The Happiness Trap (Second Edition): How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

Very excited to read this! Hopefully it gives me some inspiration and growth! Book came quickly and in great condition!

Got this because my therapist recommended it to me. I loved this book! Especially after doing ACT therapy and values work before purchasing. I don't usually like self help books, but really enjoyed this one. I highly recommend this book if you're interested/currently doing ACT therapy or values work. Its easy to read and even had me laughing sometimes. Such a beautiful book.

I am a middle-aged white male with a typical job, and I lead a typical life. I don't know if my opinion will persuade anyone to pick up this book. To be honest, I am not terribly concerned about that. I suppose I am writing this primarily as a thank you to the author. The book changed my life forever--in a good way. It brought together many things that have interested me for many years and made sense of them. It took the things I loved most about Zen Buddhism and framed them in a largely scientific context. In this scientific characterization, the power of these concepts is magnified and they are much more accessible to westerners. The writing seems compatible with ideas presented in formal epistemology. The recommended actions and ideas seem at home in the mind of an epistemic skeptic. More than just the book, ACT itself deserves much praise. To me, ACT seems a natural extension of evolutionary psychology. They fit together so seemlessly, at least in my opinion. For those in whom ACT is destined to resonate, the book is definitely a life changer. I thought he brilliantly and patiently encouraged the reader to participate in the many exercises presented in the text. The exercises are not embellishments or superficial ornaments. They are essential challenges to help one become immersed in the theory, help one reach competency in daily life. The exercises are extremely on target and extremely well balanced and measured. One of my favorite things is that when you finish the book, perhaps having left some of the exercises undone, it instantly becomes an incredible reference for the world view it describes. You can go back and finish the exercises. You can flip to a random page and study it. You can systematical refresh yourself on some pre-selected topic. In short, you can become and remain very, very familiar with the material. I am a little sheepish to admit this, but this is the best book I have ever read. I don't mean that it outdances the prose of Tolstoy (etc.). I mean in terms of pure impact on my life. I am sure the book would not effect everyone in this way. As we all know, life is a problem with many solutions (or something along those lines). Some of us might like an entirely different intellectual framework from which to view and interact with the world around us. For them, this book will probably seem ordinary, or worse. But, as for myself, I have found a magnificent text to aid me in the days ahead. My only betrayal of its role is that I know I will always be on the hunt, to some extent, for an even better formulation. Until I find one, I am set.

I purchased the eBook version of The Happiness Trap and found it to be a clear, practical guide to applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in everyday life. Russ Harris explains concepts like mindfulness, values-based living, and psychological flexibility in a way that’s easy to follow without feeling overly clinical. One of the strongest features of this book is the hands-on activities woven throughout—such as mindfulness exercises, values clarification worksheets, and thought-defusion techniques. These aren’t just “read and forget” tips; they’re designed for you to pause, reflect, and write down your own answers. Because of that, I recommend reading it when you’re not driving and have a notebook handy to work through the exercises and jot down personal insights. The eBook format makes it easy to highlight key passages and revisit them later. If I had one small critique, it’s that some sections felt a bit repetitive—but that also helped reinforce the main ideas. Overall, this is a great resource for anyone looking to manage stress, anxiety, or unhelpful thought patterns in a practical, actionable way. The more you engage with the activities, the more value you’ll get from it.

I didn't think I would like it and get much out of it as I thought I did. Excellent, stick to with it and read it through. My favorite process is to read the chapter first over. Then do the excersies and reread it. I could see myself revisiting this book throughout the years

I would not have earned my B A in Psychology if it wasn't for this book, period. It explains acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) which is the third generation of the behavioral therapeutic approach (the second generation being the cognitive behavioral therapeutic approach). It is founded on evidenced based science, not wishful thinking or esoteric unprovable traditions espoused by Freud and many others. It makes sense to the layman and professional alike. Dr. Steven Hayes is the founder of ACT, but I consider Dr. Russ Harris who authored this book to be the torchbearer of ACT. ACT is truly unlike anything you have probably ever read concerning therapy, psychology, mental illness, and genuine healing of the mind. It's NOT New Agey foolishness nor is it post-modern ignorance. It's a new method of consideration of self. Instead of spending all of your energy fighting to control your thoughts which I think we can all agree can ever be achieved, what might happen if we embraced our troubling thoughts and simply accepted them? We wouldn't ever have to love them, but what if we simply gave them space to exist? Might the byproduct be a bit more peace or at least more capacity to enjoy life? This is the over simplified philosophy behind ACT and this book. It is a scientific mindfulness based approach that may very well change the perspective of your entire life for positive results. Wether you suffer from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, schizophrenia, or whatever other troubling thoughts this book and the ACT approach may be just what you have been searching for. I'll warn you though, it takes time, effort, and a desire to improve like anything else. If you are happy being unhappy or being a victim then don't waste your money on this book.

