jatinnagpal's review against another edition
4.0
It was good and well-written, and I found it quite amusing. However, it lacked a bit on the details and was a short read - I'd have preferred it longer.
mschlat's review against another edition
3.0
The conceit of this book is that Paterson isn't telling you how to be content or happy or more confident, but how to be deeply unhappy. He details an exercise from his clinic where he asks depressed people how they could be more unhappy. To their surprise, they often make suggestions that they have already implemented in their life (and then realize how they can avoid those strategies). From that, Paterson develops his approach: if you are looking for a way out of misery, it might help to look backwards to see what got you there.
The content of the book is 40 strategies (each described in about four pages) where Paterson puts his tongue firmly in his cheek and outlines what you can do to increase misery. There are four sections (lifestyle choices, cognitive effects, relationships, and personal purpose), and I found some sections much better than others. For example, you can probably guess some of the lifestyle choice strategies (don't get enough sleep, spend way too much time on the internet), and I didn't get much out of that section. But I found the cognitive section first-rate and have already adopted a strategy in my life to change my affect. (Paterson has tons of advice on how our thinking sets up and informs our emotional response.) Similarly, I found the section on personal meaning in your life more helpful and informative than the relationship section.
Paterson's approach (increase the misery!) does get a bit tiresome at times, and I found some strategies a bit of a slog to work through. However, the conceit works brilliantly at times, so I found the overall impact of the prose helpful, enough so that I'm considering buying the book.
The content of the book is 40 strategies (each described in about four pages) where Paterson puts his tongue firmly in his cheek and outlines what you can do to increase misery. There are four sections (lifestyle choices, cognitive effects, relationships, and personal purpose), and I found some sections much better than others. For example, you can probably guess some of the lifestyle choice strategies (don't get enough sleep, spend way too much time on the internet), and I didn't get much out of that section. But I found the cognitive section first-rate and have already adopted a strategy in my life to change my affect. (Paterson has tons of advice on how our thinking sets up and informs our emotional response.) Similarly, I found the section on personal meaning in your life more helpful and informative than the relationship section.
Paterson's approach (increase the misery!) does get a bit tiresome at times, and I found some strategies a bit of a slog to work through. However, the conceit works brilliantly at times, so I found the overall impact of the prose helpful, enough so that I'm considering buying the book.
laurenash's review against another edition
3.0
POPSUGAR's 2016 Reading Challenge: A self-improvement book.
"But what feels right when you're miserable is what feeds the misery, not what feeds you."
This book was the oh-so-needed kick in the giblets. I worry that people will take offense for this book being sarcastic or flippant about the depths... and I can see that because it's sort of the point. So many things are beyond our control but they all add to the shit that is life. On the other hand, there are also a lot of things we can control and we owe it to ourselves to try. To quote Julian from One Tree Hill, "Happiness is a mood. It's not a destination. It's not permanent." The same could be said about misery. And yet, misery is a lot easier to wallow in. Happiness? Not so much.
Overall-- I enjoyed this book and the point of it, but the writing/cheeky humor style got repetitive after a while.
"But what feels right when you're miserable is what feeds the misery, not what feeds you."
This book was the oh-so-needed kick in the giblets. I worry that people will take offense for this book being sarcastic or flippant about the depths... and I can see that because it's sort of the point. So many things are beyond our control but they all add to the shit that is life. On the other hand, there are also a lot of things we can control and we owe it to ourselves to try. To quote Julian from One Tree Hill, "Happiness is a mood. It's not a destination. It's not permanent." The same could be said about misery. And yet, misery is a lot easier to wallow in. Happiness? Not so much.
Overall-- I enjoyed this book and the point of it, but the writing/cheeky humor style got repetitive after a while.
melissa_h's review against another edition
3.0
Although I understand the idea, it is supposed to be quirky, it was a bit of a strange read and I found near the end I skimmed more than read it fully. Decent ideas if you follow the opposite to to be happier.
adragoman's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5