If someone wants to read just one book to learn about the complexities of life: what makes it go well, what brings meaning to it, how to make sense of conflicting advice and ideologies, I would easily recommend this book. Jonathan Haidt attempts to to provide a survey of several thousand years worth of advice (from religious and secular texts across the world) while integrating it into the best scientific knowledge the world currently possesses; I think he succeeds.

Haidt divides the multitude of questions into 11 chapters and ties them together with a metaphor he sees as most useful for understanding human beings: a rider on top of an elephant. The rider is our ‘reason’ while the elephant is our intertwined set of emotions. Though a rider can steer the elephant, it takes effort and sometimes it’s impossible to alter the elephant’s behavior much. For instance, this analogy is a good fit when we think about our new year’s resolutions (a common inability to break habits). Furthermore, the analogy yields to good advice about altering one’s behavior (and Haidt spells out how to do it).

Much like many good books about happiness, Haidt emphasizes what makes for a happy life (as well as describes the scientific findings and historical texts that support these conclusions when he can). Noise, commutes during traffic, lack of control are not things humans can get used to – these factors consistently drive down one’s happiness. Relationships (friends and romantic) are consistently shown to be one of the most important factors in one’s happiness.  

Unlike most happiness books I could recommend, The Happiness Hypothesis contains numerous lessons that every person ought to learn (and remind himself of).  From reciprocity and vengeance, hypocrisy, love and attachment, adversity and virtue, to divinity with or without God, and answers for “the meaning of life”; this book has it all. Among many topics, Haidt explains how our pursuits of happiness can be and are often so misguided, describes why conservatives and liberals come to disagree, and provides empirically-based solutions to problems such as dealing with loss of loved ones and child rearing.

Does virtuous life make for a happy life? Does believing in God make for a happier individual or a more cohesive society? These and other hard questions the author addresses directly and provides for readers invaluable research to come to their own conclusions.  Through many helpful analogies (e.g. Flatland), the  author gives his readers a gem of a book. Even the most well read and wisest of humans will likely learn something of great value from this book.

Click here to see an 18 minute talk by the author about moral roots of liberals and conservatives.