Book Review: “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky

The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky (384 pages, 2007) has received rave reviews. Sonja is a Professor of Psychology at U C Riverside, with a Ph.D. from Stanford University. She works in Positive Psychology.

What is Positive Psychology?: For centuries, Western psychology focused on pathological cases of mental illness exhibited by the severely ill. Over time, such models of mental illness were extended to build psychological theories that accommodate all individuals — ill or healthy. Only recently have psychologists taken the opposite approach. They have begun studying healthy and happy people! The goal is to understand why and how such people are the way they are (science), and to borrow their techniques so that others could boost their happiness level and make their lives more fulfilling (engineering). These efforts by psychologists constitute Positive Psychology.

Overview of the Book: Early in the book, the author explains that happiness is independent of many variables: being rich or poor, being married or not, having a debilitating illness or not, have no correlation with happiness. The author then goes on to explain a model of happiness that is well-accepted by the Positive Psychology community. Three factors determine happiness: set-point, circumstances and volitional activities. In keeping with modern times where quantification of theories is emphasized in social science research, the community has (somehow) managed to ascribe the following percentages to the 3 factors: set-point (40%), circumstances (20%) and volitional activitie (40%). Set point is the hard-wired component of an individual’s state of mind; some people are naturally gregarious, others are naturally anxious. One’s circumstances are the life situation that the individual finds himself / herself in, determined primarily by recent incidents. Both set point and circumstances are out of hand; these cannot be influenced. The entire book is about volitional activities, which constitute 40% of one’s happiness.

Happiness-Enhancing Volitional Activities: The book has grouped such activities into twelve broad categories:

1. Expressing Gratitude
2. Cultivating Optimism
3. Avoiding Overthinking
4. Practicing Acts of Kindness
5. Nurturing Social Relationships
6. Developing Strategies for Coping
7. Learning to Forgive
8. Increasing Flow Experiences
9. Savoring Life’s Joys
10. Committing to Your Goals
11. Practicing Religion and Spirituality
12. Taking Care of Your Body: (a) Meditation, (b) Physical Activity and (c) Acting Like a Happy Person

Activities in each category are described qualitatively, along with anecdotes and personal experiences. Further, in keeping with the current trend towards ‘quantification’ in the social sciences, the book is peppered with short summaries of psychological experiments that quantifiy the efficacy and applicability of each technique. Not all techniques are effective for all individuals. The temperament, personality and the value system of an individual will naturally gravitate him or her towards some of the techniques.

A nice article that enumerates salient points of the book, chapter by chapter. Another article by the same author lists many other books about happiness and Positive Psychology.

An excerpt: Page 22 lists characteristics of happy people:

1. They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those relationships.
2. They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
3. They are often the first to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
4. They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
5. They savor life’s pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
6. They make physical exercise, a weekly and even daily habit.
7. They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions (e.g., fighting fraud, building cabinets or teaching their children their deeply held values).
8. Last but not least, the happiest people do have their share of stresses, crises, and even tragedies. They may become just as distressed and emotional in such circumstances as you or I, but their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in coping in the face of challenge.