How to Be Less Miserable - by Lybi Ma (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In How to Be Less Miserable, Lybi Ma, the executive editor of Psychology Today, provides strategies that challenge negative thinking and inspire a more positive mindset.

As human beings, we are all predisposed to a negative mindset. This tendency is a byproduct of the evolution of our species. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to stay vigilant at all times--what if a man-eating predator was lurking in their midst? It was more important to be aware of potential danger than to find food. It's part of our genetic code, and we've carried this innate predisposition that something bad is about to happen to us into the twenty-first century. Even the most optimistic among us aren't immune.

How to Be Less Miserable offers current research on the human brain's tendency toward negative thinking, why we do it, why it's so hard to stop doing it, and how we can use evidence-based methods to overcome the patterns that lead to anxiety, depression, and more. The author covers a wide range of topics, including:

healthy ways to pursue happiness;

how to overcome stress and anxiety;

tools for dealing with emotions;

building resiliency and mental flexibility;

the importance of social groups;

the perils of social media;

personal growth and the pursuit of passions;

and, being kind and true to yourself.

The strategies found in this book are based in large part on wisdom from the experts and researchers Lybi Ma has worked with throughout her career. They provide helpful and meaningful ways to manage and overcome negative thinking. Ultimately, How to Be Less Miserable is for anyone searching for a different way to think about emotional and mental health.

Review Quotes

"'What does it take to bypass the brain's tendency for suffering?' This profound, high-stakes question motors How to Be Less Miserable as Lybi Ma takes us deep, wide, and far into the hows and whys of our unhappiness. She uncovers not only what's making us this way--depressed, anxious, and angsty--but what we can do about it. Ma, who was raised in a culture of present-moment collectivism, has created a thorough, accessible, and enlightening road map to thriving in uncertain times."

-- "Wednesday Martin, PhD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untrue, Primates of Park Avenue, and Stepmonster"

"In this well-written and timely book, Lybi Ma brings her immense personal and professional wisdom to bear on the grand topic of human misery in an age of abundance. Anyone who suffers from feeling inexplicably down will find valuable advice and perspective in these pages."

-- "Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, coauthor of The Power of Bad, and one of the world's most prolific and influential psychologists"

"Lybi melds the latest scientific findings with her own personal and cultural history to tell readers that they are not alone in their misery and that there are ways out. Anyone would be lucky to have her as a guide."

-- "Matthew Hutson, contributing writer at The New Yorker and author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking"

"Most of us secretly believe that our negative thinking is unusual and problematic. Drawing from some of the best in psychological science, this book shows how wrong that idea is. Negative thinking is virtually built into human experience--but once that fact is acknowledged and understood, new ways forward are available to us. Ironic, interesting, well-researched, and cutting-edge, Lybi Ma has crafted a fresh approach to negative mindsets. Highly recommended."

-- "Steven C. Hayes, PhD, Foundation Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, and the originator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy"

"People profess to want to be happy and satisfied with life, but the most difficult first step is often to get out of your own way and quiet the deeply rooted habits that focus you on the losses and threats in your world. In How to Be Less Miserable, Lybi Ma provides clear and useful guidance on how to avoid the most persistent routines that trap you in sadness and anxiety."

-- "Art Markman, PhD, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas; author of Smart Thinking; host of NPR podcast Two Guys on Your Head"

"We're all coping with the stresses and anxieties of contemporary society. In this important book, Lybi Ma draws on neuroscience research and her longtime tenure at Psychology Today to deliver valuable lessons on how to combat negativity and unlock a healthier and happier life."

-- "Evan Hughes, author of Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup"

"Written in plain, understandable language, this is such a helpful and wise book for those of us who are sad, depressed, or dejected--and are we not all at times? Lybi Ma uses personal anecdotes, reliable research, humor, and professional know-how to help us with our negative thinking and the many ways that our minds devise dead ends. She shows us how to find a way to surmount our unhappiness and to face the natural difficulties that life presents with equanimity."

-- "Sheila Kohler, Princeton University lecturer, author of Dreaming for Freud, Becoming Jane Eyre, and Cracks"