The World's Best Book Summaries
Why do we long for love or seek out a soulmate? Is longing for love healthy? In her book Bittersweet, Susan Cain explores the complexities of our desire for love and connection. While some argue that longing for an ideal love is natural and sacred, others warn that seeking a perfect partner can prevent us from finding true happiness. Read on to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of longing for love, according to Cain.
Does your marriage leave you with unmet expectations? What sacrifices should marriage require? David Brooks compares two approaches to life and, thus, marriage. The first approach is characteristic of individualism, which prioritizes personal liberty and spurns commitment. The second approach is characteristic of relationalism, which celebrates community and prizes commitment. Continue reading to learn about two views of marriage based on these two approaches to life.
What’s the purpose of sadness? Why is sadness such an important emotion? Can sadness be beneficial? Sadness is often seen as a negative emotion—something to be avoided or suppressed—but according to best-selling author Susan Cain, it serves a powerful purpose in our lives. In her book Bittersweet, Cain argues that sadness is a prosocial emotion that inspires compassion and empathy for others. Read on to learn what the purpose of sadness is and why it’s so important, according to Cain.
What are empathetic connections? What purpose do they serve? How do we form these connections? According to Susan Cain, empathetic connections are the roots of our humanity, allowing us to feel the pain of others or extend compassion to anyone who needs it. From our evolutionary past to our modern day, empathy has played a critical role in strengthening our social ties. Read on to learn about empathetic connections, including how and why we form these bonds.
Want to learn how to be more compassionate? What strategies should you practice? According to Susan Cain’s book Bittersweet, learning about the power of sadness is a great way to strengthen your sense of compassion. If you want to learn how to be more compassionate, she suggests practical strategies like cultivating humility or increasing self-compassion. Read on to learn how to be more compassionate, according to Cain’s three strategies.
How can you mitigate the risk of divorce? What personality traits should you look for? How many different types of love do you need? David Brooks takes the relationalist approach to life. In The Second Mountain, he outlines the four commitments that are crucial to relationalism. One of these is marriage, and he shares his criteria for deciding whether to marry someone. Read more to learn Brooks’s advice for how to find the right partner for marriage.
What role does blame play in a marriage? How can you get through the tough times? When should you “recommit”? David Brooks argues that you should embrace relationalism—the worldview that prioritizes selflessness and service to others—to lead a deeply fulfilling life. That includes enjoying a satisfying marriage. In The Second Mountain, he offers recommendations for how to have a successful marriage. Read on to learn how to keep a marriage commitment strong, based on the relationalist approach to life.
Why is emotional safety a human need? How do people achieve emotional safety? Based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman created a new hierarchy of needs in his book Transcend. According to him, neuroscience and psychological research reveal that we all have security needs, and he notes that emotional safety is one of them. Read on to learn why emotional safety is so important to humans, according to Kaufman.
What is a self-protective attitude? How do we act when we’re too self-protective? What are the risks? In his book Transcend, Scott Barry Kaufman explains what happens when we go too far to protect our egos and self-esteem. According to him, we can develop a self-protective attitude because self-esteem is so important to our psyches, demonstrating unhealthy behaviors to protect our opinions of ourselves. Keep reading to learn about self-protective attitudes and how they can lead to unhealthy behaviors.
How committed are you to your neighbors? Your work? How can commitments see us through tough times? In The Second Mountain, David Brooks endorses the relationalist worldview, arguing that it’s more satisfying that its counterpart (individualism). He outlines the four commitments in life that he believes are crucial to relationalism—your vocation, marriage, community, and belief system. Read on to learn about the four commitments that constitute relationalist living.