Author:Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
What really makes us feel glad to be alive? This classic work of psychology from world-renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is your essential guide to unlocking a happier, more fulfilling state of being.
'[He] has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending' ? Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow
'Mr Csikszentmihalyi illuminates the accuracy of what philosophers have been saying for centuries: that the way to happiness lies not in mindless hedonism but in mindful challenge' ? The New York Times
'Elegantly written ... it is more relevant than ever' The Times
'Enlightening, thought-provoking, relevant' -- ***** Reader review
'I actually struggled to put it down' -- ***** Reader review
'It will definitely help me structure and control my mind better' -- ***** Reader review
'If you are searching to add meaning to your life, or to gain more enjoyment from the life that you have, reading this book is a must' -- ***** Reader review
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Control of consciousness determines the quality of life
Combining over 40 years of ground-breaking research with practical advice, world-renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi reveals the key to optimal experience: flow.
Arguing that the human brain is most happy when engaged in the meaningful pursuit of a goal - anything from sport to learning a language, from enjoyable work to practising music - he demonstrates that the need to concentrate and lose yourself in the moment is the key to finding inner peace, happiness and order in the midst of our chaotic lives.
[He] has done more than anyone else to study this state of effortless attending
—— Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and SlowCsikszentmihalyi eloquently argues that living fully in the here and now requires that one heed the lessons of the past
—— New York Times Book ReviewRethinks what motivates people
—— NewsweekMr Csikszentmihalyi illuminates the accuracy of what philosophers have been saying for centuries: that the way to happiness lies not in mindless hedonism but in mindful challenge
—— The New York TimesA wonderful book in which Veronica O'Keane distils what she has learned about people in her life as a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. The reader will appreciate Dr O'Keane's beautiful prose and her caring attitudes, and will effortlessly pick up knowledge about how the brain determines our behaviour.
—— Robin Murray , Professor of Psychiatric Research at King's College LondonA roving, riverine inquiry into memory, experience, the brain...O'Keane does not try to dazzle us with interpretations and cures, but dazzle she does with the science, the clarity with which she can conjure something as ordinary, as bafflingly complex and beautiful, as a memory forming in the brain. . . O'Keane evokes a robin in her backyard with a vividness that would shame a good many novelists I've encountered this year
—— Parul Seghal , New York TimesO'Keane draws from her clinical experiences to offer a comprehensive tour of the current state of knowledge about how memory operates in the brain . . . what makes O'Keane's book engaging is how she incorporates references to literature and folklore
—— Elizabeth Landau , SalonSearching, thoughtful . . . at once scientific, philosophical, medical and literary . . . rich, revelatory and, in the best way, unsettling.
—— James McConnachie , Sunday TimesThis Is Your Mind on Plants is witty, entertaining and polite, but it is not trivial. Subtly but assuredly, Pollan argues that which plants (and fungi) we are allowed and how depends, consciously or otherwise, on the interests of power.
—— Josh Raymond , Times Literary SupplementThe descriptions of London's coffee house culture and Honoré de Balzac's barbarous habit of ingesting dry coffee grounds to fuel all-night scribbling sessions are worth the book's price alone ... The book is really about the relation between each plant and the humans who consume it, tackled in a non-judgmental and objective way that seeks to dispel the ignorance, prejudice and demonisation they attract.
—— Financial TimesFascinating and occasionally terrifying ... His opium chapter is mesmerising.
—— Marcus Berkmann , Daily MailA tour around three substances: caffeine, mescaline and opium. The first is legal, the others remain mostly illegal. Pollan offers us rich historical contexts for them that are often surprising.
—— Peter Carty , IndependentEvery now and then to be put in touch with what really matters - what could be more important than that?
—— Emily Hourican , Irish IndependentOne of the most interesting books I've read this year.
—— James Marriot (via Twitter)A brilliant performance - accessible, playful and scholarly, turning conventional history on its head and approaching it in a new way.
—— Simon Sebag-Montefiore , BBC History Books of the YearChalmers posits that virtual reality will not only be commonplace, but it'll be as valid as our genuine reality. We'll interact with virtual objects, which will replace screen-based computing. We'll spend much of our lives in virtual environments - come the next pandemic, we might be hanging out in simulate worlds, not on Zoom
—— Rory Kiberd, Books of the Year , Irish TimesThe future, too, is the subject of David Chalmers's Reality +. Rather than scoffing at Mark Zuckerberg's metaversal adventures, Chalmers gives due consideration to what the rise of virtual worlds could mean for the real one-and whether, after a certain point, they'll even be distinguishable.
—— Books of the Year , ProspectChalmers is very clever because [in Reality+] he's managed to rehearse many of the key arguments that you would encounter in most philosophy courses, but through that lens of virtual reality... It genuinely is thought-provoking (or virtual thought-provoking). It's well-written too
—— Nigel Warburton, Books of the Year , Five BooksScull delivers a remarkable history of psychiatry. The final section is a devastatingly effective chronicle of the rise of psychopharmacology and its tendency to regard all mental illnesses as potentially treatable with the right medication. This sweeping and comprehensive survey is an impressive feat
—— Publishers WeeklyA carefully researched history of psychiatry, it provides a critical assessment of the psychiatric enterprise. In the rush to find cures for psychiatric illnesses, Scull believes that there has been a disappointing lack of focus on patients
—— Psychiatric NewsA compelling argument for why we should be doing less and doing it better... This comforting, calm book is filled with sensible, practical ideas
—— Independent, *Books of the Year*Burkeman offers practical solutions to problems that might otherwise seem too monolithic to disassemble
—— Emily Watkins , iOliver Burkeman's Guardian feature was called "This Column Will Change Your Life". The wisdom of this book could do the same
—— Julia Bueno , Times Literary Supplement[A] brilliant, comforting time-management guide
—— Stig Abell , Sunday TimesKind of cool
—— Jeff Bridges