Wellbeing

Tom Rath and Jim Harter argue that wellbeing is more than happiness, wealth, success or physical health, and that chasing any one of these alone can leave people frustrated. Using Gallup research among people in more than 150 countries, they identify five universal and interconnected elements: career, social, financial, physical and community wellbeing. Because these areas affect one another, the authors treat them together rather than as separate goals such as making money or losing weight. In a conversational style they pair research findings with ideas for raising wellbeing in each of the five areas, for readers and for the people around them. It became a New York Times best seller.

Stephen Lew, director of The School of Positive Psychology, named it in an interview as a book he would recommend to young people interested in his field.