Happy Mind, Happy Life: The New Science of Mental Wellbeing by Rangan Chatterjee

Happy Mind, Happy Life: The New Science of Mental Wellbeing Reviews

• 
  Amanda

  I love Dr Rangan Chatterjees's approach to well-being and regularly enjoy his podcast. His first book, The 4 Pillar Plan, is my all-time favourite health book, and I am always excited when a new book of his comes out.
  
  As with his other books, this book is easy to read and down to earth with interesting scientific insights, case studies, and practical tips. It is also beautifully stylized.
  
  Overall the book was interesting, and some chapters resonated more than others. Unfortunately, I found that the majority of chapters in this book did not feel relevant to me at the current time in my life.
  
  I'm glad I've got this book on my bookshelf, but I don't think I'll be implementing anything from it anytime soon. However, I feel more inclined to re-read some of his earlier books that I found more relevant.
• 
  Emma

  My favourite book by the good Doctor so far. No nonsense, reasonably easy advice and tips to increase happiness and joy. A great read. Thoroughly recommend.
• 
  Kelly

  Another brilliant book from Dr Rangan Chatterjee easy to read with good honest advice that is easy to follow.
  Easy free tips to help transform your life with case studies to demonstrate the tips in action.
  Dr Chatterjee is honest throughout sharing personal stories how his tips help himself showing his vulnerability.
  This is a book I will recommend and refer to it will become part of my everyday toolkit.
  Lightbulb moment for some of the tips, I have now implemented and become successful at practicing helping my own core happiness stool.
• 
  Jessica M

  Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s new book is a nonfiction book which expresses a variety of ways to improve your overall wellbeing and happiness through research backed techniques. Truthfully this book began with a slow tone, the writing was lengthy and I found myself wishing for more techniques included within each page. However as the pages built upon one another, I soon was interested. I enjoyed the questions Dr Chatterjee included in some sections of the book, which urged me to look internally at how I behave and react in situations. It was fascinating to learn about new perspectives I hadn’t thought of before, linked to how I perceive others. There are also a variety of related resources attached within the book, like Dr Chatterjee’s podcast episodes. This was something I found useful for further research.
  In conclusion, I unfortunately found this book bittersweet. I have previously read Dr Chatterjee’s previous book ‘Feel better in 5’ which I thoroughly enjoyed. But this book didn’t catch my interest like that book did. As for some constructive feedback: I think the book could have included more adaptable exercises to try. I would still recommend this book for those who wish to learn more about research backed methods of increasing happiness. Perhaps for individuals who are looking for a knowledgeable author. Thankyou to Netgalley, Dr Rangan Chatterjee and BenBella books for the DRC!
• 
  Laila-Grace

  Brilliant.
  I love the universe of “well-being”, “self-care”, “mindfulness” (insert the word that works for you) that is becoming more and more popular. I think it’s great that people are exploring their mental and physical health with curiosity and an open mind. However, there are a lot of cowboys out there and I believe that bad advice can have catastrophic consequences so, guidance and instruction regarding things like “happiness” must be given with real care and consideration. This is why this book is stand out… it’s written by a qualified doctor. His words are backed up by research and through his role as a general practitioner he has built up a wealth of knowledge and professional experience which he details in the book. The overwhelming majority of advice, suggestions and tips that he outlines are free as well as easy to understand and implement. When I went into my local bookshop to buy a copy of “Happy Mind, Happy Life” I was surprised by its physical appearance as it ressembles a coffee table or cookbook. However, I really enjoyed the experience of reading it as the text is broken down into manageable bite-sized blocks, there are beautiful calming images included (which get you even more into the atmosphere of the book) and the glossy pages feel lovely in one’s hands!! I think the fact that it looks nice and has short bursts of text will make it really easy to dip in and out of in the future if there are sections that I wish to return to (which I’m sure I will!). Another great discovery thanks to Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place… 10 out of 10, I highly recommend.
• 
  Joan Somers

  Who is totally happy with their life? I think we can all improve our lives one way or another. Dr C writes an in-depth book on ways to do this. He gives many examples of his patients who came to him for help and he assisted these people gain more control over their lives. I agree with much of his advice: find one method in the book that speaks to you and do that every day, such as writing down things you’re grateful for, spend less time on your phone—go see actual friends, spend time outside, meditate.
  
  “If you practice happiness every day, you’ll become a little bit happier.”
  
  I think it all boils down to stepping back, getting away from things you do that prevent your happiness. Identify those things. Find rewarding actions that will make you feel good about yourself. When you feel good about yourself you will be happier and have better relationships with others. This book gives you much to ponder and concrete ways to help.
  
