Review: The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have a special relationship to The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone.  My friend, Teresa, suggested I start listening to the podcast, Nobody Listen to Paula Poundstone.  As a fan of Paula and podcasts, I started from the very beginning and have been a fan ever since.  Fast forward to somewhere in 2020 when Teresa tells me Paula is looking for contestants for her new Youtube game show, Nobody Asked You! The premise is two people compete against each other to see who knows the other better.  So, I applied and named Teresa as my opponent.  In November, we were selected to participate (Episode 113, that's a whole other blog post).  Spoiler Alert: Teresa won, but being the very best friend that she is, gave me her prize, an autographed copy of this book!

With 2020 the dumpster fire that it was, I thought it was fitting to take out the old year and bring in the new (even though Paula doesn't believe in that nonsense) with a book about finding happiness.  Paula tries all the recommended things so you don't have to.  Paula created the terms, hep and balou, to help you measure your happiness.  Very handy!  If you already listen to the podcast, you will get a lot of backstory to things Paula talks about.  If you don't, no worries there is still plenty in here for you.  There are too many things I loved about this book to name them all, but I did especially love the chapter on swing dancing (my favorite dance) and pets (I share Paula's penchant for having a plethora of cats and dogs). Also, my mom is in a nursing home and pre-COVID, I did enjoy going there to spend time with her and also the other residents.  It can be a real hoot.  I highly recommend it.   

Bonus:  This book gave me so many balous of happiness while reading even though my cat died and a mob attacked the Capitol.  (I did lose some heps at the mention of Silas Marner.)  Think what it can do for you!

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