Daniel Gilbert’s book combines psychological research, neuroscience, philosophy, and behavioral economics to show us what scientists have determined about our one of a kind capabilities to look into the future and anticipate how we will feel about our lives when we get there. He answers questions such as:

1. “Why are lovers quicker to forgive their partners for infidelity than for leaving dirty dishes in the sink”?

2. “Why will sighted people pay more to avoid going blind than blind people will pay to regain their sight”?

3. “Why do dining companions insist on ordering different meals instead of getting what they really want”?

4. “Why do pigeons seem to have such excellent aim; why can’t we remember one song while listening to another; and why does the line at the grocery store always slow down the moment we join it”?

Jonathan Haidt merges philosophy and science in his skillfully executed book: The Happiness Hypothesis. He gives us insight on examples such as why we find it so challenging to control ourselves and follow our goals and plans; why no accomplishment can produce permanent happiness in us, but just a few changes in our lives can have significant results, and why even atheists can reach spiritual elevation. In a beautifully written final chapter, Haidt contemplates one of the biggest questions there is: "How can I live a meaningful life?," providing us with an original answer that draws on both philosophy and science.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's experiments of "optimal experience" have proved that what makes an experience truly pleasureful is a specific state of consciousness: flow. During flow, people generally feel genuine happiness, creativity, and a complete engagement with life. In this new edition of his book, Csikszentmihalyi shows the manners in which flow can be controlled. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches us how, by organizing the information that enters our consciousness, we can find real happiness, discover our potential, and improve the quality of our lives in a more significant way.

John C. Bogle—founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group and creator of the first index mutual fund—has helped investors to accumulate wealth the right way. Bogle spearheaded a steadfast campaign to restore common sense to the investment world. He has seen how toxic an obsession with gaining capital can be. Bogle writes about this incessant need and greed for more in Enough and puts it into perspective with what is truly important.

Martin Seligman writes Flourish to establish his new ideation of what well-being truly is. Traditionally, the aim of psychology has always been to decrease human suffering, but the goal of the Positive Psychology movement, which Dr. Seligman has led for fifteen years, is different—it’s about raising the bar for us all.

Flourish takes an in-depth look on Dr. Seligman’s work focusing on issues like optimism, motivation, and character to show how to get the most out of life. Seligman reveals a new theory of what makes life good. He shows us exactly what the Positive Psychology movement is in Flourish.

Traditionally, we have concentrated on the individualized aspects of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But, with our ever-changing world, and our increasinging understanding of the fact simplified notions such as these are never responsible for explaining the full picture, we realize success is more and more reliant on how we engage with others. In Give and Take, Adam Grant examines the factors, focusing in on our interactions with others, that allow some people to climb the ladder of success and the factors that lead others to stay down at the bottom.

The decisions we make are influenced by a plethora of biases and irrationalities. We’re overconfident. We search for information that supports our beliefs and disregard information that doesn’t. We can become disoriented by short-term emotions. There are so many different factors that get in the way of us making rational decisions. So, how can we do better?

In Decisive, the Heaths tell us about a new, four-step process created to counteract the biases we hold.