The antidote
by Oliver Burkeman, Martín Rodríguez-Courel Ginzo · first published 2012
80% recommend20% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues that chasing happiness directly can backfire, drawing on Buddhism, Stoicism, and the acceptance of death and failure. Its pragmatic take suits readers who find positive thinking unhelpful.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Exploring the dark side of the theories put forth by such icons as Norman Vincent Peale and Eckhart Tolle by looking to both ancient philosophy and current business theory, Burkeman--a feature writer for British newspaper The Guardian--offers up the counterintuitive idea that only by embracing and examining failure and loss and unhappiness will we become free of it.
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I just finished this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinki... I think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light. I second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗…http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL Great book on how "traditional" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in "modern" societies - such as restorative justice. "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX Great overview of pitfalls that "positive thinking" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative…
on “Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?” ↗I can recommend Oliver Burkeman's book "The Antidote" "Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking". https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16681873W/The_antidote https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780865478015
on “Toxic positivity does more harm than good” ↗Negative results are one of the biggest things missing from publications. I highly suggest the book "The Antidote" by Burkeman. There are several chapters on our current western view of failure and how our attempt to distance ourselves from it can hinder research, product development and even personal development.…
on “No publication without confirmation” ↗The same author, Oliver Burkeman, wrote a similarly life-changing book as well, entitled The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking. Besides Buddhism, it also covers stoicism, the inevitability of death, and other topics having to do with the thesis that trying to be happy makes…
on “Ask HN: What's the most life-changing blog post you've ever read?” ↗Yes, Oliver Burkeman is on my list of "Read or buy anything he writes" His book "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking" is one my favourite books
on “The Frustration with Productivity Culture” ↗…pretty content accepting the unpleasant parts of reality without spin or optimism. Sometimes the better choice is still crappy, after all ;) I think Oliver Burkeman makes a fun and thoughtful case in "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13721709-the-antidote
on “It seems that OpenAI is scraping [certificate transparency] logs” ↗1. Continuous discovery habits by Teresa Torres 2. Life at the speed of play by Mark Pincus 3. The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman 4. Autobiography of a Yogi by Pramahansa Yogananda
on “Attention is all you have” ↗I had a hard time finding anything with the search. I could not find The Antidote by Burkeman at all. I tried it with the ISBN as a last resort, but multiple books showed up (not the antidote). Shouldn't an ISBN just return only a single result?
on “Show HN: A more social, Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads” ↗Adding to that, I'm reading Antidote by Oliver Burkeman. One of the points that I really related to was that more you think about happiness, more likely you will find yourself unhappy. Essentially the pursuit/expectation of happiness paradoxically…
on “Nobody optimizes happiness” ↗