The Happy Brain: The Science of Where Happiness Comes From, and Why

Neuroscientist Dean Burnett dives into the squishy science and bubbly feelings of what happiness means

The pursuit of happiness is one of the most common and enduring quests of human life. It’s what drives us to get a job, fall in love, watch stand-up comedy, have questionable obsessions and come home at the end of the day. But where does happiness come from, and why do we need it so much? Is lasting, permanent happiness possible―or should it be? And what does any of this have to do with the brain?

Dean Burnett, bestselling author of The Idiot Brain, combines cutting-edge theories of the science of emotions with interviews of dozens of people on the happiness scale, from relationship coaches to celebrity millionaires, in an attempt to unveil what makes our happy-dometer tick. Witty and perceptive, humorous and enlightening, The Happy Brain explores a fascinating aspect of modern neuroscience and in the process discovers something about what it means to be human.