How to be miserable
by Randy J. Paterson · first published 2016
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Uses a tongue-in-cheek format of counter-examples to show everyday habits that feed unhappiness, prompting reflection on one's own thinking and offering a useful way to spot and reverse those patterns.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In How to Be Miserable, psychologist Randy Paterson outlines 40 specific behaviors and habits, which -- if followed -- are sure to lead to a lifetime of unhappiness. On the other hand, if you do the opposite, you may yet join the ranks of happy people everywhere! There are stacks upon stacks of self-help books that will promise you love, happiness, and a fabulous life. But how can you pinpoint the exact behaviors that cause you to be miserable in the first place? Sometimes when we're depressed, or just sad or unhappy, our instincts tell us to do the opposite of what we should -- such as focus
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I liked How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use. Which also helped with showing underrated strategies for upping happiness. https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Miserable-Strategies-Already/d...
on “Habits of Highly Miserable People” ↗Reminded me of a book I highly enjoyed, backed by more research footnotes ... How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Miserable-Strategies-Already/d...
on “Productivity tips” ↗…depression. Be sure to get outside, exercise, see people, etc. It sounds like you already have that going for you. If that shit does take hold, and even in general, I highly recommend this book called "How to Be Miserable" that uses counter-examples to make you think about things. I bought it after coming across the CGP-Grey video that discusses it: Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1mTELoj6o Book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Miserable-Strategies-Already/d...…
on “Ask HN: I just got fired” ↗There is a good book employing the TRIZ mindset for self-improvement called "How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use"[0]. Although some of the outcomes the book lead you to can seem banal, if you approach them from the perspective of how to optimize misery, it can give you a new perspective.…
on “Suppose I wanted to kill a lot of pilots” ↗This reminds me of How to be Miserable by Randy Patterson. A guide on all the ways to ruin your mental health so you can not do them.
on “Suppose I Wanted to Kill a Lot of Pilots” ↗Actually this attribution - internalizing success and externalizing failure - is important for mental health. Discussed in 'How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use'
on “The Role of Luck in Life Success” ↗