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THE UPSIDE OF YOUR DARK SIDE

Robert Biswas-Diener Todd Kashdan

Why Being Your Whole Self—Not Just Your "Good" Self—Drives Success and Fulfillment

Two pioneering researchers in the field of psychology show that while mindfulness, kindness, and positivity can take us far, they cannot take us all the way. Sometimes, they can even hold us back. Emotions like anger, anxiety, or doubt might be uncomfortable, but it turns out that they are also incredibly useful.
For instance:
• Anger fuels creativity
• Guilt sparks improvement
• Self-doubt enhances performance
• Selfishness increases courage
• Mindlessness leads to better decisions

The key lies in what the authors call “emotional agility,” the ability to access our full range of emotions—not just the “good” ones—in order to respond most effectively to whatever situation we might encounter. Drawing on years of scientific research and a wide array of real-life examples including sports, the military, parenting, education, romance, business, and more, THE UPSIDE OF YOUR DARK SIDE is a refreshing reality check that shows us how we can truly maximize our potential.

Dr. Todd B. Kashdan is a recognized authority on well-being and social relationships. He has published more than 150 scholarly articles and trains professionals on techniques to become emotionally, socially, and mentally agile. He has been honored with the Outstanding Professor of the Year at George Mason University and the 2013 Distinguished Scientific Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association. You can watch speaking at a TED X event here. He isn’t talking about the topic of this book, but it will give you a sense of how dynamic and engaging he is.

Robert Biswas-Diener has published more than 40 scholarly articles and has trained thousands of professionals on six continents. He is known as the “Indiana Jones of Positive Psychology” because he has conducted research in difficult conditions such as war zones, slums, and in a remote corner of Greenland.
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Book

Published 2014-09-25 by Hudson Street Press

Book

Published 2014-09-25 by Hudson Street Press

Comments

Full of scientific research yet laugh-out-loud funny, this book is a must read. The authors turn everything on its head—questioning the wisdom of positive psychology and the pursuit of happiness—all in order to help us flourish and be happy!

At long last, here’s a book on why happiness can make us sad and mindfulness might be overrated. The Upside of Your Dark Side offers a provocative, evidence-based case for a balanced life. If you haven’t read it yet, you should feel guilty—and it turns out that will be good for you.

My experience with hundreds of clients tells me that happiness and well-being result from facing and accepting bouts of fear, shame and self-doubt. I am so glad that Todd and Robert chose to illustrate the science behind embracing negative emotions in this engaging book. It will help you live a deep, rich and meaningful life.

British: Oneworld ; Chinese (complex): Business Weekly ; Chinese (simplified): Cheers ; Croatian: Profil ; Estonian: Pegasus ; French: Lattes ; Japanese: Soshisha ; Korean: Hanbit ; Polish: Wydawnictwo M ; Portuguese (Brazil): Rocco ; Romanian: Trei ; Turkish: Kuraldisi

I feel like I have five new superpowers after reading this book. It turns out that leading a good and satisfying life doesn't mean we have to try to be happy, calm or optimistic all the time. We can learn to use uncomfortable feelings like anger, anxiety, guilt, sadness or boredom to be kinder, braver, smarter, more creative and more persuasive. The dark side does indeed have an upside -- and this book teaches us how to harness it, so we can truly lead more heroic and purposeful lives.

The Upside of Your Dark Side offers one of the most important messages of recent psychological science: that you don't need to avoid discomfort or distress to have a meaningful and joyful life. The authors provide a highly refreshing alternative to the idea that one must pursue happiness at all costs. There is much to be learned from the experience of negative emotions, and from this book.

Do we really need another book about happiness? Don’t we all already know those ‘10 Steps to Certain Happiness’? The answers, surprisingly, are "Yes" and "No". Yes, we need this book by Todd and Robert because No, we don’t know it all about happiness. It turns out there’s a hugely under-utilized tool to increase your capacity for happiness. The very Dark from which we run away is often the path to the Light. If you’ve ever wondered how you can use what’s Difficult to get closer to what’s Good, this just might be the book for you.

Anger, guilt, regret, and anxiety have no place in a happy life, right? Wrong. The Upside of Your Dark Side illuminates the essential role played by negative emotions. And then goes further, revealing the benefits of personality traits we tend to downgrade such as grandiosity and selfishness. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the hidden elements of a happy, fulfilling, engaged life.