This book was recommended to me because ACT is often described as helpful for people in constrained circumstances like debilitating chronic illness—accepting reality, allowing difficult emotions, not getting caught up in stories about what one “should” be able to do, and orienting toward values rather than accomplishments. The first half of the book largely lived up to that promise and showed thoughtful awareness of how this approach might apply in limiting conditions, including prisons, refugee camps, and terminal illness. In the second half, however, the focus shifts away from that framing and becomes largely about goal-setting for people who have full physical freedom, with values serving more as a motivational overlay than as the core focus. This may be more broadly marketable, but it wasn’t what I had hoped for or been led to expect by the first part of the book.

If I could recommend just one "self-help" book to purchase, read and follow-through with the assignments it recommends, it would be this book! I have literally inched my way through it, reading it slowly over the past couple of months, stopping to actually do the activities recommended, and for me it has been a godsend, as I deal with the range of emotions that have emerged as I deal with breast cancer. I am a chronic starter/non-finisher of books but this one was so worth my while, taking the ACT process step-by-step. It has helped me calm anxiety, re-focus on my values and begin the process of listening to my deeper self about what I really want to DO moving forward from this experience. Whether you are dealing with depression, anxiety, worry, fear, dissatisfaction with your life in general or specific, or an unexpected life crisis, the exercises and activities recommended here will help you ACT your way into a more fulfilling life starting now. As the author points out again and again, happiness is a trap when we chase it for its own sake vs. experiencing it as a by-product of a life lived based on values-based goals. Along the way, the practical steps anyone can use to conquer and move beyond some of the most debilitating emotional states are explained, outlined for immediate practice/application. It is a book based on doing, not simply explaining or more psychological understanding. Should you buy it? No, not if you're looking for a quick fix, magic wand. Yes, absolutely if you're ready to make a change for the positive, one action step at a time! By the way, it was recommended by my therapist and I will be forever grateful to her for leading me to it!

I bought the first edition of the Happiness Trap about 5 years ago. It was a great book then, but Russ really has made a massive upgrade with this second edition. There is 50% new material inside and it reflects much of the honing and refinement that I have noticed in Russ' other work in the past few years. The book ties together core Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) practices with some of Russ' signature concepts, such as "Dropping Anchor", which is a practice you can use manage emotional storms that arise. There's a great "urge surfing" technique too, but perhaps the highlight is the application of the techniques to specific problems, such as rumination, healing of past hurts, making decisions and breaking habits. To my surprise, Russ places emphasis on self-talk as a beneficial add-on to the standard ACT approaches. I haven't seen many other instances in ACT literature of helpful self-talk as a valuable practice so it was refreshing to see it in the Happiness Trap. Note, however, that the ACT idea of self-talk is not the unrealistic, wishful thinking variety preached in positive thinking books. One thing I noticed more in this edition than the previous was the explanations of how ACT practice ties in to the bigger picture. Russ explains that by repeatedly taking charge of your inner world and behaviour, you can recondition your neurology and improve your quality of life. This longer view is sometimes missing from ACT books, partly because ACT is a very present-centered approach. Anyway, there isn't a human being alive that couldn't benefit from this book. It's instantly among my most treasured books for managing myself and improving my life. The Audible version, in which Russ narrates, I recommend as a complement to the book.

I am a Clinical Psychologist utilising ACT in my sessions. This book helped me move from theory to applicable in-session understanding. Russ Harris definately got deep hold over ACT. 💯

This book explains complex ideas in such a simple, down-to-earth way that really sticks.

This book is a life changer. I bought it about a year ago and it changed how I think about life. I bought this as a 'pay-it-forward' for a friend who is having a hard time. I could have given my copy to my friend but this is such a great book I wanted to reward Dr Russ Harris with two purchases - he is a genius. For the price of a few coffees, the benefits are way beyond expectations.

I always felt guilty about my negative emotions, criticize myself more than others.....for so long time, I thought it was the right thing... Until reading this one. Tears in my eyes!💓