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Change Your World: The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success
How much do grit and positive thinking matter when the world around you is starved of support and opportunity?
Finally, a book that explains why self-help gurus and motivational speakers mostly fail to deliver, and what really produces results.
“Michael Ungar’s Change Your World shows that recovery, functioning and positive change in the face of adversity is not a lonely path trod by individuals; here lies the personal and social transformative power of resilience.”
– Joel Reyes, Sr. Education and Institutional Development Specialist, World Bank
The entire self-improvement industry puts the responsibility for change on us as individuals, producing few if any long-term changes in our health or happiness. In this mind-bending look at what the science of resilience teaches us about success, Dr. Michael Ungar shows that individual growth depends very little on what we think, feel, or behave. Dr. Ungar is one of the world's leading experts on thriving through adversity. Delving into the latest research, he demonstrates that the ethic of rugged individualism and the victim-blaming politics that come with it are red herrings in the science of success.
Dr. Ungar explores reals lives, across age and culture, and discovers that the answers lie in the people and the support systems around us. Supportive spouses, caring families, nurturing employers, and effective governments are very often the difference between individual success and failure. The good news is that it is easier to change your environment than it is to change yourself. Indeed, Dr. Ungar has solid evidence that we can influence the world around us in ways that will make us more resilient both at home and on the job.
Finally, a book that explains why self-help gurus and motivational speakers mostly fail to deliver, and what really produces results.
“Michael Ungar’s Change Your World shows that recovery, functioning and positive change in the face of adversity is not a lonely path trod by individuals; here lies the personal and social transformative power of resilience.”
– Joel Reyes, Sr. Education and Institutional Development Specialist, World Bank
The entire self-improvement industry puts the responsibility for change on us as individuals, producing few if any long-term changes in our health or happiness. In this mind-bending look at what the science of resilience teaches us about success, Dr. Michael Ungar shows that individual growth depends very little on what we think, feel, or behave. Dr. Ungar is one of the world's leading experts on thriving through adversity. Delving into the latest research, he demonstrates that the ethic of rugged individualism and the victim-blaming politics that come with it are red herrings in the science of success.
Dr. Ungar explores reals lives, across age and culture, and discovers that the answers lie in the people and the support systems around us. Supportive spouses, caring families, nurturing employers, and effective governments are very often the difference between individual success and failure. The good news is that it is easier to change your environment than it is to change yourself. Indeed, Dr. Ungar has solid evidence that we can influence the world around us in ways that will make us more resilient both at home and on the job.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2019
32 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 17, 2020
It took me a long time to read this book, reading just a bit at a time on my Kindle. That said, it was one of my favorite books in a while. Ungar does an excellent job of teaching us what really makes us succeed in life, and it is never "pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps" or the kinds of things we think it is. Through years of practice, research, studies and professional observation, he shows what helps individuals, communities and even ecosystems thrive. I found myself quoting it often to my older kids, because I found it so interesting and spot on. I loved how he pointed out early on in the book that without the helpful mice, birds and fairy godmother, Cinderella would have probably ended up a sex worker. Each section was really thought provoking, and he also talks about what really builds resilience in children and why our current system is failing this generation. Highly recommended.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
October 26, 2019
A book that takes a deep dive into the science of resilience to identify the factors that actually allow people to thrive. (Spoiler alert: It’s not about hustling a little harder or being more motivated: it’s about being fortunate enough to grow up in an environment that is rich in opportunity.)
What I love about this book is that Ungar rejects the idea that success is something that is completely within our control as individuals and highlights instead the importance of broader, more systemic factors: what’s happening in our families, our community, and our world. Improving our personal circumstances becomes less about changing ourselves and more about joining forces with other people to make things better for all of us, in other words. As Ungar explains: “We need a clean break from the mindset that places the responsibility for self-actualization on an individual’s shoulders—it is a misread of what the science tells us about what makes us successful. If we want to understand why some people succeed and others do not, and if we want to succeed ourselves, we will need far fewer motivational gurus and much more help from the people in our families, our workplaces, our communities, and our society.”
Bottom line? It’s less about do-it-yourself and more about do-it-with-others.
What I love about this book is that Ungar rejects the idea that success is something that is completely within our control as individuals and highlights instead the importance of broader, more systemic factors: what’s happening in our families, our community, and our world. Improving our personal circumstances becomes less about changing ourselves and more about joining forces with other people to make things better for all of us, in other words. As Ungar explains: “We need a clean break from the mindset that places the responsibility for self-actualization on an individual’s shoulders—it is a misread of what the science tells us about what makes us successful. If we want to understand why some people succeed and others do not, and if we want to succeed ourselves, we will need far fewer motivational gurus and much more help from the people in our families, our workplaces, our communities, and our society.”
Bottom line? It’s less about do-it-yourself and more about do-it-with-others.
May 2, 2024
I heard Michael Ungar speak at a work-related conference just a couple of months before the pandemic. I ordered his book on-line before his presentation was even finished. Little did any of us know how much resilience we were going to have to show.
I don't know why I didn't read the book before now. Ungar shows a lot of evidence for why community connection is more important to resilience than "grit" or "rugged individualism" ... which makes the timing of my purchase ironic, because we had no choice but to figure out new ways to feel that community connection while remaining isolated.
In any event, the book is not only a scholarly look at resilience, but one that is well-written and replete with important anecdotes. If you want to understand human resilience in a more effective way, this book will help you do it.
I don't know why I didn't read the book before now. Ungar shows a lot of evidence for why community connection is more important to resilience than "grit" or "rugged individualism" ... which makes the timing of my purchase ironic, because we had no choice but to figure out new ways to feel that community connection while remaining isolated.
