The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

by Paula Poundstone

'A remarkable journey. I laughed. I cried. I got another cat.'  'Lily Tomlin

'Paula Poundstone is the funniest human being I have ever known.' 'Peter Sagal, host of Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me! and author of The Book of Vice

'Is there a secret to happiness?' asks comedian Paula Poundstone. "I don't know how or why anyone would keep it a secret. It seems rather cruel, really . . . Where could  it be? Is it deceptively simple? Does it melt at a certain temperature? Can you buy it? Must you suffer for it before or after?' In her wildly and wisely observed book, the comedy legend takes on that most inalienable of rights'the pursuit of happiness.

Offering herself up as a human guinea pig in a series of thoroughly unscientific experiments, Poundstone tries out a different get-happy hypothesis in each chapter of her data-driven search. She gets in shape with taekwondo. She drives fast behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. She communes with nature while camping with her daughter, and commits to getting her house organized (twice!). Swing dancing? Meditation? Volunteering? Does any of it bring her happiness? You may be laughing too hard to care.  

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness is both a story of jumping into new experiences with both feet and a surprisingly poignant tale of a single working mother of three children (not to mention dozens of cats, a dog, a bearded dragon lizard, a lop-eared bunny, and one ant left from her ant farm) who is just trying to keep smiling while living a busy life.

The queen of the skepticism-fueled rant, Paula Poundstone stands alone in her talent for bursting bubbles and slaying sacred cows.

Like George Carlin, Steve Martin, and David Sedaris, she is a master of her craft, and her comedic brilliance is served up in abundance in this book. As author and humorist Roy Blount Jr. notes, 'Paula Poundstone deserves to be happy. Nobody deserves to be this funny."
 

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Self Help, Comedy, Biography

290 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2017

About the author

Paula Poundstone is an American stand-up comedian. She is known for her quiet, self-deprecating style, political observations, and her trademark oddly masculine style of dress, a suit and tie outfit.

Reviews

[jana Blazek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good brain candy.
This book provides about three
heps of happiness.

[Shruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading this book despite not having previous knowledge of Paula Poundstone. She conducts happiness experiments throughout this book, which are written in lab record format. Paula is obviously a witty person. I love self-deprecatory jokes and those are aplenty in this book. I was snorting occasionally at some of her jokes.

This witty human loves Harry Potter as much as we all do–she has cats named Sirius and Tonks! The occasional Potter-related jokes had me cackling while reading the book in public.

“Why does everyone make such a fuss over Harry? He couldn’t even do a summoning charm without Hermione.”

Poundstone’s jokes are what drives this book. She has a witty way of saying seemingly normal things and this will definitely make the reader smile in appreciation.

“He’s extremely funny, a naturally sarcastic man who not only sees the glass half-empty but also suspects that someone may have spit in it.”

Bonus quote:

“To me, the Fairy Godmother is an enabler. If Cinderella, a grown woman, sits in a corner and cries, she gets her wish. Perfect.”

I LOVE this woman now. I really do!

I wouldn’t say I loved the book as much as I love Paula, though. At one point, the number of experiments got tiring. There were also some moments were I just wasn’t able to relate. I got a little bored at the 70% mark and was waiting for the book to end. I started enjoying the book again towards the end, at the last experiment, where Paula goes to a senior citizens care facility. That right there gave me a lot of of happiness.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I associate Poundstone most closely with NPR, though I do remember seeing her do standup on Carson’s Tonight Show. I knew next to nothing about her personal life, so it was surprising when so much of the book dealt with her three kids. I was perplexed by the name of one of the kids, which she kept pronouncing as Thomasee. It remained a mystery until I looked it up, and found she was saying Thomas E.

I enjoy her humor, which is observational and not cruel. I was thrilled when she said she hated coffee and loved diet soda, until she revealed herself as a Diet Pepsi drinker. Sigh. Diet Pepsi is only a last resort for people without access to Diet Coke, Paula.

Many of Paula’s attempts to generate personal happiness involved helping others, which gave me warm fuzzies. The chapter about visiting old people at a nursing home was both heartwarming and hilarious.

The audio book, narrated by Paula, was a joy to listen to. Near the end, she sums up entire chapters by advising “Put down your damn smartphone and keep your cat census in the single digits.”

Words to live by.

