The Science of Happiness
Stefan Klein
‘Apart from plausible strategies, the author provides the reader with insights into happy brains and genes, into friendship, children and the question, what orgasms are really good for.’
(Max)The Science of Happiness 'makes a compelling case about the way our brains work that will impress or unsettle, depending on a reader's attitudes to life (or basic brain chemistry) ... For people who have assumed that we have no option but to play the hand our genes deal us, Klein's summary of the science can be liberating. However, even though he explains how neuroscience can provide us with strategies to push ourselves towards happiness, without expecting assistance from God or psychiatry, the point of the book is that it is still up to us, however the chemicals in our brain bless or curse us.'
Stephen Matchett (The Australian)‘Mr. Klein has thoroughly researched his subject, and he writes with clarity, ease and humor about the complexities of psychology and neuroscience. I do not know of any other authors who take such a well-grounded scientific approach to the universal — but seemingly elusive — question of what makes us happy.’
Gretchen Vogel (Science magazine)The international bestseller — an enthralling exploration of the how and why behind the science of happiness.
We all know what it feels like to be happy, but what mechanisms inside our brains trigger such a positive emotion? What does it really mean to be happy, and why can’t we feel that way all of the time? Psychologists and neuroscientists have been studying negative emotions for decades, but until recently few have focused on the subject of happiness.
Now, in The Science of Happiness, leading science journalist Stefan Klein ranges widely across the latest frontiers of neuroscience and psychology to explain how happiness is generated in our brains, what biological purpose it serves, and the conditions required to foster ‘the pursuit of happiness’. A remarkable synthesis of a growing body of research that has not been brought together before, The Science of Happiness is, ultimately, a book that helps us understand our own quest for happiness and is certain to help make you happier.
‘Thrilling and entertaining. Stefan Klein convinces with his profound knowledge.’
Bert Sakmann, Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine (Max Planck Institute)‘It is an extremely well-written, easy-to-read and expertly researched book on a theme which has long been begging for pop-science treatment. The author is one of Germany’s leading popular science writers and enjoys a very high reputation throughout Europe.’
Alison Abbott (Nature Magazine)‘“When you’ve finished reading this book, the inside of your head will look different,” promises Klein. And he’s right.’
(Der Spiegel)Stefan Klein
Author photo
Stefan Klein, considered one of the most influential science writers in Europe, has written for many of Germany's leading newspapers and magazines. He was science editor of Der Spiegel, a leading German news magazine, from 1996–1999, a staff writer with Geomagazine from 1999–2000, and is now a freelance writer in Berlin.
He has interviewed many of the world's most prominent scientists, including Antonio Damasio, Stephen Jay Gould, V.S. Ramachandran, Craig Venter, Ian Wilmut, and E.O. Wilson. In 1998 he won the Georg von Holtzbrink Prize for Scientific Journalism.
He studied physics and philosophy at the universities of Munich and Grenoble and completed his PhD in biophysics in Freiburg.
He is also the author of the international bestseller The Science of Happiness which has been published in more than twenty-eight countries. He lives in Berlin and can be found online at www.stefanklein.info.
Website: www.stefanklein.info
Extent: 320pp
Size: 210mm x 135mm
ISBN (10): 1921215 143
ISBN (13): 9781921215148
RRP: $30.00
Pub date: November 2006
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