The Happiness Revolution

by Andy Cope, Paul McGee

Researchers, anthropologists and demographers guesstimate that a hundred billion humans have lived on planet earth over the last 200,000 years. Of those hundred billion people, we are part of the 7.5 billion who are in temporary charge.

We're passing through, so to speak. We are the meek, the earth is ours. And as with any inheritance, you sift through what needs keeping and what needs binning. There's plenty of good. There are still some pools of water in the oceans of plastic, some air is still breathable and, here and there, humans are thriving.

But too many aren't. Many people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. The 92.5 billion who previously passed through, never faced the unprecedented speed of change that the current souls face now. Modern life can feel a bit full on. Indeed, it's not a question of 'you've never had it so good' more a case of 'you've never had it so fast, complex and unpredictable'.

The Happiness Revolution is a book of the times, for the times. The aim is to keep the pages turning with common sense as the silver thread. Tackling current subjects such as the mental health crisis, wellbeing, wealth and mindfulness, this book will appeal to anyone looking to thrive and come alive in this modern world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 2, 2021

Reviews

[Terence Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm an old grump. But this book did not make me happy.

It starts off bad - then gets worse. We begin with a series of incorrect assumptions. Apparently, there's no antonym for Doomsday (Errr, how about "Rapture"?) and apparently no one ever investigates why a hospital is performing well (ummm... Yes they do!) and no one is ever described as "stark raving happy" (hello mania! Hello full-of-joy!). Oh, and we were all much more social before apps were invented by the iPhone 🙄

No doubt there's some actual science behind all the tips and tricks - but the publishers have convinced the authors that maths is scary and should be shunned from a science book.

The authors say that it is easy to accuse them of dumbing down. Well, it is easy because it is true. The first 10% of the book is taken up with them saying how wonderful the book is. It is exhausting reading about how pleased with themselves they are. The tone of voice is full of unasked for exclamation marks and italics.

I found myself skimming the endless tedious anecdotes, it feels like being trapped in a lift with Alan Partridge telling you why there's no point in going to India when you can just visit Ipswich (I swear I am not making this up). There are some basic science errors - like claiming that humans old age used to be mid-30s; which confuses life expectancy with life span.

Once we get into the book proper - about a quarter of the way through - there are some footnoted reference for those who prefer to dig a little deeper.

It's here where the book begins to offer some concrete advice and practical steps for increasing your happiness.

If you can slog through the bonhomie, there are some reasonable tips. But it feels like this could have been a couple of blog posts or motivational posters.

It's full to the brim with trite clichés and cherry-picked inspirational quotes. The final third is just allegories. Pointless poundshop parables.

I feel unhappy crapping all over someone's hard work. As I say, there's obviously some research behind this. But the chummy tone was immediately off-putting to me, and the relentless shaggy-dog stories make it a frustrating experience.

There are loads of pop-science books which sneak their vegetables of truth under the mashed-potatoes of comfort, but this book attempts to serve veggie-nuggets of self-help soaked in honey, dipped in sprinkles, covered in chocolate, deep-fried in maple syrup, dusted with sugar, wrapped in candyfloss, and served on a marshmallow.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy, I guess. The book is available now.

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book like this before but wanted to give it a go and see what it is all about. It is a manifesto for living your best life. I liked the fact it is written by two people as it gives two aspects to what they are trying to achieve. It also has some humour to it which makes it feel more relaxing and calm, and not too forced. It is a nice easy book to work through and I like the fact that the pages have parts to break it up a little. I feel as though everyone will be able to understand this book and I hope it helps people out. I certainly felt a lot happier after reading it, and I will be re-reading it repeatedly.

[Fran Cormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good, fun, and informative book. If you are new to positive thinking, and living your life in the way outlined in the book, you will get so much from this inspiring read.

For those of us that bought into this way of living a long time ago, it is a good reminder of why this stuff actually works.

Recommended.

[Iola Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have read and done Paul McGee's SUMO this book has no surprises, but it's a really clear pulling together of solid principles. The cheeky chappy style sometimes grates, and this gave me a great reminder of how down to earth it is. No pomposity to help distance myself from the content and let me easily see a reason to think "but it's different for me because..." A straight forward approach to " life is tough sometimes but has lots of joy if you chose to take ownership of you own thoughts and that will help you weather the external factors" with some useful tools to support doing that.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, a joy to read and most importantly changed my perspective

[Chelle W (teaandplottwists) · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any of you that have read my blog before you will know I love a self-help book, especially when it comes to happiness, mental health and wellbeing. This book fitted perfectly and left me feeling happy and ready to take on any challenge the universe decides to throw at me!

The Happiness Revolution is split into three parts. Part 1 introduces us to some background and gets us thinking about how the world has changed, and how we, as humans, struggle to keep up. This section made so much sense to me, and is written in a fun and clear way, no academic gobbledegook that mere mortals would struggle to understand!

Part 2 takes us through the ten step manifesto of things we need to sign up to help us to live our best life. Full of fantastic advice and tips, colourful, fun and enjoyable there is at least one manifesto for everyone – and if you really want to improve your life and feel happy, sign up to all ten and join the revolution! I loved this section so much, it really got me thinking and gave me some really useful tips and tricks to use when I’m struggling; tools that I’m sure I’ll be using on a weekly basis. It will open your eyes to the way you look at things and how your look after yourself. A couple of my favourite bits were in relation to snakes and ladders (yes you read that right….it will make perfect sense when you read the book!) and learning some wonderful phrases in other languages.

Part 3 is a section of allegories – stories that are fantastic, and will also get your mind ticking…..

I honestly really love this book! The authors are fantastic – not only highly intelligent (a Dr and a Prof!) but funny and down to earth too. It felt like they were chatting away to me rather than me reading a book, and I found the approach really refreshing. It’s easy to love a self-help book when the authors themselves are so wonderful! They use their own examples to show how some of the things they suggest will help us. There is also research in this and references for those who want to go away and read into to things a bit more, and an index at the end so you can pick out any bits you want to go back to. I, for one, will certainly be going back to this time and time again.

An absolutely, fantastic book that I’d recommend to everyone. So what are you waiting for…..join #thehappinessrevolution!

[Caroline Venables · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who struggles with life in general, this book is a real tonic. It is a reminder to just stop sometimes.

The book addresses not only your mental health but your physical health and explains the link between the two. Combining this with 10 core pledges, this encourages you to think a little differently.

I found the pledges really helpful and the way the authors write helped me think about my own situation and how I can utilise their thinking for my situation. I am not saying this book will solve your problems but it will give you interesting information to think about. Which you can use if you choose to.

A brilliant book that I have no doubt, I will be reading again and again.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It was humorous as well as informative. I think it was very easy to read, and didn't feel too overwhelming - sometimes these type of books bombard you with so much technical jargon that it becomes overwhelming.

Some of the info was the standard run of the mill facts and exercises, but there was a decent amount of original ideas to take from this book.

I would like to have read the audio book as I think the humour would really jump out even more via audio - even more so if the authors were the narrators.

Overall I enjoyed my reading experience of this book - just wish there was more knowledge and ideas that I could have taken away after reading.

[Chris Lovett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What i thoroughly enjoyed about this book was how a tricky topic that can be complex and messy, is broken down into simple digestible pieces that actually pull you through the pages. At no stage did it feel like hard work, which is how some books make me feel, when i look at how far i have to go. Finished in just a few days and there is only good stuff to be gleaned from it that will make people feel happier. Its nice and fun too. The authors are clearly very knowledgeable but the real skill is simplifiying complexity so people like me can understand it, and that deserves a lot of credit!

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilariously written and I do love Andy Cope, even if for me this was just a re-wording of previous ideas. I did appreciate the way the book is structured into ten pledges- if you follow them you'll definitely see positive changes. Overall I found this entertaining but didn't gain too much from it :(

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was that impressed with this book, I can’t work out if it was the content or the way in which it was written. But sadly it didn’t resonate with me.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed, I will definitely be passing this on to a friend

[Emily Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light hearted take on human behaviour, society and manifesto to live by. Nice easy read full of a balance of positivity and not so common sense.