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Happy

Why More or Less Everything Is Absolutely Fine

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Happy

By: Derren Brown
Narrated by: Derren Brown
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Brought to you by Penguin.

The audiobook edition of Happy, read by Derren Brown.

Everyone says they want to be happy. But that's much more easily said than done. What does being happy actually mean? And how do you even know when you feel it?

In Happy Derren Brown explores changing concepts of happiness - from the surprisingly modern wisdom of the Stoics and Epicureans in classical times right up until today, when the self-help industry has attempted to claim happiness as its own. He shows how many of self-help's suggested routes to happiness and success - such as positive thinking, self-belief and setting goals - can be disastrous to follow and, indeed, actually cause anxiety.

Happy aims to reclaim happiness and to enable us to appreciate the good things in life, in all their transient glory. By taking control of the stories we tell ourselves, by remembering that 'everything's fine' even when it might not feel that way, we can allow ourselves to flourish and to live more happily.

"Crammed with wisdom and insight . . . I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know" Stephen Fry

"Witty, useful and beautifully written" The Sunday Times

© Derren Brown 2016 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 Consciousness & Thought Emotions Personal Development Personal Success Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Stress Management Happiness Career Inspiring Thought-Provoking Funny Feel-Good Feel Better
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Critic reviews

Witty, useful and beautifully written... this book grapples expansively with the most profound questions any of us face
Brilliant. Really brilliant and just crammed with wisdom and insight. It will genuinely make a difference to me and the way I think about myself. I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know. (Stephen Fry)
Brown tries to resurrect the original Stoic ambitions here: not just to live well but to die well, too. His book is thoughtful, insightful and ultimately, well, helpful.
Til now, we've known Derren Brown as a supreme illusionist and magician. Now he surprises us with a new and brilliant identity: as a philosopher. Not just any philosopher. Brown takes philosophy back to its truest task: that of helping us to live and die well. His book is deeply informative, moving, wise and full of love. It sets out to change lives - and it will. Derren has pulled off a properly implausible trick: that of making the deepest ideas relevant, humane and urgent. (Alain de Botton)
In this wise and perceptive book Derren Brown has conjoined personal experience, profoundly sensible psychology and the magic of philosophy to produce a really excellent account of how to be happy - really, maturely, properly happy. This is a wonderfully educative - and enjoyable! - book, and should be on everyone's reading list, always. (A.C. Grayling)
All stars
Most relevant
It must be a truly great audio book to keep an old, self help book cynic entertained for fourteen and a half hours. I was lucky to have the former Chief Rabbi; now Lord Sachs, as my philosophy lecturer at Middlesex Poly but I'd have settled for the audacious Derren Brown. His enthusiasm for the Stoics considered lives as contrasted with our daily pap of positive thinking is great fun. The. last chapter makes clear that the Stoics didn't have all the answers to a fulfilled life and the current focus on mindfulness is beneficial but they'll do for me. As well as being superbly presented this book is well researched with direct quotes from philosophers, psychologists, authors, songwriters, celebrrities and, poignantly, from his fans. One of his fans dying of cancer, provides the most uplifting, happy way of facing death I,he ever read. This is a serious book on balancing our thoughts and actions against the slings and arrows, but there is humour too. The author's views on why being rich and famous is unlikely to be a recipe for happiness is worthy of a stand up comedy spot. He is refreshingly honest throughout and never patronising. I felt even luckier to have lived 66 fulfilling and fun years after listening to this and I learned so much that this is now the top self help book I will, happily, recommend:

Death defying

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This will easily go down as one my favourite listens of the year (despite it having only really started).

Derren Brown makes philosophy digestible and relevant to the everyday. This book is a trove of intriguing ideas which help you to examine your own life and experiences.

It goes beyond 'how to be more happy' and becomes a book about life, death, relationships and everything in between.

I highly recommend this to anyone with a unexplored interest in psychology. It is a fascinating listen.

Psychology meets Philosophy meets Derren

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There are so many points made in this book that resonated with me. Derren articulates his thoughts on happiness so well that they almost become tangible... Put into order and backed up with research there are great tools here for how to approach things within your control and how to identify and think about things that aren't.

It's fast for an informative book and there is a lot of information... But it isn't overbearing and by the end of a chapter seemingly complex thoughts feel simplified enough to grasp.

Bravo, great book.

My sentiments exactly !

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I have previously read this book in text form and found it to be a clear and helpful explanation of Stoic thinking, its practical applications, and in some cases its limitations. I have read books on Stoicism before but it never really 'took' - this book elucidated it to me. The final section on death I find to be particularly affecting.

A sense of humour is maintained despite what could have been a dry subject matter. I found it an engaging read the first time and enjoyed it just as much the second time in audiobook format.

I did try the initial audiobook release but found the narrator intolerable - in this one, hearing it read by the author really brings it to life. His performance is compelling, sincere and funny.

Very enjoyable and intriguing

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Good for anyone looking for a guide to deeper self-knowledge and, probably, self-appreciation because of that effort.

Good for a re-set if required (which if you listen to this book, you’ll know it likely is)

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