In Stumbling On Happiness, Daniel Gilbert exposes the flaws of the human mind.
Quite disillusioning, this expose of the human mind. His thesis is simple. Humans cannot reliably predict what will make us happy, nor can we accurately recall what made us happy in the past. That leaves us with the present.
The reasons for our failure to find happiness are many, and revolve around the idiocyncracies of the human mind.
One cannot divine nor forecast the conditions that will make happiness; one only stumbles upon them by chance, in a lucky hour, at the world's end somewhere, and holds fast to the days, as to fortune or fame.
Willa Cather, "le Lavandou," 1901
Love the picture I found of Gilbert by Dina Rudick. The expression, of course, is great, but I also like the dark background. It contrasts the bright, happy, smiling foreground....as if Gilbert creates his own light, which you might say was part of his message. I don't usually use non-creative commons images, but in this case I couldn't resist including it here. Such a perfect portrait of the man.
 | Stumbling on Happiness - by Daniel Gilbert |