Michael Krasny conducted an absolutely wonderful (audio) interview on KQED with Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness.
(From Amazon. Written by Malcolm Gladwell)
Stumbling on Happiness is a book about a very simple but powerful idea. What distinguishes us as human beings from other animals is our ability to predict the future – or rather, our interest in predicting the future. We spend a great deal of our waking life imagining what it would be like to be this way or that way, or to do this or that, or taste or buy or experience some state or feeling or thing. We do that for good reasons: it is what allows us to shape our life. And it is by trying to exert some control over our futures that we attempt to be happy. But by any objective measure, we are really bad at that predictive function. We’re terrible at knowing how we will feel a day or a month or year from now, and even worse at knowing what will and will not bring us that cherished happiness. Gilbert sets out to figure what that’s so: why we are so terrible at something that would seem to be so extraordinarily important?
I highly recommend giving it a listen if you are able. It’s free and only an hour long. You can find the file here. I listened to it last week while at work after a coworker (and friend) told me about it. I listened to it again on Sunday while running. There were times while I was listening where the actual broadcast and some of Mr. Gilbert’s answers actually made me happy. I plan on picking up his book today.
Again, grab it here. You won’t regret it.
Mihow 
Leave a Reply