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'He explains how even in the face of the unthinkable, happiness is still possible' - Stylist
Solve for Happy is the equation for happiness. A startlingly original book about creating and maintaining happiness, written by a top Google executive with an engineer's training and fondness for thoroughly analyzing a problem.
Mo Gawdat, a remarkable thinker whose gifts had landed him top positions in half a dozen companies and who - in his spare time - had created significant wealth, realized that he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would, examining all the provable facts and scrupulously following logic. When he was finished, he had discovered the equation for enduring happiness.
Ten years later, that research saved him from despair when his college-aged son, Ali - also intellectually gifted - died during routine surgery. In dealing with the loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of 'moonshot' that he and his Google [X] colleagues were always aiming for: he would help ten million people become happier by pouring his happiness principles into a book and spreading its message around the world.
One of Solve for Happy's key premises is that happiness is a default state. If we shape expectations to acknowledge the full range of possible events, unhappiness is on its way to being defeated. To steer clear of unhappiness traps, we must dispel the six illusions that cloud our thinking (e.g., the illusion of time, of control, and of fear); overcome the brain's seven deadly defects (e.g., the tendency to exaggerate, label, and filter), and embrace five ultimate truths (e.g., change is real, now is real, unconditional love is real).
By means of several highly original thought experiments, Mo helps readers find enduring contentment by questioning some of the most fundamental aspects of their existence.
About the author
Mo Gawdat is an entrepreneur, the former chief business officer of Google [X] and author of Solve for Happy, Scary Smart, and That Little Voice in Your Head. Mo has cofounded more than twenty businesses in fields such as health and fitness, food and beverage and real estate. He served as a board member in several technology, health and fitness and consumer goods companies as well as several government technology and innovation boards in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He mentors tens of start-ups at any point in time. Outside of work, when he’s not writing or reading up on business and the latest technology innovations and trends, Mo spends his time drawing charcoal portraits, creating mosaics, carpentry and indulging in his passion for restoration of classic cars.
Summary
In the tradition of The Power of Now and The Art of Happiness, and written by Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google [X], this is the first-ever attempt to present the equation for being happy – not just intermittently but as a default state of being.
Foreword
In the tradition of The Power of Now and The Art of Happiness, and written by Mo Gawdat, Chief Business Officer at Google [X], this is the first-ever attempt to present the equation for being happy – not just intermittently but as a default state of being.
Additional text
A fun read, with tips for steering clear of 'unhappiness traps'.
Report
A powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek in a way we can act upon Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google
