*BASED ON BRISTOL UNIVERSITY'S MOST POPULAR COURSE, PROVEN TO IMPROVE MENTAL WELLBEING*
We all want to be happier, but our brains often get in the way. At the heart of this is our perspective - when we are too inward-looking, we become overly concerned with our own inadequacies, compare ourselves with others and fail to appreciate the good in our lives. These patterns of thinking make us unhappy, anxious and apprehensive.
In The Science of Happiness, world-leading psychologist Bruce Hood presents seven simple but life-changing lessons to break these patterns. He shows how we can form stronger connections with others, become more optimistic, learn to control our attention and finally get out of our own heads.
Grounded in decades of studies in positive and developmental psychology, this book tells a radical new story about the roots of wellbeing and the obstacles that lie in our path. With clear, practical takeaways throughout, Professor Hood demonstrates how we can all harness the findings of this science to re-wire our thinking and transform our lives.
A fascinating examination of how the latest science shows that our individual concept of a self is in fact an illusion.
Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body is compelling and inescapable. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances.
Bruce Hood is the Director of the Cognitive Development Centre at the University of Bristol. He has appeared regularly on TV and radio including The One Show, Start the Week and Newsnight.