The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work - Softcover

Achor, Shawn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0753539462 ISBN 13: 9780753539460

Publisher: Virgin Books, 2010

Synopsis

Most people want to be successful in life. And of course, everyone wants to be happy. When it comes to the pursuit of success and happiness, most people assume the same formula: if you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you'll be happy. The only problem is that a decade of cutting-edge research in the field of positive psychology has proven that this formula is backwards. Success does not beget happiness. Based on the largest study ever conducted on happiness and human potential (a survey conducted by the author of more than 1,600 students), Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor shares seven core principles of positive psychology that each one of us can use to improve our performance, grow our careers, and gain a competitive edge at work. He reveals how happiness actually fuels success and performance, not the other way around. Why? Because when we are happier and more positive we are more engaged, creative, resilient to stress, and productive. The Happiness Advantage will appeal to anyone who wants practical advice on how to be happy and also more successful.

About this title

About the Author

Shawn Achor is one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness, success and potential. His research on mindset made the cover of Harvard Business Review, and his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with 16 million views. He has worked with over a third of the Fortune 100 companies, the Pentagon and the White House, and lectured in more than 50 countries (from CEOs in China to doctors in Dubai and school children in South Africa). His Happiness Advantage training is one of the most successful corporate training programmes in the world. His research has been published in the New York Times, WSJ, Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Fortune. He is the author of The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness.

From the Back Cover

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, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology show that this formula is actually backward: happiness fuels success, not the other way around. It is when we are positive that our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated and productive.

The Happiness Advantage is a must-read for anyone trying to excel in a world of increasing workloads, stress, and negativity. Using stories and case studies from his work with thousands of Fortune 500 executives worldwide, Shawn Achor explains how we can become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge. He isolates seven practical principles that have been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in management, psychology and neuroscience, and in one of the largest studies of happiness and potential ever conducted. These principles show us how we can capitalise on the Happiness Advantage to not only maximise our potential at work, but also to maintain a more positive mind-set about all aspects of our lives.

Edition details

• Publisher: Virgin Books
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0753539462
• ISBN 13: 9780753539460
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256