[Liza Fireman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Paula is witty, funny, and just in general quite amazing. She wrote this book trying to find the secret of happiness, and she does so trying new things, or being more consistent with normal things, and with a lot of humor and good writing.
Is there a secret to happiness? I don’t know how or why anyone would keep it a secret. It seems rather cruel, really. If I knew it, I couldn’t go to Target without stopping at customer service just inside the door, grabbing the microphone and shouting it, to release everyone in the entire place from their misery, and that’s without even getting as far as the housewares section or women’s lingerie, not to mention Haiti. Have you been to a bank lately? How could anyone holding the secret to happiness be so steely cold as to not give it away after seeing the faces of people in a bank?

So she puts together experiments one by one: The Get Fit Experiment, The Get Wired Experiment, Get Organized Experiment and Get Up And Dance, she Gets Positive and gets quiet. She tries it all.

And here are some important lessons:
Qualitative Observation #1
Computers are frustrating.
Qualitative Observation #2
The delete key should be off by itself on the keyboard. Instead of eliminating a typo, I often type \\\\ just beside it.
Qualitative Observation #3
I hate auto-correct. I don’t need a machine correcting me. I have two teenage daughters.

Or why it is important to think you can, because many people are quite sure and consistent remembering that they can't. I received a Burl Ives record album that included the song “The Little Engine That Could” about the determined train who sang, “I think I can. I think I can,” to power a heavy load successfully up a steep hill. I also got a set of toy pots and pans. Neither message really took. All of these years later, I generally think I can’t, think I can’t, and I don’t cook. And then for this experiment Paula decided to replace her negativity which is very natural to human beings, and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. So she looked up “positive self-talk” on the internet, and she learns many interesting things, about herself, about positivity and about the internet. Many of the self-proclamations were further proof that one can’t just believe anything they read on the internet.. :D

I loved it, and can only warmly recommend. 4+ stars. Go read it, and laugh with it out loud. One of the top in the Humor category.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paula Poundstone has a memorable voice, so when I selected this audiobook, I was quite thrilled that she also narrates it. It made it very enjoyable. Besides that, her experiments in happiness had me giggling out loud many times. I did not know anything about her personal life, but I could see my kids in the anecdotes she told. Her kids are a hoot and act like normal kids everywhere, especially when it comes to the way they react to their mom. She is amazing in taking a normal life event and telling it in such a witty way that will have you laughing. She is also very good at self-deprecating humour. She does a great job of getting the listener to laugh at some of her simple mistakes and bigger gaffs without making it seem that you are laughing at her. I enjoyed seeing how many "Heps of Happiness" she received from each of her endeavours. I think the one I laughed at the most was the Lamborghini experiment. It was not a long book, only about 7.5 hours but I would have listened to more, I liked it a lot. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedy, especially if you like Paula Poundstone.

[Alex Simons · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I found this book to be very funny in places, it was also surprisingly sad. I am a huge fan of Paula Poundstone, and I applaud her for digging deep into her often fraught relationships with her children, her worries about money, rebuilding her reputation after some bad years - leading her to the happiness project she recounts here. She reminds the reader that not everything is rosy in life, and sometimes things never get resolved, but we can find ways to push through it by trying new things, some of which may stick and others that don't. I love that she is still volunteering at the nursing home, still has lots of cats, is accepting of her children, and is mainly muddling through life like the rest of us. She's just a hell of a lot funnier than most. If you're looking for a laugh riot, this isn't the book for you, but if you want honesty, insight, and some fun ideas to make life more bearable, this fills the bill.

[Patricia Hamill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were asked to pin a moral to this story, I’d say that trying new things can result in unexpected adventures. Sometimes those adventures are fun, sometimes aggravating, and sometimes rewarding. This book is a lot of fun, but I think there is real meaning among the gags, the embarrassments, the moody teens, and the cats.

And even more surprisingly, I found this book to be somewhat scientific despite the tongue-in-cheek disclaimer in the title and the heavy use of ironically scientific report headers throughout. After all, what is science but testing out an idea and documenting your results.

This book is the result of seven years of intense personal research, and the results of the experiments are mixed. Some worked, some didn’t, and none were predictable, even within the same experiment. To tell you the truth, I’m impressed with the author for putting herself out there and jumping right into some things that were very much out of her comfort zone.

I loved the chapters that give the results in a running, time stamped log. The movie day one was hilarious. The mortifying foray into swing dancing was another favorite, both because of the humor, but also because the experience highlights another interesting result, that happiness is complex.

