| 9781250071521 |
| 1250071526 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Book | 306.0973 WHIP | Nonfiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Are you happy? Right now? Happy enough? As happy as everyone else? Could you be happier if you tried harder?
After she packed up her British worldview (that most things were basically rubbish) and moved to America, journalist and documentary filmmaker Ruth Whippman found herself increasingly perplexed by the American obsession with one topic above all others: happiness. The subject came up everywhere: at the playground swings, at the meat counter in the supermarket, and even--legs in stirrups--at the gynecologist.
The omnipresence of these happiness conversations (trading tips, humble-bragging successes, offering unsolicited advice) wouldn't let her go, and so Ruth did some digging. What she found was a paradox: despite the fact that Americans spend more time and money in search of happiness than any other nation on earth, research shows that the United States is one of the least contented, most anxious countries in the developed world. Stoked by a multi-billion dollar "happiness industrial complex" intent on selling the promise of bliss, America appeared to be driving itself crazy in pursuit of contentment.
So Ruth set out on to get to the bottom of this contradiction, embarking on an uproarious pilgrimage to investigate how this national obsession infiltrates all areas of life, from religion to parenting, the workplace to academia. She attends a controversial self-help course that promises total transformation, where she learns all her problems are all her own fault; visits a "happiness city" in the Nevada desert and explores why it has one of the highest suicide rates in America; delves into the darker truths behind the influential academic "positive psychology movement"; and ventures to Utah to spend time with the Mormons, officially America's happiest people.
What she finds, ultimately, and presents in America the Anxious , is a rigorously researched yet universal answer, and one that comes absolutely free of charge.
Author Notes
RUTH WHIPPMAN is a British writer, journalist, and documentary maker living in the United States. She is the author of America the Anxious and her essays and comment pieces have appeared in various publications including the New York Times , The Independent , The Guardian and the Huffington Post . She graduated from Cambridge University and now lives in California, where she is the proud mother of two little boys.
Reviews (1)
Library Journal Review
The U.S. Declaration of Independence rather asserts the inalienable right to pursue happiness. Whippman, a British journalist and documentary filmmaker, suggests that this decidedly American endeavor can actually lead to increased unhappiness. The author exposes how the many touted paths to contentment create few, if any, lasting benefits, frequently resulting in increased anxiety and feelings of inadequacy when peace of mind doesn't manifest. Whippman investigates the self-help industry's claim that we hold the key to our own fulfillment. She also addresses the trend of managing employee satisfaction. Meditation, religion, parenthood, and social media are also scrutinized. Using examples from her own life and investigative reporting techniques, Whippman discovers that many happiness claims are somewhat tenuous or downright unsupported, and that studies often don't take into account one's individual circumstances. Her witty, insightful observations are supported by convincing data, as she pulls back the curtain to reveal the seedy side of the business of happiness. VERDICT Recommended to readers interested in the psychology of happiness or anxiety and especially those looking for an alternative to the multitude of "how-to" books on the subject.-Lydia Olszak, Bosler -Memorial Lib., -Carlisle, PA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| 1 Coming to America: Obsessed with Happiness, but Nobody's Happy | p. 1 |
| 2 Personal Journey? It's Not All About You | p. 12 |
| 3 Happiness for Sale: Self-Help America | p. 33 |
| 4 Workaholics | p. 63 |
| 5 "I Don't Care as Long as He's Happy": Dispatches from the Parenting Happiness Rat Race | p. 101 |
| 6 God's Plan of Happiness | p. 127 |
| 7 I'm Not a Happy Person, I Just Play One on Facebook | p. 166 |
| 8 Positive Psychology [or If You're Not Happy, It's Your Own Fault, You Lazy Schmuck] | p. 187 |
| 9 Star-Spangled Happy | p. 215 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 221 |
| Notes | p. 225 |
| Index | p. 237 |