  I received an advanced copy for my honest opinion.
• 
  Lindsay

  There’s some really good advice in this book, but there’s a lot of filler too. I bought the kindle version of this book and it probably works better as a lovely hard book with glossy photos. I’ll definitely take some of the points though and apply them to my life, especially the one about the stress of choices, even small ones!
• 
  Nik

  Brilliant, always a real treat to read his latest book. Lots of ideas to take away & use, and I really like the hints / links to his website & podcast episodes for deeper conversation.
• 
  Marie

  I cannot get enough of this book. I've read it twice over and second time round was even better. It's going to remain on my bedside table forever.
• 
  Bianca Holderness

  Loved this book, very simple but a lot of breakthrough thoughts whilst listening. A good reset if you’re feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.
• 
  Vince

  Basic and a little boring.
  
  There were a few takeaways from this book but, on the whole, it was basic and boring.
  
  It was also annoying how often he advised readers to go listen to his podcast.
• 
  Lucy

  I do like Dr Chatterjee's books on the subject of health because they always feel very accessible and practical, like they are rooted in real life rather than a lofty goal you will never attain. And this one is no exception. This one is about mental health and some practical help about things you can do to help your own mental health, adjusting it for your life and circumstances. Dr Chatterjee does make the point that trauma and tragedy are different issues and the book is more for the person who is experiencing a low level of stress all the time because modern world and all that.
  
  And while I liked this book, thanks to the easy writing style, I didn't find it as personally useful as I have some of Dr Chatterjee's other books like The 4 Pillar Plan and Feel Better in 5. Maybe it's because I'm in a good mental health space at the moment and when I experience lows, I have habits that work for me to help get me past that. Last year was extremely stressful for me so maybe I'm riding a high now.
  
  That said, I always love how Dr Chatterjee doesn't just tell you things, he gives you various ideas about how to carry out his advice and talks about how you can adjust for your life. He also never blames the reader or even scolds them like an old-fashioned doctor. He talks about phone use in this book and he makes it clear that the companies who develop smartphones and the apps are very good at what they do and so phone use is not about self-control or the lack of it.
  
  I would recommend this book but I probably wouldn't reread it myself. 3.5 stars!
• 
  Debbie

  Self help and wellness books are not generally my bag, especially if they’re written by celebrities, but I’ve been listening to Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast for the last year and have been impressed, so when this book appeared on my weekly Kindle reads list I decided to give it a go as most of the chapters are based on the original podcasts.
  
  It’s well written in non psycho-babble/medical speak and is non-judgemental or prescriptive. Given I dislike being told what to do, this was a good start.
  
  The book is broken down into an introduction to explain the concepts and then 10 sections, each with an overview, case study and practical exercises.
  
  It does what it says on the tin in and no nonsense way, offering you a smorgasbord of options for tackling your own circumstances. Even if you’re fairly content with your life, I suspect there’s probably still something in here which would offer improvements.
  
  He managed to sum up my disquiet about the internet and mobile phones, which I have never been able to quite articulate in concise terms, which grabbed my attention from the outset.
  
  It’s eminently sensible, practical advice and if you feel your relationships are out of kilter with yourself, or your family, or if you have an unhealthy relationship with your mobile phone or your work/life balance it’ll be worth the few quid it costs. Some of it you’ll be aware of, perhaps most of it, but there’s a difference between knowing something and implementing it. This book gives you the tools to implement what you know and impact your well- being positively.
• 
  Narcissisimha Rao

  I did the audio version.
  
  I shall report only the vibes I got from this (and that depends on what I have read before I came to this book, so this will have different 'marginal utility', if you will, for someone from another walk of life, so to speak).
  
  So, then, to me, it felt like a very average self-help book, written to a formula and this was mostly a plug for Rangan's podcast (like they put it in cricket, wrong 'un Chatterjee!). Nothing you haven't seen before, but at the same time, I won't say it won't work for you.
  
  Just that when they say things like, be kind, forgive, that doesn't work for the likes of assholes, narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths. It only enables the bastards, and before you know it, they become prime ministers and presidents, and those guys are completely useless in the face of unprecedented global problems the planet is facing now. You need more robust advice than the wannabe Deepak Chopras of this world can give you. Something more practical, so you can counter the pricks and tell them where they can get off!
  
  This only serves Chatterjee's career and will do very little for you per se, because, really, you've heard it all before. (Don't do too much social media, don't watch porn, be selfless - do things for others, and oh, look, I talked to an expert about this ... why don't you got to my blog for more! here's the link.)
• 
  Sharon Gausch

  Rangan Chatterjee's views on life really resonate with me, and this latest book, Happy Mind, Happy Life, is no exception. Although certain tenets run through all of his books, they build on one another from one to the next yet are never repetitive.
  
  Happy Mind, Happy Life explores the concept of core happiness using the analogy of a three-legged stool with contentment, alignment, and control as the legs. The author discusses want brain in depth, and how it pushes us to pursue junk happiness, which can never satisfy us. He illustrates that our current unhappiness is an entirely rational response to the madness of the modern world with its endless choices and constant pressure to do more, buy more, achieve more. This makes so much sense--how can we ever be happy when nothing is ever enough?
  
