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Library—The Slight Edge

Eighth edition, November 2013, Greenleaf Book Group PressAlready a classic, The Slight Edgeoffers a path to success via awareness of the importance of the numerous small decisions we make each day. Jeff Olson describes his philosophy as easy to do and easy not to do—and each decision we make is a step in the right direction or away from it. There is no middle ground, he says. This anniversary edition offers “The Secret of Happiness,” a chapter based on discoveries in positive psychology. The author carefully outlines what you can expect by adding steps pioneered by Shawn Achor in The Happiness Advantageto your daily routine and taking advantage of research results: “Success does not lead to happiness,” he writes. “It’s the other way around: more happiness creates more success.”Listen to Jeff Olson discuss the Slight Edge and other concepts of success and well-being on our Live Happy Now podcast, now available on iTunes.

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Happiness Library: Flourish

March 2013 Atria Paperback You don’t have to get very far in Flourishto glimpse the practical applications of positive psychology. Author Martin Seligman, Ph.D., writes on page 20: “We scientists have found that doing a kindness produces the single most reliable momentary increase in well-being of any exercise we have tested.” Seligman’s latest book explores how we can increase feelings of well-being and why it’s vital to do so. Reading this book is a good way to catch up on important milestones in the positive psychology movement like “post-traumatic growth” research on soldiers. Martin, who introduced the world to positive psychology as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, is required reading for those who follow this field.

Library—The Slight Edge

Happiness Library: Flourish

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