Anyhow, I really liked this book. While it wasn’t as over the top as I’d expected from a book by a comedian, it was real, it made me laugh, and near the end there, if I’m honest, it made me cry a little, too. I’d totally recommend this to folks who enjoy memoirs with a good dose of humor and also to those who want the inside scoop on finding their own personal brand of happiness.

I picked up the advance review copy of this book from NetGalley.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't many books that just make me laugh out loud and this one did, often. Came into it with just a little familiarity with Poundstone; left with sometimes feeling I knew too much about her family. She's a single mom to three adopted children and owned by many cats and a couple of dogs.
This book took 7 years to write; she took her study seriously and wrote the chapters on different "happiness methods" in a lab report format (but with much self-deprecating humor). She tries exercise, dance, positive thinking, getting organized (that's worth 2 chapters), renting a Lamborghini, volunteering, etc. Most methods are partially successful, a couple are duds, and maybe one is a real contributor to happiness. All are entertaining.
Since the book takes 7 years to write, it covers the teenage growing up years of 3 children, including struggles with her son Thomas E's addition to electronics (occasionally wonder if she goes too far in fighting that). Also wonder how the 3 children felt at finding their lives also a part of this story. Not an easy life she has with money problems, being on the road, etc. There's more to this book than just the humor, it is partially a memoir and partially a serious reflection on how to be happier in the world today.

[Jifu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I frankly was not sure what to expect when I first started reading this book, which I received courtesy of NetGalley. I mainly know Paula Poundstone from "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" on NPR, where I always enjoy her appearances, and so I thought that at the very least, this would make for a decently enjoyable read.

As it turns out, I underestimated this book immensely. When I wasn't laughing at her various, valiant and also often awkward attempts to find a "hep" or two of happiness in her diverse array of experiments, I quickly found myself identifying with Paula, and at a depth and and pace I didn't foresee in the slightest. With her mixture of blunt honestly and fantastic style of self-deprecating humor, to me Paula would almost occasionally become the incarnation of the exasperation, utterly ridiculous thoughts, and myriad flavors of anxiety that we all have as just mere humans, and for the most part keep tucked hidden away to ourselves. To have her speak so openly in her book on everything from her bewilderment from the results of her most current happiness experiment to her ongoing regret from mistakes made in the past was....well to be bluntly honest myself, I found it to actually be a little liberating in a way.

I could say that in a way, reading this (un) scientific book ended up being something of an experiment of my own. I curiously dove in head first not knowing what I'd get out of it at all, and I am happy to say that I ended up enthusiastically pouring through what has turned out to be one of my favorite reads this year!

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't help but be sucked in by this book. It's not what I expected at all. It's very funny at times, but it's more of a straight memoir about her life with her kids than I thought it would be. I met Paula at the American Library Association Midwinter conference, where I got this book. Her standup that night overlapped quite a bit with the book, but instead of seeming redundant, it expanded on the stories she told there and made me feel like I was really getting to know her. And the premise of the book--trying out different activities to see what makes people happy--is really clever and fun.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes being open about your faults combined with being funny can come off as self-deprecating, but I think Paula keeps a nice balance. The experiments are varied and honest. My favorite part is that she tried to find happiness in real life. She didn't totally uproot herself to the top of a Tibetan mountain or go into hiding...she tried to institute small happiness inducing changes will taking the kids to school and scooping kitty litter and traveling for work. Definitely worth the read and the summation is spot on.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed out loud, empathized, nodded along and teared up. Humor is very subjective and personal-- and I feel this book will resonate best with people who have raised children--the goal of which is to raise good adults. It is a love letter/ memoir to her now-adult children.

[~ Cheryl ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I occasionally read books written by comics whose humor I like, because I know it will be good for a few hearty laughs. I’m not expecting Hemingway; I’m in it for the chuckles. But this book proved to be more than a collection of good stand-up material. In this book, Paula Poundstone is her usual witty self, but she is also vulnerable, observant, and – dare I say – philosophical. For as many laugh-out-loud moments, there were at least as many poignant ones.

Paula Poundstone (in earnest or in jest) is in search of the key to human happiness. To this end, she has conducted a series of (un)scientific experiments, and has shared the results in book form --- experiments such as Getting Fit, Getting Organized, Get Dancing, Get Purring, etc. All of this promises to be entertaining, and right away there are remarks like this one in the Getting Fit chapter:

Mr. King [her taekwondo instructor] said that on Monday he was going to have me do one push-up not on my knees, but the toe kind. I did assume the push-up position on my toes … for one minute, and my entire body trembled like a just-bathed kitten. I think Mr. King is in for a disappointing Monday.

