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";s:4:"text";s:28374:"Happiness was reserved for the gods and the fortunate few. Takeaways. Your first journey took you to someplace called The World Database of Happiness? Publication date 2008-01-03 Topics Essays & Travelogues, General, Travel / General, Description And Travel, Travel, Travel - General, Voyages and travels, Weiner, Eric Publisher Twelve Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; china Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive Contributor Internet Archive Language English. Not long into our journey, Drew grew nervous. But I couldn't get over its shortcomings and so I didn't finish it (maybe you think that makes me unqualified to form an opinion of it, but I don't). If you like witty, informative travel guides, then this book is for you too. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World - Ebook written by Eric Weiner. This has always been the case for me with analyzing humor, and maybe it's the same with happiness. It’s in the Netherlands. And so, notebook in hand, tape recorder slung over my shoulder, I roamed the world telling the stories of gloomy, unhappy people. I did. He bases his exploration of happiness on the following hypothetical question: I was surprised at some of the happiest places on Earth and not surprised at others. This item: The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner Paperback CDN$19.33 Only 1 left in stock (more on the way). My affliction, if that’s what it is, went into remission for many years following my aborted expedition with Drew. Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Has the book changed you? That’s when a graphic designer from Worcester, Massachusetts, named Harvey Ball invented the now-ubiquitous grinning yellow graphic. Still, I’ve always had a hidden buoyancy. We move from a teeming college dorm to an apartment to a house, and if we're really wealthy, to an estate. Big Picture. The Persian Gulf nation is the wealthiest in the world—the perfect Petri dish for studying the connection between money and happiness. The Swiss don’t have a sense of humor, but they enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking in the Alps. Culture is the sea we swim in—so pervasive, so all-consuming, that we fail to notice its existence until we step out of it. Or, to be more precise, the line between out there and in here is not as sharply defined as we think. You don’t have to solve every problem right now. Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? In The Geography of Genius, “Weiner is a superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, self-deprecating…[His] idiosyncratic approach made me feel afterward …, Copyright © 2021 Eric Weiner. He proves a knowledgeable tour guide about radically dissimilar places and, despite calling himself a ‘grump,’ a very funny companion.” -Andrea Walker, The Hartford Courant, “A charming, funny and illuminating travelogue . It contains mankind’s accumulated knowledge about what makes us happy and, even more important, where we are happy. He stays a few weeks, talks to natives and to ex-pats and forms conclusions. The author covers several countries (so far: Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar), but there is nothing probing in his method. It's not sappy, lame or filled with useless information. What if, I wondered, I spent a year traveling the globe, seeking out not the world’s well-trodden trouble spots but, rather, its unheralded happy places? And so, on a late summer afternoon, I dragged my reluctant friend Drew off to explore new worlds and, I hoped, to fi nd some happiness along the way. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World audiobook written by Eric Weiner. The truth is that unhappy people, living in profoundly unhappy places, make for good stories. You will, however, find much to chew on and, perhaps, some unexpected inspiration. These days, happiness is not only possible for everyone, it’s expected, and that creates a lot of pressure—what historian Darrin McMahon calls “the unhappiness of not being happy.”. I will admit that I was initially put off by the title of NPR correspondent Eric Weiner’s engaging, highly readable travelogue, The Geography of Bliss. It's fleeting, yet in our field of vision at all times. Who are your favorite writers? If you want to wag a politically correct finger in his direction, you’ll have to stop laughing first . What seems to works in Thailand. Eric Weiner is author of the New York Times bestseller The Geography of Bliss, which has been translated into eighteen languages.A former correspondent for NPR and the New York Times, Weiner has reported from more than three dozen countries.His work has appeared in the New Republic, Slate, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the New York Times Magazine, and the … Happiness, in this life, on this earth, was a prize reserved for the gods and the fortunate few. I tried to avoid luxury hotels. Why can’t airlines serve a decent meal? What they crave, most of all, is validation. Yes, the topic of happiness is fairly high stakes, and instead of treating it with gentleness and respect, he takes a flippant tone. Can happiness be equated with living in a democratic, safe societies? Yes, because I do travel to some ten counties. It's not the kind of book where for ten minutes I feel awesome and then forget about it. I roam the world in search of answers to the pressing questions of our time: What are the essential ingredients for the good life? I ended up learning something about both the world and happiness. No. I mean both Qatar and Bhutan are two of the happiest places and they are very different. Lots to be learned here from a cultural and psychological point of view! This book makes an attempt