The Happiness Advantage
The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
By Shawn Achor
About the book
Harvard lecturer Shawn Achor argues that the usual sequence, in which hard work brings success and success brings happiness, runs backwards. Drawing on research in positive psychology, including his own survey of more than 1,600 students, he contends that happiness fuels success, because happier and more positive people are more engaged, creative, productive and resilient to stress. Achor distils the findings into seven principles that individuals can use to lift their performance, advance in their careers and get ahead of rivals at work. The guidance is aimed at readers who want practical ways to become both happier and more successful in their jobs.
SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan says it started an ongoing conversation on her team about how employee happiness relates to productivity. Cardiologist Monali Y. Desai calls it her favorite non-business book because it reminds her to surround herself with positive people.
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This book has 4 recommendations
Melanie Whelan (CEO/SoulCycle)
This book opened an ongoing conversation on our team around the relationship between employee happiness and productivity. Achor overturns the conventional belief that happiness is a natural outcome of success. Through practical research, experiences and anecdotes, he illustrates that happiness that will actually lead you to success. Happy people tend to work harder, collaborate better and be more productive. This in turn leads to better results. SoulCycle is and always has been an inherently positive experience and one of the things Achor's book validated for us is that a meaningful commitment to employee well-being is a huge part of why we're successful. We've integrated the book as a resource for our entire organization.
Dr. Monali Y. Desai (Cardiologist & Founder/If We Were Family)
My favorite non-business book is The Happiness Advantage (Shawn Achor) because it reminds me of the importance of surrounding myself with positive people.
David Kramaley (Co-Founder/Chessable)
I’m reading The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. I expect it to reinforce some positive psychology principles I know and help me put them into practice.
Tiphaine Guerout (Founder/Koovee)
The Happiness Advantage gave me some life hacks that changed my perspective on things. With small exercise you can be less moody and see a bit more the positive things rather than the negative ones.
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Melanie Whelan, Dr. Monali Y. Desai, David Kramaley, Tiphaine Guerout
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Often recommended alongside
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (2 shared recommenders)
Appears in collections
Sources
- Books That Changed My Mind This Year: CEO Selections
- Dr. Monali Y. Desai, Cardiologist & Founder of If We Were Family, Learned Finance & Investing by Reading Books
- David Kramaley, Co-Founder of Chessable: 'Human potential is limitless as long as we apply ourselves'
- Tiphaine Guerout, Founder of Koovee: 'Ambition and Taking Joy in Failing Should Be Taught at School'