Stumbling on happiness

There are plenty of books that try to tell you how to be happy, but Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert isn't one of them. Rather it is an explanation of why we often fail miserably in this quest. In particular it explains why we are so bad at predicting the future. Although we're pretty good at predicting the immediate outcome of what we do, predictions about something that is more than a day or so ahead are a different matter entirely. We're especially bad at predicting how we will feel after some event - a significant failing as we try to organise our lives to consist of what we think will make us happy.

Gilbert is a professor of psychology at Harvard, and draws upon plenty of psychological experiments to demonstrate how our minds work, and so to make his case. However, the book never reads like an experimental report. Rather it is full of witty comments, examples of illusions and even the odd card trick. I'm not sure whether this book will help you to find long term happiness - it may well provide a few pointers. But in the short term - well Gilbert is clearly a skilled writer and has produced a book that is certainly fun to read.