Book SummarySolve for Happy, by Mo Gawdat

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Solve for Happy

Everyone wants to be happy, but the modern world is rife with obstacles to happiness. Many people view happiness as an elusive goal that lies perpetually out of reach. However, Mo Gawdat argues that we can be consistently happy if we bring our expectations and perceptions of our lives into alignment. In Solve for Happy, he outlines an algorithm to do so.

As a former engineer and Chief Business Officer at Google X, Gawdat...

Solve for Happy Summary Preliminary Assumptions About Happiness

Before we proceed to the algorithm itself, let’s discuss the key assumptions that shape it.

First, Gawdat asserts that happiness is our default state. To support this assertion, he points out that infants and toddlers are naturally happy as long as their basic needs are met.

(Shortform note: In The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris claims that, on the contrary, happiness isn’t our default state. Rather, he argues that our brains evolved to be vigilant, which makes us unhappy because we’re constantly scanning for survival threats. Consequently, Harris finds it counterproductive to think that happiness is our default state, since it leads to misguided expectations of happiness.)

Consequently, we’re only unhappy when abnormal reasons make us unhappy. In particular, Gawdat argues that many people are unhappy because they’re mistakenly convinced that material success is necessary for happiness. Thus, they become unhappy chasing a goal that doesn’t lead to happiness.

(Shortform note: In _[The Road to...

Solve for Happy Summary Remove Misconceptions

First, we’ll discuss Gawdat’s claim that six misconceptions—he calls them “illusions”—cause suffering and prevent us from becoming happy.

Misconception 1: Our Inner Voice Is Our Self

The first misconception concerns the voice in our head, which questions our decisions, complains about our circumstances, and judges those around us. Because it’s our constant companion, we’re inclined to identify with this voice. However, Gawdat argues that we aren’t identical to the voice in our head.

To make this argument, he first observes that to perceive something, we must be outside of it. For example, to perceive the Empire State building, we can’t be inside it. So, because we can perceive the voice in our head, we must be outside of that voice; it can’t be equivalent to us.

Distance Yourself From Your Thoughts

In The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris similarly suggests that our thoughts are simply stories our brain tells us to help us survive—they aren’t identical to us. Accordingly, he recommends “defusion,” where we distance ourselves from our...

Solve for Happy Summary Fix Weaknesses

After dispelling the misconception that cause us to suffer, Gawdat focuses on seven weaknesses (or “blind spots, as he calls them) that cause us to be unhappy.

Because our brain evolved to help us survive, it errs on the side of caution and constantly expects threats. Consequently, it’s predisposed to overlook positive information and instead focus on possible threats. This predisposition leads to weaknesses toward positive information, which negatively shape our perception and expectations.

Weakness 1: Filters

Our first weakness stems from the overwhelming amount of information available to our brains. At any given moment, we’re inundated with sensory stimuli like sounds, tastes, scents, and colors. Most of this information is irrelevant to making decisions, so our brains filter it out and only process the relevant information.

(Shortform note: A part of the brain called the thalamus plays a key role in this filtering. As information travels from sensory neurons to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for high-level processes like learning and decision-making, it passes through the thalamus. To facilitate this journey, there are reciprocal connections between...

Solve for Happy Summary Embrace Pillars to Become Happy

Finally, Gawdat suggests that for happiness to endure, we must embrace five pillars, which he calls “ultimate truths.” These five pillars lead to joy—an unwavering state of happiness.

Pillar 1: The Importance of Awareness

Gawdat’s first pillar dovetails with his previous discussion on the misconception of time, where he argued that only the present moment exists. Accordingly, his first pillar states that to be happy, you must spend time fully aware of the present moment. In particular, cultivate presence to reach awareness.

(Shortform note: In essence, this pillar amounts to an endorsement of mindfulness, the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment. Research has vindicated the effectiveness of mindfulness and demonstrated that increased mindfulness is linked to improved self-reported well-being and decreased anxiety and depression.)

Presence is when we’re aware of our surroundings and fully grasp the world. Because we’re inundated with distractions, however, Gawdat...

Shortform Exercise: Dispel Your Misconceptions

Gawdat’s algorithm for happiness dispels six misconceptions that cause us to suffer. In this exercise, practice recognizing two related misconceptions—control and fear—in past and present experiences.

Describe a current or recent situation where you realized that part of the situation was out of your control. How did you react to this realization?