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    The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness
    The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness
    The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

    Written by Paula Poundstone

    Narrated by Paula Poundstone

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Is there a secret to happiness? Beloved comedian Paula Poundstone conducts a series of "thoroughly scientific" experiments to find out, offering herself up as a guinea pig and recording her data for the benefit of all humankind. Armed with her unique brand of self-deprecating wit and the scientific method, in each chapter Paula tries out a different get-happy hypothesis. She gets in shape with taekwondo. She drives fast behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. She communes with nature while camping with her daughter. Swing dancing? Meditation? Volunteering? Does any of it bring her happiness? And more important, can the happiness last when she returns to the daily demands of her chaotic life?

    The results are irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny, and pointedly relevant to our times. The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness is both a hilarious story of jumping into new experiences with both feet and a surprisingly poignant tale of a working mother raising three kids. Paula is a master of her craft. Her comedic brilliance, served up in abundance in this book, has been compared to that of George Carlin, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, and David Sedaris.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateMay 9, 2017
    ISBN9781681684048
    The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

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    Reviews for The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

    4/5

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    • 5/5
      In this book, comedian Paula Poundstone goes on a search for happiness, testing various ideas she has heard will bring happiness (e.g., exercise, being organized, giving a hug, helping others, etc.). She presents all of this is pseudo-scientific way with a hypothesis, field notes, observations, etc. However, each one of these theories is just a way in to talk about various things in her life, such as being a single parent, dealing with her kids, why she has so many pets, her obsessive need to talk, her time on NPR, etc. That is not a criticism; in fact, being a fan of Poundstone's podcast, some of these things were familiar items she's talked about before and she is always humorous when discussing her thoughts. When I first started this book actually, I felt it wasn't as funny as the madcap format of her podcast; however, once I got into the rhythm of this book, I quite enjoyed it as well. The audiobook is read by Poundstone herself and features some added in extras, such as music and effects. All and all, this makes for an entertaining read.
    • 4/5
      Paula Poundstone has a memorable voice, so when I selected this audiobook, I was quite thrilled that she also narrates it. It made it very enjoyable. Besides that, her experiments in happiness had me giggling out loud many times. I did not know anything about her personal life, but I could see my kids in the anecdotes she told. Her kids are a hoot and act like normal kids everywhere, especially when it comes to the way they react to their mom. She is amazing in taking a normal life event and telling it in such a witty way that will have you laughing. She is also very good at self-deprecating humour. She does a great job of getting the listener to laugh at some of her simple mistakes and bigger gaffs without making it seem that you are laughing at her. I enjoyed seeing how many "Heps of Happiness" she received from each of her endeavours. I think the one I laughed at the most was the Lamborghini experiment. It was not a long book, only about 7.5 hours but I would have listened to more, I liked it a lot. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys comedy, especially if you like Paula Poundstone.
    • 3/5
      ~Meh.

      The cover blurbs promised this book would be so funny that I might lose control of major bodily functions. They lied.