In any event, the book is not only a scholarly look at resilience, but one that is well-written and replete with important anecdotes. If you want to understand human resilience in a more effective way, this book will help you do it.
January 7, 2020
This was required reading for my Motivation class (graduate program in social psychology). Ungar, an expert in resilience, makes the same argument as does Csikszentmihalyi, the expert on creativity: the systemic societal structures, not our individual thoughts, are much more important in paving the path to our overall well-being. (It's especially gratifying that I have figured this out empirically a while back, having lived in different countries.)
Ungar argues that if self-help books worked, we'd have fewer depressed people. The reality is the opposite - as self-help book industry proliferates, the depression in the U.S. is rampant across all segments of society.
"When you find your place, you flourish. When you do not, you're forced to adapt in ways that discourage your unique contribution to the overall good of society. My advice: rather than assuming that you have to mediate, cleanse or change, look for a niche where you can thrive as you are... It is much easier to be an optimist in a world that turns people's vulnerabilities into strengths."
He offers a bunch of specific examples - how biking paths allow people to stay healthier, how active recess allows kids to be more engaged and creative, etc. Hence the title - changing the environment in which you live (taking small steps in your community or moving to a different place) is far more effective that working on "individual improvement." In other words, it's much easier to be resilient to stress if you know that you won't lose your health coverage after losing your job, or that you can rely on a paid maternity leave and won't need to pull your hair out figuring out how to stay financially viable AND spend time with your new baby.
Basically, what good does meditation do if the mountain you're sitting on is burning? (Australians are probably not thinking much about yoga right now). Politics, social justice, economic and environmental policies are all part of our individual well-being. A good read overall.
Ungar argues that if self-help books worked, we'd have fewer depressed people. The reality is the opposite - as self-help book industry proliferates, the depression in the U.S. is rampant across all segments of society.
"When you find your place, you flourish. When you do not, you're forced to adapt in ways that discourage your unique contribution to the overall good of society. My advice: rather than assuming that you have to mediate, cleanse or change, look for a niche where you can thrive as you are... It is much easier to be an optimist in a world that turns people's vulnerabilities into strengths."
He offers a bunch of specific examples - how biking paths allow people to stay healthier, how active recess allows kids to be more engaged and creative, etc. Hence the title - changing the environment in which you live (taking small steps in your community or moving to a different place) is far more effective that working on "individual improvement." In other words, it's much easier to be resilient to stress if you know that you won't lose your health coverage after losing your job, or that you can rely on a paid maternity leave and won't need to pull your hair out figuring out how to stay financially viable AND spend time with your new baby.
Basically, what good does meditation do if the mountain you're sitting on is burning? (Australians are probably not thinking much about yoga right now). Politics, social justice, economic and environmental policies are all part of our individual well-being. A good read overall.
December 1, 2019
The first time I heard the word resilience and looked it up in the dictionary, it had to do with physics and nothing with psychology. So I had to read different psychology articles to understand more about it. Therefore, I was intrigued by this book. And I am so happy to have read it! It explained resilience to me in the best possible way!
While reading this book, I identified with more than just my maternal role. I read it as a citizen, an employee, a child and a friend.
Although the author's take on mindfulness is not entirely agreeable to me, I understood his point of view. And the exercises at the end of the book were very useful.
Thank you to Net Galley and Sutherland House for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!
While reading this book, I identified with more than just my maternal role. I read it as a citizen, an employee, a child and a friend.
Although the author's take on mindfulness is not entirely agreeable to me, I understood his point of view. And the exercises at the end of the book were very useful.
Thank you to Net Galley and Sutherland House for providing me with an e-book copy in exchange for my honest review!
November 12, 2020
In the professional environments I’ve recently worked in, you’re always asked to do more with less and offer a high level of performance no matter how much dysfunction you need to sidestep. If you cannot achieve this, you’re blamed and punished.
In my last organization, they even added “resilience” to their list of hiring and performance competencies, enshrining the concept that resilience is solely an individual requirement.
The feelings of guilt and failure which come from this group think fantasy are never addressed.
From his research, Ungar clearly explains the environmental conditions that stimulate resilience in individuals. We can’t control everything, but we can ask for help and introduce incremental changes to our world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
In my last organization, they even added “resilience” to their list of hiring and performance competencies, enshrining the concept that resilience is solely an individual requirement.
The feelings of guilt and failure which come from this group think fantasy are never addressed.
From his research, Ungar clearly explains the environmental conditions that stimulate resilience in individuals. We can’t control everything, but we can ask for help and introduce incremental changes to our world.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
May 30, 2023
Dr Ungar points out how our environments and available resources play a more important part in resilience than the individual pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. I was able to attend a Dr Ungar presentation on this topic recently and he is outstanding as a speaker and expert on this topic. His book provides more depth and examples of how we can become better positioned to become more resilient.
July 10, 2019
Change your world is an inspirational book to settle internal tools to create and reinforce resilience with the perpective to persevere to archive our goals. Dr Ungar’s approach is refreshing and true.
#ChangeYourWorld #NetGalley
#ChangeYourWorld #NetGalley
December 24, 2021
Somewhat disappointing for thuis author
I could do without the diet culture, fatpho. Some of the other content is helpful.
I could do without the diet culture, fatpho. Some of the other content is helpful.
December 27, 2021
This was such an important and insightful read!
April 5, 2019
This was an interesting and thought-provoking read which I would recommend to anyone with an interest in resilience however it is important to be aware that it is not a how-to book. Whilst interesting, it doesn't offer anything new so I would not recommend it as the first text to read on resilience.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews