The Little Book of Lykke

"Read in ebook edition. This is one I might buy to have as a reference! I really enjoyed the solid research and practical, simple, actionable steps that can increase both my happiness and that of others. Wiking does a good job of including many examples of happiness-increasing initiatives from around the world, and reading this book made me a little happier. I hope By The Book podcast does this book sometime for their show! <br/><br/>My main criticism is that while he TRIES to touch on people who face significant barriers to happiness such as insufficient food, dictatorial regimes, or domestic abuse (not named in the book, these are my examples), the advice here seems to be mainly for people who already have their basic security under control. That’s probably the right audience, as “not being hungry would make me happy” isn’t exactly a revelation, nor something you need a self-help book to help you figure out. But there was something here that felt rather blindly privileged, highlighted more than helped by Wiking’s half hearted stabs at addressing it. Even those in refugee camps often find ways to create happiness, and those strategies are likely quite similar to those laid out in this book. Yet the way Wiking described them, I think it would be difficult for somebody without much privilege to see themselves reflected in the suggestions. I’m pretty privileged and happy already, so I did really like how his suggestions about how to be happier included a lot about me using that privilege to make the world a happier place. He needed to push that even further though, since part of making the world a happier place is really EXPLICITLY using my privilege to take down structural barriers to happiness for those with less privilege than myself. I would have liked to see this acknowledged in some way. <br/><br/>Overall though, I’d give this book four stars for being well organized, positive, readable, and enjoyable. It loses a star for ebook formatting on the end of chapter pages where I couldn’t actually read the examples of happy projects around the world, and for the overlooking of the role of privilege."