Beyond Happy - by Mark Fabian (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Beyond Happy blends cutting-edge science with timeless wisdom to show how to cultivate true wellbeing. Fabian reveals why evolution keeps happiness just out of reach and teaches how to find joy by listening to emotions, pursuing authentic values, and nurturing connections with others. Combining rigorous research, engaging storytelling, and practical strategies, this book offers a roadmap to a meaningful, fulfilling life - both individually and collectively.

'A brilliant read... a gamechanger' Paul Ross, Talk Sport

'Essential reading... Written with clarity, vivacity and depth' Manda Scott

A comprehensive guide to cultivating wellbeing, combining cutting edge science and primordial folk wisdom.

Beyond Happy explores how evolution has wired us to keep happiness just out of reach, leaving us perpetually stuck on a happiness treadmill. Instead of striving to escape it, the book argues, we should focus on making the treadmill a place we want to be. Finding this wellbeing begins with listening to our emotions, discovering intrinsic motivation and pursuing our authentic values. Fabian coaches you through this process of self-actualisation. Wellbeing, however, is not solely an individual pursuit - it is something we cultivate together.

Most profoundly, Beyond Happy shows the way out of nihilism - the pervasive sense that life on the treadmill is purposeless and incoherent. To escape this despair, we must develop a moral compass. To heal the toxicity of our acrimonious politics, we need to rediscover the joy of sharing and celebrating what we love.

Delivered with an entertaining mix of academic precision, a podcaster's knack for storytelling, and the down-to-earth panache Australians are known for, Beyond Happy is a one-stop shop to everything you need to know about the good life.

Review Quotes

'A cracking, thought-provoking and important read. It's a book I will be dipping into for months and even years to come' Paul Ross, Talk Sport

'Highly recommended - a deep and thoughtful reflection on what makes a good person and a worthwhile life. Fabian draws both on cutting-edge academic research (viewed with a rightly critical eye) and on centuries of philosophical and literary insights to explain how, in a purposeless universe, people can nonetheless create meaningful and fulfilling lives.' Nick Chater, author of The Mind is Flat.

'Mark Fabian's book is essential reading. Written with clarity, vivacity and depth, Fabian peels away the mask of consumer-addiction 'happiness' to reveal the deeper, more enduring and far more satisfying structures of wellbeing. There's no excuse now: we know what we need to do, why we need to do it and how we can create the transformative culture that would allow human flourishing as an integral part of the web of life. Let's make it happen.' Manda Scott, Accidental Gods

About the Author

Dr Mark Fabian is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Warwick, and an Affiliate Fellow at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. He is a dynamic and pioneering academic with considerable teaching and public-speaking experience. Beyond Happy will be his debut book for a general readership; his academic book, A Theory of Subjective Wellbeing, was published in 2022 by OUP.