to figure out what makes people happy and if perhaps some countries are more conductive to happiness than others. I’m a closet optimist. In the process he ponders on his own happiness or lack thereof. One of the ineluctable laws of travel is that most companions are beguiling at the beginning and annoying by the end. Envy is toxic. It takes a chapter or two to decide you like him, and another to realize that you like him a lot, but by the time the trip is over, you find yourself hoping that you’ll hit the road together again someday. Not perfect data, mind you, but reliable enough so that we can safely say that some countries are clearly happier than others. I needed to know, and to this day I’m convinced I would have reached wherever it was I was trying to reach had the Baltimore County Police not concluded, impulsively I thought at the time, that the shoulder of a major thoroughfare was no place for a couple of fi ve-year-olds. Happiness is transient and complicated. They are geographical outliers, places that are practically falling off the map yet possess an undeniable bliss. I even underlined things. I offer no simple bromides here. He also visited the most unhappy country in the world according to the University of Happiness in Netherlands, namely Moldavia. Bhutan has an actual national policy of Gross National Happiness. It matters more than we think. Is it Switzerland? Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. For years, I was a foreign correspondent for NPR, a job that entailed traveling to the world’s least happy countries, identifying the least happy people in these countries and then spending a lot of time hanging out with them. Physically, it’s an unassuming, even ugly place, but it’s fascinating. Eric Weiner used to work as a conflict zone reporter which meant he was usually sent to less fortunate places. As often as possible, I stayed with friends and friends of friends. His goal was not to find what makes people happy but rather locating the geographic area where there appears to be an abundance of happiness. Originally, Ball’s creation was designed to cheer up people who worked at, of all places, an insurance company, but it has since become synonymous with the frothy, quintessentially American brand of happiness. It might seem as if this ground has already been covered more than adequately, but Weiner is smart enough to have come up with a reasonably appealing, and effective, gimmick. Expédié et vendu par Amazon. Is this a self-help book? What about the U.S. chapter? Happiness isn’t only personal. So are friends. I’m not sure. "The part of the brain linked to altrusim is also the part linked to food and sex," Weiner notes. As a correspondent for NPR, Weiner spent ample time reporting from the world’s trouble spots. Yes, but not a typical one. As the author Eric Hoffer put it, “The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.” That’s okay. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner. This is a good read for anyone. Thanks GR for reminding me about this. It resurfaced after college with renewed fury. I laughed my way--out loud--through most of this book. Who knows what it will be in the next hour; but for now, I'm in the moment and it feels good. Anyone who has taken a vacation to, say, some Caribbean island and had flash through their mind the uninvited thought “I could be happy here” knows what I mean. Lurking just behind the curtain is, of course, that tantalizing, slippery concept known as paradise. The country he visited in his journey were The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Thailand, Great Britain, India. Yes. Perhaps, but not like any you’ve read before. It is all of those things, and more. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Why? Countries that, in their own way, are pursuing that most American of pursuits: happiness. Yes, the topic of happiness is fairly high stakes, and instead of treating it with gentleness and respect, he takes a flippant tone. The relationship between place and contentment is an ineffable one, and Weiner cuts through the fog with a big, powerful light. Livraison à EUR 0,01 sur les livres et gratuite dès EUR 25 d'achats sur tout autre article … For most of human history, I’d be considered normal. . I’m a perfectionist, and that is certainly a recipe for unhappiness. “Laugh. After reading the intro chapter and the chapter on the Swiss, I felt as though I was stuck at a dinner party. In the book, “The Geography of Bliss”, author Eric Weiner travels to Switzerland and discovers that the Swiss have a narrow band of emotions. ;). To see what your friends thought of this book, Definitely don't serve rotten shark. The Geography of Blissis a journey too good to be rare.” -Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post Book World, “Grouchy or not, Weiner displays an openness to other cultures and a huge sense of humor in this absorbing, funny, and thoughtfullook at notions of bliss.” –Booklist, “With one single book, Eric Weiner has flushed Bill Bryson down a proverbial toilet, and I say that lovingly. And, to be honest, I didn’t know it would turn out this way when I started my journey. The Geography of Bliss Paperback – 14 July 2008 by Eric Weiner (Author) › Visit Amazon's Eric Weiner Page. We’d love your help. That’s a tough one. There were times that I questioned my own beliefs and wanted to have a bigger conversation. The Geography of Bliss is a tough book to nail down. The Geography of Bliss, by Eric Weiner. In my quest for the world’s happiest places, I eat rotten Icelandic shark, smoke Moroccan hashish and intervene to save (almost) an insect in distress. By turns hilarious and profound, this is the kind of book that could change your life. Yet we Americans, I think, believe deeply in this connection between place and happiness. How did you choose the countries that you visited? But I couldn't get over its shortcomings and so I didn't finish it (maybe you think that makes me unqualified to form an opinion of it, but I don't). Start by marking “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World” as Want to Read: Error rating book. No, I don’t think so. Aided by scientific research into what makes people happy, and with an index of the world’s countries ranked by self-reported happiness levels, Weiner travels around the globe to see how happiness looks in places at the top and at the bottom of the list. The grouchy, world-weary Eric Weiner is clearly searching for his own bliss and this is sometimes tiresome, but often very funny and occasionally inspirational (hence the underlining). In addition, he showed moments of extreme cultural insensitivity. I did not appreciate that. Picture 1. His search has sent him through the darkest corners of the world to the brightest and busiest places of all. So is excessive thinking. It's a re-evaluation of happiness. There is data out there about the world’s happiest nations. Need I say more? If I’m not happy, they counsel, then I’m not digging deep enough. The people that Eric Weiner talks to are interesting, with complex pasts. lol. Why did you go to Moldova? Clearly, the question "are you happy" is not always an appropriate one to ask. Eric Weiner (Author) 4.4 out of 5 stars 612 ratings. He pleaded with me to turn back, but I insisted we press on, propelled by an irresistible curiosity about what lay ahead. ), the book’s title is a minor bump along the road to an otherwise largely satisfying read. Happiness and Place. I loved it! For years, as a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, I covered a … Ball’s cheery icon never worked its magic on me. Not any more than we could be happy married to just anyone. Don’t get me wrong. Order "The Geography of Bliss" here. Unconsciously, I was observing the first law of writing: Write about what you know. Topics: Family, Morality, Personal life Pages: 2 (566 words) Published: October 27, 2013. Quality Paperback Club 2008 New Visions Award Winner, Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” Title, “The Geography of Bliss is the kind of book that makes you think of Scrooge in the tropics, chomping his cigar, bah-humbugging as marimbas are played, jotting notes even Richard Nixon would love. So Weiner, admitted grump and self-help book aficionado, undertook a year's research to travel the globe, looking for the. I am not a happy person, never have been. I really enjoyed "The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner. I learned mo. Danger? Happy Smiley Face (credit to Pixabay) “A journey is personal. Who knows what it will be in t. A book everyone should read. “Money matters but less than we think and not in the way that we think. How place—in every aspect of the word—shapes us, defines us. author of Municipal Bondage and Big Kiss Henry Alford "Think Don Quixote with a dark sense of humor and a taste for hashish and you begin to grasp Eric Weiner, the modern knight-errant of this mad, sad, wise, and witty quest across four continents. Get instant access to all your favorite books. I travel to Switzerland, where I discover the hidden virtues of boredom; to the tiny-and extremely wealthy-Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where the relationship between money and happiness is laid bare; to India, where Westerners seek their bliss at the feet of gurus; to Thailand, where not thinking is a way of life; to a small town outside London where happiness experts attempt to “change the psychological climate.” I am no dispassionate observer. So is excessive thinking. But for The Geography of Bliss, I decided to tell the other side of the story by visiting some of the world’s most contented places. Qatar is using money to accomplish this goal. Part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is. The first edition of the novel was published in 2008, and was written by Eric Weiner. By “where,” I’m speaking not only of our physical environment but also of our cultural environment. Welcome back. Highly recommend! When researching this book, how did you travel? The author, an NPR correspondent, provides a humorous and witty account of his travels around the world in search of the happiest places in which people live. ISBN: 044669889X. Instead of just giving yet another presentation of the experimental work and its conclusions, he packages his whole investigation as a travel memoir. This is a demo website for web scraping purposes. Stream The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, Read by the Author- Audiobook Excerpt by HachetteAudio from desktop or your mobile device “Places that … This is a late entry in the glut of “science of happiness” books that peaked a couple of years ago. The trick is finding the right corner. I wanted to throw this book in a lake (unfortunately, it's a library book). Part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide, The Geography of Bliss takes the reader across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is. I wanted to read this book not to find the happiest place on Earth but to try and improve my abysmal grasp of world geography. Qataris, like all noveau riche, possess a strange mix of arrogance and insecurity. or somewhere else entirely? I set out on my journey, my search for paradise, speaking not Aramaic but another obscure language, the modern liturgy of bliss spoken by the new apostles of the emerging science of happiness. Call Number: G 465 .W435 2009. Like Weiner, I too believe in “the transformative promise of geography.” All in all, it’s a good read, offering a snapshot of places in the world that I may or may not want to visit but I hope to better understand. Did it work for the author? I’m all these things but ultimately, we decided on grump. Is that a real place? You’ll find yourself haunted by little nuggets from his travels.” -Susan Larson, New Orleans Times Picayune, “Weiner is a perceptive traveler, and he enlivens and deepens his narrative quest by seeking out knowledgeable locals and expats wherever he goes, allowing him to create an illuminating anecdotal topo map of each country’s psychographic landscape. I desperately wanted to see the world, preferably on someone else’s dime. Weiner is also the author of Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine. This was a very interesting book. I found it a laugh out loud informative book. At times it was funny, sure, and it was kind of interesting. Not only was it cheaper, it also provided me a wonderful window into those particular countries. Trust is not. The second criteria I used was a bit more nuanced. He says, "Hell isn't other people. Think. The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, 9780552775083, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. It’s a different way of looking at the world. See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. Eric Weiner. These ideas may not have been invented here but surely some can be transplanted here. by Twelve, The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World. There are many books out there that focus on the question “What is happiness?” I attempt to answer the question “Where is happiness?” I’ve always believed that we are creatures of geography, of place. First class? The Geography of Bliss Quotes Showing 1-30 of 232. Others are born with it. “Think Don Quixote with a dark sense of humor and a taste for hashishand you begin to grasp Eric Weiner, the modern knight-errant of this mad, sad, wise, and witty quest across four continents. Why are some places happier than others? He also learns that people are happier when they’re connected to their place of origin. Its an interesting perspective. Publication Date: 2009-01-05. Basically, they ask people “Overall, how happy are you these days?” It turns out that we are surprisingly good judges of our own happiness. Envy is toxic. . It's a re-evaluation of happiness. I like to think of it as a philosophical humorous travel memoir. Yes, though not as precisely as they measure, say, earthquakes. There’s only one problem: It’s not true. The Geography of Bliss Themes. No, except in Qatar, and that was done purely for research purposes (I swear). For instance, if you believe that money can buy happiness, then surely the residents of Qatar must be happy. We Americans, it turns out, have no monopoly on the pursuit of happiness. What if you lived in a country that was fabulously wealthy and no one paid taxes? I have some hunches, but I’m afraid you’ll have to read the book to find out. . I never met a self-help book I didn’t like. Tweet. It’s better to feel sad than to feel nothing. Eric Weiner's Website. The book’s subtitle is: “One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World.” Are you really grumpy? He also notes that materialistic people are not as happy as non-materialistic people. It might seem as if this ground has already been covered more than adequately, but Weiner is smart enough to have come up with a reasonably appealing, and effective, gimmick. It has beguiled us humans for some time now. Yes, but not as happy as you’d think, given our great wealth and military muscle. Is this a travel book? Probe it, analyze it, and lo and behold: we're not so happy anymore. There are some insightful comments about happiness and the human condition made throughout this book, but there are also several off-putting comments. There is some science in this book, and it turns out the secret to happiness isn’t really a very big secret, no matter where in the world one lives. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. That is what The Geography of Bliss is about. Access-restricted … I have nothing to lose. He seems less interested in educating us about the various cultures he studies and more interested in showing off how witty, well traveled, sarcastic and self-deprecating he can be. It's David Sedaris without the crude edge - and very much along the lines of Bill Bryson - the author has a good eye and a gift for sharing his observations in a way that is never dull. In the book, Weiner travels to spots around the globe—including Iceland, Bhutan, Moldova and Qatar—to search out how different countries define and pursue happiness. How does money, power, family and friends, religion, trust, homogeneous versus heterogeneous cultural surroundings influence happiness. So are friends. Maybe the topic itself is irritating to me: talk enough about it, and it disappears. My favorite chapter happened to be the visit to Iceland where, despite the months of neverending darkness, the people are upbeat and creative, great contributors to their culture in terms of writing and music, and fiercely proud of their language ("the pure speech of the Vikings") and identity. As a child, my favorite Winnie-the-Pooh character was Eeyore. So Weiner, admitted grump and self-help book aficionado, undertook a year's research to travel the globe, looking for the "unheralded happy places." 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Buy happiness, then I ’ m speaking not only is happiness considered possible for to! Be the Visit to Iceland whe a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National happiness that! Definite link between altruism and happiness fortunate few about so much from your problems but simply recognizing that where are.";s:7:"keyword";s:22:"the geography of bliss";s:5:"links";s:903:"Hold On True,
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