  The book is structured around 10 things we can do to strengthen our core happiness, ideas like cultivating self compassion, finding flow, letting our guard down with others, and realizing the role that our phone is playing in our lives. A chapter is dedicated to each idea, containing deeply personal stories and case studies as well as lots of suggestions on ways to incorporate the principle into our lives.
  
  Written with his usual warmth and compassion, this is another of Dr. Chatterjee's books that I will be referring back to again and again.
  
• 
  Lou Surname

  I heard about Dr Chatterjee when his book was about to be released. Bought his book and WOW I've never wasted my money like this before! He goes on and promotes listening to his podcasts, then the worst part, he brings in the chapter right at the end about religion, sorry someone tell me when religion was EVER related in any medical or holistic way to happy mind and a happy life?! His writing is disturbing in the fact he feels the need to promote corrupt religion and that we need to follow a religion to be happy! I would NOT BUY hos books, in fact he needs to stop writing, and speaking about something he is not qualified in writing about. I wasted my money and time in reading this rubbish! He scams readers into buying his books because of his social media stand, he needs to step down and stop bleating on...so unless he has some WOW NEW HEALTH (scientific) facts about being happy he should keep his words to himself and stop insulting our intelligence and people wasting their money on his junk! Never will I read anything of his again, or listen to his self promoting podcasts, advertisements throughout, he's disgusting and the publishers are the same!
• 
  Michael Jones

  This is a useful guide to improving your happiness, and I recommend it without exceptions. Chatterjee’s interested three-legged-stool model for core happiness is on the money from my point of view. Alignment, contentment and control are the three legs and the author supports his model well.
  I like his pattern of thesis, background, personal inside stories, case study and conclusion. The pattern was helpful to me to put the ideas in their proper perspective.
  My only real criticism of the book is in the form. Heavy, glossy pages, with the author’s face pictured no less than 24 times made this seems like more of a coffee-table book. Though somewhat similar in format to Brene Brown’s most recent offering, Atlas of the Heart, this book does not appear to be the culmination of 20+ years of research and Brown’s book is less of a vanity piece.
  This work is, nonetheless, important and compelling. There are many useful and proven approaches to improving your state or mind and happiness. Please don’t be dissuaded if you pick it up, flip through it and find the heavy, glossy pages, complete with multiple pictures, a put-off. Buy it and read it instead.
• 
  Michaela

  Dr Chatterjee is just a five star writer! I love the tone of this writing, the wisdom, the science and the personal stories and anecdotes, as well as the case studies.
  
  There’s lots of practical ideas for me to take away and it’s already brightened my day, as I made an effort to speak and say hi to people today and it was uplifting.
  
  With covid, and isolation etc, I’ve fallen into some bad habits - like people avoiding, because of social distancing. There were some great reminders of the importance to connect.
  
  The other chapter that was really helpful was having unmasked conversations. I’ve found it hard with the new ‘drive’ for authenticity and what to share, what not to share, how honest to be, when to be quiet! It was an immensely sensible and helpful chapter.
  
  Also, I loved the idea of reframing ‘me time’ to be a daily holiday - that’s just fantastic.
  
  I’ve loved all of Dr Chatterjees books, but I think this is my favourite so far. Thanks for such a great book.
• 
  Jen

  "Time is the most precious resource we have. We all have the same amount, regardless of income".
  
  Dr Chatterjee is a gem and I was so excited to read his newest book Happy Mind, Happy Life.
  
  He breaks down how our Want Brain ultimately leaves us more unsatisfied, micro stress doses throughout the day add up, happy habits to form, relationships, gratitude, creating daily vacations, and more.
  
  Everything is broken down in nice bite sized bits you can start implementing right away. And as a nice touch, there are links to podcast episodes that go deeper into topics for additional information on topics that interest you.
  
  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Michelle Ogden

  I am a huge fan of Dr. Chatterjee, his books, and his podcasts. The common sense advice, backed up with experience both personal and professional and by scientific studies, is pure gold. He helps you find your truth, your happiness. He gives to the keys to finding what you need. He doesn't tell you the exact plan to find what you need because that is different for everyone. He gives you a plan, an idea and it is up to you to do the work needed to come out on the other side a happier person.
  
  Do you want to find happiness and peace? The answers are here. They may sound simple but they only work if you put in the work. What are you waiting for? Go out and grab a copy and get started you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• 
  M D

  The information contained in this book is brilliant. It’s worth reading to get the information. Not in Audible form though.
  
  It’s extremely irritating to listen to. At every single new idea that Rangan introduces, he reads our the instructions for how to find a podcast where he discusses it. This is quite interesting the first couple of times, but it takes up so much time. It’s almost like having an ad break every few minutes.
  
  I’m not sure I enjoy Rangan’s voice. He’s very “I did this and so should you”, it comes across as a little smug.
  
  I so agree with his points, I really do. But it was a bit of a chore to get through the book to get those point.
  
  If you want to read this, please read the book, don’t listen to it.