Book cover of The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT

Book description

THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER

Do you ever feel worried, miserable or unfulfilled - yet put on a happy face and pretend everything's fine? You are not alone. Stress, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem are all around. Research suggests that many of us get caught in a psychological trap, a vicious circle…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Happiness Trap as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This might seem an odd book for enhancing your relationship with creativity, but if you struggle with doubts, creative fears (such as a fear of rejection or criticism), the imposter syndrome, anxiety about not being good enough to create what you feel called to create, or other limiting beliefs, the Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques that this book focuses on are just what the doctor ordered. 

Essentially, ACT borrows insights and teachings from older nondual philosophies such as Zen, Buddhism, and Taoism, and puts them in a more conventional, research-based package. Personally, I think ACT doesn’t go nearly far enough…

I’m a personal development junkie and have read many popular titles out there. I came across this book years ago, and I found it incredibly insightful and transformational. Reflecting on it, it aligns perfectly with the spiritual principles of seek and do not find, and only in surrender do you honestly claim something because, in that state, you already have it. This book talks about how in Western culture, many strive for happiness, but the expectation of being happy makes us feel deficit. Those emotions and handling all the range of emotions are natural, and being happy could also mean…

From Ngan's list on that get you thinking.

If you love The Happiness Trap...

Ad

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Want books like The Happiness Trap?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Happiness Trap.

Browse books like The Happiness Trap

Book cover of Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
Book cover of The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Book cover of A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "a Course in Miracles"

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,272

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Happiness Trap, you might also like...

Book cover of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More by Meredith Marple,

The coastal tourist town of Great Wharf, Maine, boasts a crime rate so low you might suspect someone’s lying.

Nevertheless, jobless empty nester Mallory Cooper has become increasingly reclusive and fearful. Careful to keep the red wine handy and loath to leave the house, Mallory misses her happier self—and so…

Book cover of That First Heady Burn

That First Heady Burn by George Bixley,

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of…

5 book lists we think you will like!