But then there are insights like this one, later in the same chapter, after describing an incident at home. Her daughter had come into the bathroom just as Paula was stepping out of the shower and asked to her sign a letter telling the teacher that their internet wasn’t working so she couldn’t complete her science homework.

“Can’t I sign it when I’m not naked?” Paula asked.
“Why?” said her daughter.

Next paragraph:

Sometimes when I talk to my kids, I feel like their brains are little safes and my words are hundreds of unmarked keys hanging from a giant key ring in my head. I just have to find the right key at the right moment to unlock their safes and make sense to them.

The paragraphs that follow depict a conversation Paula has with her other daughter, in which she continues the safe/key ring metaphor in a way that is surprisingly profound yet entertaining.

And the book goes on like that: 1 part self-deprecating humor to 2 parts slice-of-life anecdotes which are relevant and consistently engaging.

Paula notes that we lack a “standard form of measure” for happiness. To help her measure results, she decides on two terms of measurement, and uses them handily throughout. “Maybe,” she says, “a small amount of happiness could be a ‘hep,’ after my old cat Hepcat.” She decides that four heps of happiness should be equal to a whole “balou” of happiness. (Yes, she did have a cat named Balou.) And I swear the other day, after having an enjoyable dinner conversation with my family, I walked into my bedroom thinking, that’s a few heps right there. Her outlook is infectious.

I enjoyed this as much as I did, mainly because it made me do more than just laugh. The hokey-looking cover does nothing to clue you in that Poundstone plans to share real wisdom in these pages, and that she just might be on to something. Meanwhile, since it reads at times like a memoir, you get an unvarnished look at Paula’s personal life, which makes you appreciate her “scientific data” all the more.





P.S. and this will only interest some….

In the ending Acknowledgements, Paula thanks her editor, who edited the early drafts with “seemingly no judgment about my overuse of the comma.” Later, she thanks her eight-grade English teacher, “ who at 98 years old still remembered where I sat in her classroom forty-three years earlier,” she says. “She also turned me on to Charles Dickens,” says Poundstone, “which led to my overuse of the comma.” *smiles*

[Kristy Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad, but it's not great. Part autobiography/memoir of life with her children, and part study of the search for happiness, it doesn't really excel at either one. Though it was interesting to hear about her adventures with her kids, it was oddly jarring to keep hearing "Poundstone." That was, after all, part of the reason I read the book. My mother was a Poundstone, and Paula is a distant cousin. As far as searches for happiness go, might I suggest The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner (I'm a huge fan of his books). Paula's is good, but I really had to push to get through it. I can't peg why.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and surprisingly personal. I didn't think to learn as much about parenting, nor did I think to laugh so much at cat barf.

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Comedian Paula Poundstone is determined to find the perfect recipe for happiness and in this book details a series of different experiments she set herself to help her be happy. From fitness, life organisation and dancing, Poundstone gave everything a whirl.

I liked this book for what it was which was just a comedic take on trying new things, basically. I admired Poundstone's gumption to jump in and try new things. I myself like to set myself goals but I really have to push myself if it means having to face a new group of people alone or join classes etc (to sum it up - to have any normal human interaction). I found her chapters on exercise and dance classes particularly funny and endearing though didn't much care for the day in a lambo exercise, or the organisation. I think the organisation one was someone actually employing a "professional organiser", I didn't even know that job existed.

While some of the excerpts from Poundstone's family life were nice (the all-day movie marathon, yes please), I did find some of them a bit annoying and pointless and ended up feeling like she just wanted to talk about her children and her parenting skills at times. Which is fine, except this is a book about happiness and not children. I also definitely think she had way too many cats and dogs for one house, and that's me, a dog lady, saying this.

