Do You like book Exuberance: The Passion For Life (2005)?
This book takes an in-depth look not just at happiness, but at something less rarely examined -- pure joy and exuberance. The author explores historical figures and fictional characters whom she felt exemplified this trait (such as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Peter Pan, Tigger and Snoopy). She also gives examples of how various types of animals -- dolphins, elephants, dogs and even rats and porcupines -- also seem to exhibit forms of joy. There's less than I expected in the way of scientific exploration of this emotion, though she does go into this a bit as well. She points out that joy is often a central part of learning, the drive/quest for research and discovery, relationships/social development (in the form of play), and sometimes even our survival. Overall, it's very well-researched and thorough. My main complaint is that, for a book about passion and exuberance, it lacked much luster and felt a bit dry to me. Not a type of book to try to get through all at once (like I did).
—Laurel
Context and analysis on positive mood and passion. Chewy, verdant, wild and dense, like all of her books. She suffers from an extreme case of bipolar, and you can tell that many of her books are conceived and written at the height of controlled mania. It lends them a scope, a degree of lateral thinking, an inclusiveness that's pleasing and a little overwhelming. I tend to walk away from her books, including this one, with a deeper knowledge ofhistory, poetry, or literature. This book is particularly intense and associative, and it's a bit light on the psychological and psychopharmacological research for my taste. But I love what she writes irregardless of content, for the way she harnesses pathology and turns it into brilliance (her previous book on manic depression among famous artists and poets and the effect on the creative temperament and output could just as easily have featured an autobiographical chapter).
—Lightreads
Do you ever wonder why some people seem "happier" than others? Some people are psychologically more inclined to be happy, to find excitement and joy in the small details of life, to see the world through bright "rose colored glasses", and this book explores these personality traits in detail. The author is a prominent psychologist, and draws on her valuable experience...In this country anti-depressants are among the most common drugs and rising. What if we were able to pick out the psychological tendencies towards happiness and help our patients/clients find inner joy instead of overmedicating? more patients/clients are actively seeking ways to feel better naturally than ever before. The potential for change is here...
—Jessi
