The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
by Shawn Achor
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Achor holds a highly rated rating of 4.15 out of 5, based on 11.1K reader ratings. First published in 2010. The book spans 272 pages.
About The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
Our most commonly held formula for success is broken. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just find that great job, win that next promotion, lose those five pounds, happiness will follow. But recent discoveries in the field of positive psychology have shown that this formula is actually backward: Happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. This isn’t just an empty mantra. This discovery has been repeatedly borne out by rigorous research in psychology and neuroscience, management studies, and the bottom lines of organizations around the globe. In The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor, who spent over a decade living, researching, and lecturing at Harvard University, draws on his own research—including one of the largest studies of happiness and potential at Harvard and others at companies like UBS and KPMG—to fix this broken formula. Using stories and case studies from his work with thousands of Fortune 500 executives in 42 countries, Achor explains how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive in order to gain a competitive edge at work. Isolating seven practical, actionable principles that have been tried and tested everywhere from classrooms to boardrooms, stretching from Argentina to Zimbabwe, he shows us how we can capitalize on the Happiness Advantage to improve our performance and maximize our potential. Among the principles he outlines: • The Tetris Effect: how to retrain our brains to spot patterns of possibility, so we can see—and seize—opportunities wherever we look. • The Zorro Circle: how to channel our efforts on small, manageable goals, to gain the leverage to gradually conquer bigger and bigger ones. • Social Investment: how to reap the dividends of investing in one of the greatest predictors of success and happiness—our social support network A must-read for everyone trying to excel in a world of increasing workloads, stress, and negativity, The Happiness Advantage isn’t only about how to become happier at work. It’s about how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.From the Hardcover edition.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Author | Shawn Achor |
| Published | 2010 |
| Pages | 272 |
| Genres | Non-Fiction, Psychology, Self-Help, Business, Science |
| Average Rating | 4.15 / 5.00 |
| Total Ratings | 11,131 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What genre is The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work?
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work is categorized as Non-Fiction, Psychology, Self-Help, Business. Its primary genre classification is Science.
Is The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work worth reading?
Based on 11.1K reader ratings, The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work has an average score of 4.15 out of 5.00, which is considered "Highly Rated."
How many pages is The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work?
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work has 272 pages.
Who wrote The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work?
The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work was written by Shawn Achor. It was first published in 2010.
What is the ISBN for The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work?
The ISBN-13 for The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work is 9780307591560.0.
Data sourced from community book ratings and reviews. Last updated: April 15, 2026
