Authentic Happiness

Happiness Self Help Book Reviews

Authentic Happiness covers all the basic scientific principals and summarizes much of the early research in positive psychology with the thoroughness of a text book and the practicality of a self help guide. The author, Dr. Martin Seligman, is often called the father of positive psychology and the new science of happiness.

The book would be worth your time and attention as a text book on the new science of happiness, but interspersed through the concepts and research is practical information, a history of the field of positive psychology, and Martin Seligman’s own spiritual journey. The book’s message of hope and optimism for our planet and for the human race makes this one of the most inspiring self help books I’ve read in a long time.

This book is also available in an audio version read by the author. I liked the audio version better when I read/listened to the book for the first time and I like the print version for going back to as a reference for some of the key ideas and exercises.

Despite the scientific emphasis, this book is full of practical, easy to use tips and techniques. For example, the section on gratitude has several exercises that you can use directly that were also assignments from graduate classes. The exercise and the stories from the graduate students make a powerful combination. The section on parenting has guidelines for raising happy children that apply to any parent of young children.

The book is quite readable and the mixture of facts and personal stories makes the material more compelling. There is a lot of material and the size of the book may make it more difficult for some. Still, the book is well organized and it would be easy enough to break into parts or focus on just the chapters that are most interesting to the reader.

In addition to the information in the book, Dr. Seligman has a website that allows you to participate in his ongoing research on happiness. If you only read one happiness self help book Authentic Happiness by Dr. Martin Seligman would be a good one to read.

Practical- 5/5
Easy to Read- 4/5
Comprehensive- 5/5
Good How to Guide- 5/5
Well Researched/Referenced- 5/5
Inspiring- 5/5
Overall- 5/5

Learn how to achieve authentic happiness for yourself with these techniques.

Other Great Books by Dr. Martin Seligman include: