trauma changes priorities and philosophies.
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