      The book contains mildly amusing tales of Poundstone's exploits through exercise, meditation, getting organized, and other attempts to "find happiness", with considerable side trips through her relationships with her children and frequent mentions of her pets. There are a few clever one-liners, but mostly I found myself feeling that this is a deeply unhappy person.
    • 4/5
      I love Paula Poundstone's comedic voice. Not only is she funny, she is genuinely moving. Both those traits are in this book of autobiographical experiments, which is both fun and slightly plaintive in its lament for the shortness of life and our inability to translate hard-won life experience into a real theory of living. I heard her wonderful voice in her writing and was happy to be taken along for the ride as she explored experiments in living both logical and absurd. I couldn't help but unrealistically hope that she would find an simple, easy, logical theory of happiness, but (spoiler alert!) nothing is an uncomplicated as it seems.If only she could somehow have magically incorporated interrogating an audience member into the book, it would have been an perfect Paula Poundstone experience. I do highly recommend it. Read it when you sincerely want to think about how to make your life happier, but you also want a funny, lighthearted friend to talk you through it, just in case things get weird.
    • 4/5
      Couldn't have asked for a better audio book to have with me on an busy road trip with my daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. With very little time and opportunity to pick up a book, listening to Paula Pounstone give her take on the pursuit of happiness amidst the chaos only children can inflict made my moments of alone time happy.
    • 4/5
      Won this in the early reviewers giveaway. I have always enjoyed Paula Poundstone on television, and wanted to like this book. It took me several tries to get going on reading this for some reason.Parts of it were very funny and it read as if I could hear Ms. Poundstone saying it. But it seemed to never really get moving. It is set up as a series of experiments by Ms. Poundstone to find the secret of happiness.Every chapter is an experiment, and is broken up into sub headings like Theory, Qualitative Observation, Analysis, etc. the first few chapters seemed overly long and the many little breaks seemed to be the reason I couldn't get into this. It didn't flow smoothly. Towards the end of the book the chapters were shorter and seemed to read better. All in all this was funny if you are a fan of Paula Poundstone, but it wasn't quite as light reading as I expected.
    • 4/5
      There are "experiments" here but mostly there is reflection on Ms. Poundstone's life and her exploration of what brings the most happiness into her life, told with the quirky observational humor with which she has made her living. As a fellow adoptive mother, I was particularly clued into the things she shared about her challenges with her children and I found the conclusions of Ms. Poundstone's experiments particularly telling - the volunteer work she did in care centers gave her the most lasting happiness, along with other activities focused on the relationships she had with others.
    • 4/5
      Happiness is trending these days. Its pursuit is enshrined in the US Constitution. Countless ads tout products guaranteed to make one happy. Countless books seriously promise to show the way. Gretchen Rubin with her "The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun", has practically made a cottage industry out of increasing the happiness quotient. Into the fray wades comedian Paula Poundstone, hilariously recounting her seven year journey in "The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness." Long time fans, and listeners to NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me ..." will instantly recognize her wry, ironic voice and self-deprecating humor. She invites us along as she (with often disastrous effect) attempts to find happiness in activities such as dancing, hugging and positive thinking. Some projects are far more successful than the others. There is as much humor in the failures as anything else. Hers is not the unfailingly optimistic and chipper voice in other 'how to' books. Life sometimes is tough, and the mere attempt at happiness is heroic in and of itself. Applaud Poundstone her willingness to open her vulnerability to the world. This is a witty addition to the genre. It gave me many heps of happiness!
    • 4/5
      I have always enjoyed Paula Poundstones comedic talents especially on “Wait, wait, don’t tell me”. This book is a very humorous look into Ms Poundstones life and it shows where her talent comes from.
    • 5/5
      Paula Poundstone wants to know what the secret to happiness is. She endeavors to perform a series of experiments to see which bring her the most happiness. The experiments are unscientific as the title suggests – they are really just her trying new things. She tries things like taekwondo, ballroom dancing and getting organized over the period of seven years. She enlists her three children in a lot of them, usually to their chagrin.A lot of times a stand-up comedian’s humor doesn’t translate well to the page but Paula is just as funny in this book as she is in her stand-up act. I made the mistake of reading this book in public a few times – it was embarrassing to be laughing out loud but I literally could not help it. There is some seriousness as well as she includes her real life challenges with her kids and with paying her bills now that the heyday of her career seems to have passed. And of course, there is both drama and silliness with her many, many cats. She says that she has around fourteen and it didn’t sound like she was exaggerating.Fans of Paula’s will enjoy this book for sure but even if you haven’t heard of her, I think you will find this book hilarious. I recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh. Just be careful where you read it!
    • 4/5
      This was a lighthearted and entertaining look at one person's eschewing traditional self-help books and trying to find her own path to happiness. I would say that she followed paths that many of us would (or have) considered trying ourselves, and I do believe that she successfully identified some keys to happiness. Her writing style alternates between hilarity and eye-rolling, but she is consistently engaging. A must read for anyone overwhelmed by the demands and expectations of life, and it is encouraging to see that I, too, could totally find my happiness as well.
