Life in Three Dimensions

'New insights into the many ways to live well' Jonathan Haidt 'Shigehiro Oishi [has] discovered a neglected third dimension of the good life ... lively and insightful' Adam Grant A groundbreaking new understanding of happiness to help us build a fuller, more authentic life. We all want a good life. But do the simple, predictable pleasures we call happiness lead to complacency and regret? Does a life of purpose invite narrow or misplaced loyalties? Now, one of our foremost psychologists Shigehiro Oishi proposes a new way to live. Psychological richness is a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration and a variety of experiences. These can be as simple as taking a walk, or as complex as moving to a new country, causing a shift in perspective that helps us grow. Weaving his own story with those of people like Steve Jobs, Oliver Sacks and Alison Gopnik, and original research from fields ranging from moral philosophy, literature, culture, neuroscience, personality and psychology, Oishi shows how to deepen and better our existence through psychological richness. 'A delightful guide to the importance of filling your days with more curiosity, exploration and richness' Laurie Santos

'New insights into the many ways to live well' Jonathan Haidt 'Shigehiro Oishi [has] discovered a neglected third dimension of the good life ... lively and insightful' Adam Grant A groundbreaking new understanding of happiness to help us build a fuller, more authentic life. We all want a good life. But do the simple, predictable pleasures we call happiness lead to complacency and regret? Does a life of purpose invite narrow or misplaced loyalties? Now, one of our foremost psychologists Shigehiro Oishi proposes a new way to live. Psychological richness is a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration and a variety of experiences. These can be as simple as taking a walk, or as complex as moving to a new country, causing a shift in perspective that helps us grow. Weaving his own story with those of people like Steve Jobs, Oliver Sacks and Alison Gopnik, and original research from fields ranging from moral philosophy, literature, culture, neuroscience, personality and psychology, Oishi shows how to deepen and better our existence through psychological richness. 'A delightful guide to the importance of filling your days with more curiosity, exploration and richness' Laurie Santos

A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST-READ BOOK - From one of our foremost psychologists, a trailblazing book that turns the idea of a good life on its head and urges us to embrace the transformative power of variety and experience For many people, a good life is a stable life, a comfortable life that follows a well-trodden path. This is the case for Shigehiro Oishi's father, who has lived in a small mountain town in Japan for his entire life, putting his family's needs above his own, like his father and grandfather before him. But is a happy life, or even a meaningful life, the only path to a good life? In Life in Three Dimensions , Shige Oishi enters into a debate that has animated psychology since 1984, when Ed Diener (Oishi's mentor) published a paper that launched happiness studies. A rival followed in 1989 with a model of a good life that focused on purpose and meaning instead. In recent years, Shige Oishi's award-winning work has proposed a third dimension to a good life: psychological richness , a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration, and a variety of experiences that help us grow as people. Life in Three Dimensions explores the shortcomings of happiness and meaning as guides to a good life, pointing to complacency and regret as a "happiness trap" and narrowness and misplaced loyalty as a "meaning trap." Psychological richness, Oishi proposes, balances the other two, offering insight and growth spurred by embracing uncertainty and challenges. In a lively style, drawing on a generation of psychological studies and on examples from famous people, books and film, Oishi introduces a new path to a fuller, more satisfying life with fewer regrets.

A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB MUST-READ BOOK - From one of our foremost psychologists, a trailblazing book that turns the idea of a good life on its head and urges us to embrace the transformative power of variety and experience For many people, a good life is a stable life, a comfortable life that follows a well-trodden path. This is the case for Shigehiro Oishi's father, who has lived in a small mountain town in Japan for his entire life, putting his family's needs above his own, like his father and grandfather before him. But is a happy life, or even a meaningful life, the only path to a good life? In Life in Three Dimensions , Shige Oishi enters into a debate that has animated psychology since 1984, when Ed Diener (Oishi's mentor) published a paper that launched happiness studies. A rival followed in 1989 with a model of a good life that focused on purpose and meaning instead. In recent years, Shige Oishi's award-winning work has proposed a third dimension to a good life: psychological richness , a concept that prioritizes curiosity, exploration, and a variety of experiences that help us grow as people. Life in Three Dimensions explores the shortcomings of happiness and meaning as guides to a good life, pointing to complacency and regret as a "happiness trap" and narrowness and misplaced loyalty as a "meaning trap." Psychological richness, Oishi proposes, balances the other two, offering insight and growth spurred by embracing uncertainty and challenges. In a lively style, drawing on a generation of psychological studies and on examples from famous people, books and film, Oishi introduces a new path to a fuller, more satisfying life with fewer regrets.