The Happiness Trap
Russ Harris · 2007
Physician Russ Harris turns Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into plain English, arguing that our relentless efforts to feel good are the very trap that keeps us stuck, and that a rich life comes from defusing thoughts, accepting feelings, and acting on values.
The most accessible on-ramp to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, it flips the self-help script: the harder you chase happiness, the unhappier you get, so stop struggling and start living.
Two of the ideas you’ll keep
The Clif summary of The Happiness Trap pulls out 7 insights. Here are the first two.
- The pursuit of happiness backfires. Because our efforts to avoid or eliminate painful thoughts and feelings usually amplify them, the harder we try to feel good, the more we suffer, this self-defeating loop is the happiness trap itself.
- Four myths spring the trap: that happiness is our natural state, that unhappiness means you're defective, that a good life requires getting rid of negative feelings, and that you should be able to control what you think and feel. All four set up an unwinnable war with human nature.
The other 5 — and the full 11-minute summary — are in the app.
What’s inside: 9 chapters
The whole summary runs about 11 minutes, read or listened to.
- The Happiness Trap and Four Great Myths
- Why Your Mind Is Wired to Make You Miserable
- Control Is the Problem, Not the Solution
- Cognitive Defusion: Unhooking From Your Thoughts
- Expansion: Making Room for Difficult Feelings
- Connection: The Power of Being Present
- The Observing Self: A Stable Place to Stand
- Values: What Do You Want to Stand For?
- Committed Action: From FEAR to a Full Life
Finish The Happiness Trap tonight.
Read or listen to the full summary in about 11 minutes, then keep the ideas with a minute of review a day. Start with the 2-minute quiz — no card required.
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