So overall, this book was mildly enjoyable but not great by any means.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comedian Paula Poundstone (NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, HBO and Bravo comedy specials) pursues the secrets of happiness with a series of over the top unscientific studies. Whether it's learning to dance, getting in shape, getting closer to nature, or binge watching movies, Poundstone dedicates herself to trying anything that promises happiness and recording the results. Peppered with hilarious asides, family squabbles, failures, cat litter, and hands on research; listeners will find themselves laughing along with the absurdity and hilariousness of Poundstone's search for human happiness. Expertly narrated by the comedian herself, it listens like a good stand up comedy and will garner Poundstone even more fans. For fans of comedic memoirs and zany scientific endeavors. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN

[Lori Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was seeking a laugh-out-loud book but this wasn’t it. Humor is, admittedly, subjective and I was not familiar with this comedienne’s work on NPR so didn’t know what I was getting into. Paula was very honest with her rough times in life but a woman who owns 16 cats and sleeps on a sheet on the living room floor is hard for me to relate to. I kept wondering if Paula’s three children were ok with her exposing their quirks and faults to the world. In general, the writing did not flow very well, often veering off from her happiness experiments to her life during the 7 years it took to write the book. Perhaps listening to her live would change my impression, but for now, I will avoid her other books.

[Mindy Sink · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided not to finish reading this book, but was curious to see if others were having a similar reaction. To my astonishment, I am alone in not loving this book. I feel sorry for the author/comedienne so am hesitant to write a very negative review. That said, here's my opinion after making it over 100 pages:

**SPOILERS**

What is funny about a woman going broke, living in filth with her children and pets, being inept with modern life from being able to drive point a to point b to using a computer and other oddities? There were a few smile moments in her observations, but far from gut-busting humor here. I have heard her on NPR and found her amusing but I think I've ended up more concerned for her and her children by reading this book.

[Vincent Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books where I actually laugh out loud while reading. Very funny and touching

[Allie Goetjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paula- thank you for the baloos of light and laughs you provided in this book.

[Felice Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book to listen to - funny and touching.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really like Paula Poundstone. I want to say that up front.

But the book was just okay. It didn't have nearly as much of her trademark wit, so I didn't laugh a lot, and it never achieved that deep introspection some books like this might get to, it just sort of floundered a bit.

I would read a chapter then read someone else's book, then go back and read another chapter. They are all stand-alone, so that worked, but I did it more as simply a way to survive the book and get through it.

It has a creative basis, but never achieved anything.

[Sally Monaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Paula Poundstone. Love her!!!! This book is not what I expected. It was not just a laugh out loud exploration of goofy experiments. It mixes her search for moments of happiness (measured in heps and balous after two of her cats) with a sort of memoir about raising her children and her own struggles. I would say at least 85% of it was laugh out loud (camping with her daughter, meditation with the other daughter), but some of it was quite serious, and at times sad. She really just puts it all out there. It says a lot about her that the experiment that gave her the most happiness was volunteering in a nursing home, despite her initial discomfort around older people. Anyway, loved the book and anyone who loves her humor should read it.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I listened the audiobook, mostly because I'm a fan of "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" and I love her voice. But it ended up being a really delightful journey. Paula really let's her freak flag fly in this book, and it's so endearing.

It didn't make me "laugh out loud," but it kept me smiling. Very entertaining and all feel good.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Paula Poundstone’s comedy since I was a kid and first heard her Pop-Tarts joke, and she is always my favorite panelist on Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. This book gave me plenty of laughs, but also a pretty healthy dose of melancholy. Totally sympathized with the helplessness and confusion of raising teenagers.

[Samantha Mockford · Rating 5 out of 5]

After several years of listening to Paula Poundstone’s podcast, I quit because I was so tired of the interruptions. But this book has all her witty observations, self-deprecation, and lovable grumpiness in long-form, sans interruptions. She is hilarious and such a champion of human connection. (I mean “champion” in both senses of the word.”)

[Roger McCort · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be brief:
Read this book.

Let me elaborate just a bit:
It's funny, informative, and poignant. For all that it's humorous insights from one of my favorite modern comediennes, it's got a lot of wisdom woven through it.

And some unnecessary swearing, but not much. Some necessary swearing too, but even less of that.

I read this in ebook format on my tablet, which would probably make Paula crazy. You'll know why when you buy and read this book.

Maybe you'll even figure out a way to be just a little happier too.

[Margaret Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very enjoyable. Paula is hilarious anyway, and I thought the way she approached the story of trying to find happiness while interweaving personal anecdotes was effective. Much of her story was so completely relatable... and I laughed out loud more than a few times.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, interesting, funny, yet meaningful, and poignant. Comparable to listening to Paula on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, but more cats, more kids, and maybe more bitterness. I wanted to give her a hug by the time it was over. I want to listen more of her books!