    • 4/5
      The book started out quite hilarious and probably continued in the same vein. For me, however, the same vein wore thin so that I did not find it so funny. The poignant pieces about her children added some variability to the book.
    • 4/5
      I've been a fan of Paula Poundstone's for a while. I've listened to NPR for a long time, and always enjoy when she comes one Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. She has a great sense of humor and I was very excited to find out how she is in written form. I was not disappointed. She is not afraid to laugh at herself when her experiments go awry, and it makes her search for happiness seem very relatable. It also provides encouragement to try new things and just discover where events will take you. While some parts of the book could seem repetitive as she had multiple experiments in the book, I think overall there was still humor to be found in each section. Some of the experiments were more hilarious than others. And some were more relatable which made them more interesting to me, but I still think despite a few spots where it lagged for me it was a fun book. If you are looking for a completely serious approach to a search for happiness this book is not for you. If you like honestly with a lot of humor, than give this book a try.
    • 4/5
      The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone is an intriguing book. In the era of self improvement or self indulgence the subject of happiness is front and center. With no shortage of books on the subject this book takes a slight twist. A key factor contributing to happiness is laughter so who better to write on the subject than a comedian. Poundstone a well known comic and regular on NPR takes on the subject by tracking it head on. Her wry humor and wick wit is humorous and entertaining. Some parts are laugh out loud funny. Her role as a human guinea pig may be more entertaining than scientific. If you like books on the subject then give this one a read.
    • 3/5
      A middling review for what I found to be a middling book.There was humor..of a sort. I thought I like the set up of each chapter, but it started to get too repetitive. Also, for someone that had, let's say "issues" with her kids in the past, maybe some of the jokes she made concerning her kids (and one in particular) were maybe not such a great idea. For people that like this sort of book or her humor in general, this is for you.For everyone else, not so much.
    • 4/5
      Paula's book of course doesn't provide any magical secret for how to attain perfect happiness but through her 7 year "study" you learn a lot about Paula, her family, and get plenty of laughs while reading about her shake up her life to get a bit happier. The book is written like a true study with sections such as Analysis, Field Notes, and Qualitative Observation in each chapter which seems to get in the way of the flow at first but soon enough I didn't really notice them.Paula is funny and real and lives a pretty regular life so what she learns will apply to most people. At the very least you'll laugh. One keen observation from the book: "After you pee like a man, you don't ask for directions." You'll have to read the book to understand that. :)I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed Paula Poundstone's extensive and unscientific journey to find happiness. I laughed aloud several times and was impressed with the author's ability to weave her "experiments" together with stories from her past.
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the book. While not something I would read again or likely recommend to others, I did laugh aloud a few times, and even shed tears once. In contrast to that, I cringed numerous times, hoping that the animal hoarding and seeming neglect, along with what I viewed as highly disfunctional family interactions and questionable living conditions, were merely comedic exaggerations.Some of the chapters, as expected, were better than others. It was a mix of very short experiments and much longer ones (hours v. weeks or months). I was confused, until I read some reviews, about the passage of time. Apparently several years ago by, but that isn't clearly laid out in the telling. In one chapter, her kid is ___ years old, and in the next, she is in college. The jump distracted and confused me. I also felt that I had missed reading a book prior to this one or something because I didn't quite grasp the family dynamics - were these troubled foster kids? Natual born kids? Adopted kids? Why did the boy have so much trouble in school? Why did the girl with physical handicaps lie all the time? Why were the schools ridiculously bad? I felt I needed to understand in order to know why the author did or said things in reaction to her kids. My favorite chapter was the nursing home chapter. It seemed the most real and heartfelt. Having recently worked in a nursing facility, I could resonate with her observations and experiences, and agree with how uplifting it can be to give these people even the smallest kindness. My least favorite chapter was the few hours she spent brushing her cats and complaining about how greasy they were (or fearful, or bullied, or obviously in need of more space and veterinary care). Some of the other chapters were too cliche or out-dated (meditation, internet, affirmations).[I received this book free from the publisher, courtsy of LibraryThing Early Reviewers, in exchange for my opinion.]
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.I laughed out loud, and pretty hard, before I was done reading the first page of this book. I figured that would bode well for the rest of it. Sometimes, things don't turn out like we expect.This could arguably be suggested as the overarching theme of Paula Poundstone's The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.Essentially a memoir, Poundstone brings her distinctive voice - and after so many years of listening to her on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me I was literally hearing her voice in my head as I was reading - to a process revealed in a series of vignettes offering a view into the nooks and crannies of her life.I found the use of device in formatting each chapter as though it was a science experiment rather charming. Unlike some attempts to frame a narrative in a clever package, she maintains consistency in her progression through the phases of each "study"There is an intimate quality to her voice and an almost confiding air in her style. We learn about the chaos that surrounds her as well as the things she tries to bring some things to order. She is self-deprecating, honest, and as expected, funny.While this book wasn't the gut-buster I was sort of hoping for, it was a worthy and entertaining read. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      How do you figure out what the secret to happiness is? Paula Poundstone asked that same question, and this book is her journey to figuring it out.When I got this book, I imagined this more as a series of funny essays as Poundstone tries to figure out the things that make her happy in life. Instead, this read more as a semi-sarcastic memoir about her and her family as she searches for the things in life that make her happy. Rent a fancy Lamborghini for a day? Yes. Take some dance classes? Yes. Start hugging people. Yes. But through it all, there were instances of complaining, especially with regards to her kids and her kids' schools. Seeing as she's a comedian, I tried to shrug some of these complaints off as her way of trying to see humor in a situation, but ultimately a lot of it just came off as simply ungratefulness for the things that her teachers do. Ultimately, I found myself just trying to get through the book to see what her final conclusion was. And of course, nothing new: Do things in life that make you happy.Read this if you're a fan of Paula Poundstone the comedian and don't get offended when she talks about how much her schools and teachers suck.
    • 3/5
      While I think this book had some good parts that were in fact funny I found a little of this book to be disheartening. I can't pin point oh this specific chapter was it or this style of writing but it just came off like it was forced. I like the ideas of the experiments and how they all didn't bring happiness as I think that would have totally thrown me off which gave it a more realistic approach as I could see myself doing some of these things and having similar results if I did them with my own happiness. If you are a fan of Paula then you will, for a good part, enjoy this book it definitely has her signature sense of humor wit in it which is what attracted me to the book in the first place. At least worth the library rental if on the fence about it.
    • 4/5
      There may be no quirkier comic out there than Paula Poundstone. She has a delivery and an act that is more dependent on the audience than it is the planned content. Not that her planned act is not good (mayhaps great). But she is at her best when reacting.That may be why translation of her style into a book is such a struggle. In her first endeavor, “There’s Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say”, she solved this problem by using her various psychological issues (OCD, ADD, etc.…I think those are the right ones) rather than fighting them. She would start with a historical figure and, next thing we all knew, she was talking about life – hers, ours, and everything in between.It worked.For this book, she uses a similarly artificial device. (Not artificial in a bad way, just a trick to frame the conversation.) Each chapter is divided into ways she tries to achieve happiness. Exercise, movies, the internet, dancing, driving a fast car – a plethora of expected and unexpected attempts to find how they impact the achievement of happiness.Of course, calling these “experiments” is a bit much. I’m not saying she didn’t do these things (and, in some instances, she obviously tried the specifically for the book). However, just as with the previous book, it is all a construct for talking about life.The problem is that this approach does not work as well as that used in the first book. Now, before anyone gets all “how could you?!” all over me (or starts raining me with praise for finally catching on – Poundstone is not everyone’s cup of tea), this isn’t saying the book is bad. It’s just that the first one set what may well be impossibly high and possibly unreachable standards.I didn’t find myself having as many laugh out loud moments. And, although both books have an intense autobiographically aspect to them, at times this one did not work as well as the prior one.Picking on a book for being too true to the subject (as I may have just done) is insane. And I only bring it up to point out the differences between this and the previous book.Let me clarify. This book is funny. It is an interesting premise. And the “experiments” lead to some interesting revelations about Poundstone and about us. And it is fun to read. And it is funny.All that being said, if you are not a fan of Paula Poundstone, this book will not make you one. However, if you are not a fan, you probably have no business thinking you can just join in on the party, because she will always be what she is – one of the funniest comics we have, and one who will always provide an interesting spin on any topic. And, if you are not a fan, then don’t clog our airways. And for those of us who understand and appreciate her genius, in spite of anything I may have just said that came off too negative, this book gives all of us another opportunity to join in the fun any time we want.
    • 2/5
      I received a free copy of Paula Poundstone's "The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness" through LT's Early Reviewers program. I requested it because I generally find Poundstone to be one of the funnier personalities on "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me."There were definitely some funny bits in the book, but that is tempered by the fact I absolutely detested the way Poundstone talked about her children -- especially her oldest daughter who seems to be particularly singled out. I hope that these stories are embellished for dramatic effect and that her daughter doesn't mind all this information about herself listed in a book.
    • 4/5
      I love Paula Poundstone. I have seen her in person (at the Aladding theater in Portland, Oregon), I love listening to her on NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me show, and I really enjoyed reading this book! In it, she describes various things she does to try to find happiness. She tries to get fit. She tries backpacking with her daughter. She tries getting connected on the computer. She tries driving a fancy car. She tries volunteering. I really appreciate how honest she was. Many of things did not provide much happiness at all, and other things provide a lot of happiness. Some of the things provided momentary happiness, and other things gave her longer lasting happiness.One of my favorite things is how she uses her cats to describe the amounts of happiness she finds or doesn't find - heps and balous. I'm going to pay attention to how many heps and balous of happiness I find in my own life.
