Review of The Pursuit of Happiness

[Mandira Samanta]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Pursuit of Happiness" by Paul Lucas Scott.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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The Pursuit of Happiness is a self-help book by engineer and author Paul Lucas Scott. The book's engaging description helps me choose this book and I am completely satisfied with my selection.

In this book, the author analyses the multifaceted characteristics of happiness. He delves deeply into and explores its psychological, social, and cultural aspects. The author provides his readers with practical strategies to achieve lasting and fulfilling happiness. He mentions different types of happiness, particularly hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. He also talks about the positive role of neurotransmitters, meditation, physical exercise, gratitude practice, self-compassion, self-care, forgiveness, mindful activity, volunteering, and healthy relationships on human happiness.

He openly asks his readers to show vulnerabilities before their loved ones as it can cleanse their hearts and build strong bonds. He also shows the strategies for achieving resilience in the face of obstacles. Though he does not ignore the role of financial stability, he advocates the importance of loving relationships and social connections in happiness.

The author does not hesitate to use multiple theories and investigations of other psychologists and professionals to make his narrative more powerful and authentic. He mentions of Shonda Rhimes, Tim Ferriss and Muhammad Yunus as happy individuals and vividly elaborates on their paths to achieving contentment. He also talks about how Norway and Costa Rica attain happiness though they belong to different cultural and financial categories

I greatly enjoyed Scott's narration as he blends personal anecdotes, scientific research and practical advice in his book. He keeps his strategies simple and easily attainable for his readers. The key takeaways after each chapter skilfully summarise a detailed description.

However, I find the author quite repetitive throughout his book. The narration could be short and pithy and it could retain the readers' attention in the long run.

Otherwise, the book is professionally edited without any typos. Despite some shortcomings, this book deserves a rating of 4 out of 5 stars because it appears as a comprehensive guidebook of happiness. I would love to recommend this book to readers interested in self-improvement and personal development.

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The Pursuit of Happiness
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