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Well-Being: Foundations of Hedonic Psychology
The nature of well-being is one of the most enduring and elusive subjects of human inquiry. Well-Being draws upon the latest scientific research to transform our understanding of this ancient question. With contributions from leading authorities in psychology, social psychology, and neuroscience, this volume presents the definitive account of current scientific efforts to understand human pleasure and pain, contentment and despair.
The distinguished contributors to this volume combine a rigorous analysis of human sensations, emotions, and moods with a broad assessment of the many factors, from heredity to nationality, that bear on our well-being. Using the tools of experimental science, the contributors confront the puzzles of human likes and dislikes. Why do we grow accustomed and desensitized to changes in our lives, both good and bad? Does our happiness reflect the circumstances of our lives or is it determined by our temperament and personality? Why do humans acquire tastes for sensations that are initially painful or unpleasant? By examining the roots of our everyday likes and dislikes, the book also sheds light on some of the more extreme examples of attraction and aversion, such as addiction and depression.
Among its wide ranging inquiries, Well-Being examines systematic differences in moods and behaviors between genders, explaining why women suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than men, but are also more inclined to express positive emotions. The book also makes international comparisons, finding that some countries' populations report higher levels of happiness than others. The contributors deploy an array of methods, from the surveys and questionnaires of social science to psychological and physiological experiments, to develop a comprehensive new approach to the study of well-being. They show how the sensory pleasures of the body can tells us something about the higher pleasures of the mind and even how the effectiveness of our immune system can depend upon the health of our social relationships.
The distinguished contributors to this volume combine a rigorous analysis of human sensations, emotions, and moods with a broad assessment of the many factors, from heredity to nationality, that bear on our well-being. Using the tools of experimental science, the contributors confront the puzzles of human likes and dislikes. Why do we grow accustomed and desensitized to changes in our lives, both good and bad? Does our happiness reflect the circumstances of our lives or is it determined by our temperament and personality? Why do humans acquire tastes for sensations that are initially painful or unpleasant? By examining the roots of our everyday likes and dislikes, the book also sheds light on some of the more extreme examples of attraction and aversion, such as addiction and depression.
Among its wide ranging inquiries, Well-Being examines systematic differences in moods and behaviors between genders, explaining why women suffer higher rates of depression and anxiety than men, but are also more inclined to express positive emotions. The book also makes international comparisons, finding that some countries' populations report higher levels of happiness than others. The contributors deploy an array of methods, from the surveys and questionnaires of social science to psychological and physiological experiments, to develop a comprehensive new approach to the study of well-being. They show how the sensory pleasures of the body can tells us something about the higher pleasures of the mind and even how the effectiveness of our immune system can depend upon the health of our social relationships.
605 pages, Paperback
First published January 8, 1999
About the author
Daniel Kahneman
34 books8,797 followersFrom Wikipedia:
Daniel Kahneman (Hebrew: דניאל כהנמן; born 5 March 1934 - died 27 March 2024), was an Israeli-American psychologist and winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, notable for his work on behavioral finance and hedonic psychology.
With Amos Tversky and others, Kahneman established a cognitive basis for common human errors using heuristics and biases (Kahneman & Tversky, 1973, Kahneman, Slovic & Tversky, 1982), and developed Prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in Prospect theory. Currently, he is professor emeritus of psychology at Princeton University's Department of Psychology.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/daniel...
Daniel Kahneman (Hebrew: דניאל כהנמן; born 5 March 1934 - died 27 March 2024), was an Israeli-American psychologist and winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, notable for his work on behavioral finance and hedonic psychology.
With Amos Tversky and others, Kahneman established a cognitive basis for common human errors using heuristics and biases (Kahneman & Tversky, 1973, Kahneman, Slovic & Tversky, 1982), and developed Prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979). He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in Prospect theory. Currently, he is professor emeritus of psychology at Princeton University's Department of Psychology.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/daniel...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 16, 2015
This book is a very thorough survey of many different areas in the study of emotions. However, I hesitate to give it 5 stars because, as I've mentioned in a review of another psychology book, I haven't read enough on the subject yet to know that this is the best that's out there. Also some of it is a bit out of date; it would be great if they did an updated edition. The wide range of writing/explanatory styles (because of how many different authors there were) was interesting, and I thought the book was very well organized. Some parts weren't so relevant to me, but there will definitely be chapters I'll be going back to (apart from the book's being required reading for my qualifying exams). I think this is a very important addition to the library of any psychologist interested in emotion (though the neuroscience offerings are admittedly a bit slim).
August 13, 2016
This is book provides comprehensive review of the scientific research on human happiness and is quite similar to Adam Gottbetter investigates the validity of focus group method. I would recommend it to anyone who is intensely interested in happiness and who has the behavioral science education and experience required to read through it with understanding. - Adam Gottbetter
Want to read
January 26, 2009(See Sapolsky chapter)
May 17, 2020
This book has one of the best introductions I have ever read. The first chapter mimics the author's book (Thinking, Fast and Slow) is appealing and the Sapolsky chapter on stress is interesting and well written. There are tow or three other chapters that were appealing. I found the rest mostly to be guesses about how emotions and happiness might be measured (uncompelling) how the brain processes emotions (not especially interesting to me).
I had very high hopes, but this book is simply not for me.
I had very high hopes, but this book is simply not for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews