New Book Challenges Western Pursuit of Happiness
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Shmuel Muller's new book, "Not Being Happy and Feeling Good," challenges the Western cultural pursuit of happiness. The book suggests an alternative way to live a fulfilling life without the constant chase for happiness, drawing on various fields of study. Published by Pardes Publishing House, it offers a critique of positive psychology and popular culture's emphasis on achieving happiness.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shmuel Muller's new book "Not Being Happy and Feeling Good" questions the Western definition of happiness.
- The book proposes an alternative path to a fulfilling life without the constant pursuit of happiness.
- Muller critiques positive psychology and popular culture for commodifying happiness.
- The author suggests this approach can combat unexplained melancholy and a "depression epidemic."
- The book is a 197-page paperback published by Pardes Publishing House.
A new book titled "Not Being Happy and Feeling Good" by Shmuel Muller offers a counter-narrative to the Western cultural emphasis on achieving happiness. Muller, a mediator, couple and family counselor, and businessman, explores whether the Western definition of happiness is a goal worth pursuing or if one can thrive without it. The book critiques the "positive psychology" movement and popular culture for commodifying happiness and promoting a constant chase for it.
Muller proposes an alternative approach: experiencing life without the cultural pressure for meaning or peak moments, leading to a more fulfilling life. This "alternative happiness" allows individuals to feel good in their daily lives without the "essential need" for happiness, addressing what the author sees as a pervasive, unexplained melancholy in the Western world and a "depression epidemic."
The book draws on Muller's independent studies in biblical texts, Talmud, Jewish thought, philosophy, and psychology. "Not Being Happy and Feeling Good" is his first published work, a 197-page paperback released by Pardes Publishing House. The article references the film "The Pursuit of Happyness," starring Will Smith, as an example of popular culture's focus on happiness, noting its basis in a true story about the right to small moments of joy.