    • 4/5
      I have long been a fan of Paula Poundstone’s standup comedy, and her often hilarious, but sometimes truly bizarre insights on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. I was wary of this book, as I find that what I love most about standup comedians is completely lost when reading their words off the sterile page. But the set up of this book was appealing and easy to read. And, of course, it’s full of Poundstone’s self-deprecating humor. Poundstone applies the scientific method to various ways by which we might find happiness, and attempts to mathematically calculate how much happiness each provides. Each, predictably, comes with its pros and cons. Her ultimate conclusion is one the reader could probably have come up with before turning the first page, but it’s worth acknowledging and repeating: “Get some exercise. Go dancing. Avoid letting stuff pile up. Remember, you likely only wear 20 percent of what’s in your closet. Don’t hold on to what you don’t need. Be kind to one another. Go for a walk in the woods. Don’t bring food in your tent. Once or twice in your life, watching an I Love Lucy episode is even better than sleep. Never use an email when you could give a hug or a handshake. Put your stupid Smartphone down, and keep your cat census in the single digits.”
    • 4/5
      I love hearing Paula Poundstone on Wait Wait, so I was really excited to get this book through Early Reviewers. And I think that hearing her voice and attitude reading the story in my head was what made me really enjoy it. So to be honest, if you don't know her style, it might be more difficult to get into the book. I had a hard time getting used to the format at first - I thought it was going to be strictly about the experiments, but it was more about her life as the experiments affected her attitude - but once I did get used to it, I enjoyed it. It's a fast and funny read, and I definitely had several occasions in which I read particularly hilarious lines out loud to whoever was near me at the time. Overall, it's a funny human guinea pig type of book.
    • 4/5
      I LOVE Paula Poundstone and rushed to buy this book, but it turns out to be a whole lot more complicated -- and a bit less funny -- than her stand up routines. Her premise gives her a strong start, and she is shatteringly funny about some of the things we do to try to find happiness. But there is also a lot of sorrow and trouble in this book, kind of like in life. Not what I expected, but still a very good read , and sometimes a moving one.
    • 4/5
      The Totally Unscientific Study of The Search for Human HappinessPaula Poundstone is a comedienne, and luckily, it shows. Come along with her on her fun and witty trip on how to achieve happiness. You will enjoy the journey, and laugh as loudly as I did. In particular, her ‘get organized and exercise’ chapters are a hilarious exercise in self-recognition. She also makes very wise suggestions about helping seniors in a nursing home, something that brings as much happiness as it gives. Her best advice is ‘never use e-mail when you can give the person a hug.’Sunie Levin, authorMake New Friends, Live Longer
    • 2/5
      I have always enjoyed Paula Poundstone's comedy whenever I've had the opportunity to hear her, so I was thrilled to get a copy of her new book, The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness, from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. The book details her attempts to try various projects to see which, if any, would increase her feelings of happiness. Each chapter takes a look at one of the things she tried. The book starts with the "Get Fit Experiment" where she signs up for taekwondo classes. Other things she tries include getting organized, driving a sports car, giving to others (through plasma donation and volunteering at a nursing home) and mediation (among others). Each experiment is written up in a manner to appear somewhat scientific with a Hypothesis, list of Equipment, the Procedure and various Qualitative Observations, Constants, Field Notes and some Analysis of the project's ability to increase happiness.While I expected the book to be funny, and it certainly had lots of humorous observations, I was unprepared for the many sad, alarming and depressing details the author shared about her own life. In addition to being somewhat dysfunctional herself (she claims to suffer from depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and alcoholism), she wrote quite a bit about how much she struggles financially, yet she has 16 cats (in the house!) several dogs, a rabbit, a lizard and a bunny. She also adopted 3 children, only one of whom seems to treat her with anything but contempt. Her son, she claims, has a "computer/video game" addiction, to the point that she sent him to an electronics-free school in Virginia, but she never really provided any proof of this other than to say he always wanted to use her computer. She also states, time and time again, that her children "have never watched television" although they have a TV and watch movies. So movies=good, but TV=bad . . . not sure what the justification for that was, either.So while I enjoyed the occasional humorous observation, I was mostly left dismayed about the holes in her shoes, her lazy, deceitful children, her ramshackle house covered in "cat pee and vomit" and the fact that she doesn't even have a bed but sleeps on a sheet on the floor that she folds up every morning when she gets up. Instead of being a funny or inspiring book (which I was expecting), I read about a woman who was struggling to keep it together in the face of non-stop chaos (OK, some of it self-inflicted . . . I mean I'm a cat lover, but I stop at three). I can't really say I enjoyed the book. All of the blurbs on the front and back of the book are from various celebrities talking about how funny it was. I'm not sure they read the finished copy.I received a copy of this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for this review
    • 4/5
      Sometimes being open about your faults combined with being funny can come off as self-deprecating, but I think Paula keeps a nice balance. The experiments are varied and honest. My favorite part is that she tried to find happiness in real life. She didn't totally uproot herself to the top of a Tibetan mountain or go into hiding...she tried to institute small happiness inducing changes will taking the kids to school and scooping kitty litter and traveling for work. Definitely worth the read and the summation is spot on.