Description
Book SynopsisIn this devastatingly witty new book, Carl Cederström traces our present-day conception of happiness from its roots in early-twentieth-century European psychiatry, to the Beat generation, to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. He argues that happiness is now defined by a desire to be "authentic", to experience physical pleasure, and to cultivate a quirky individuality. But over the last fifty years, these once-revolutionary ideas have been co-opted by corporations and advertisers, pushing us to live lives that are increasingly unfulfilling, insecure and narcissistic.
In an age of increasing austerity and social division, Cederström argues that a radical new dream of happiness is gathering pace. There is a vision of the good life which promotes deeper engagement with the world and our place within it, over the individualism and hedonism of previous generations. Guided by this more egalitarian worldview, we can reinvent ourselves and our societies.
Trade Review"Happiness is big business - and big politics - these days. But as Cederstrom shows in this sharp and engaging book, its recent history can be disturbing. Combining humor with a much-needed skepticism, he shows that in a world of happiness, not all is smiles."
—Darrin M. McMahon, author of Happiness: A History
"In this lively and acerbic book, Carl Cederstrom provides a compelling history of how a particular psychoanalytic ideal of happiness sucked us in, promising total fulfillment but ultimately trapping us in a lie."
—Will Davies, Goldsmiths, University of London
"Pleasure was at the heart of the liberation struggles of the 1960s' but has morphed into a new form of ideology and tyranny, fed by the capitalist logic of incessant consumption. The happy self is not only a fantasy, an imperative to fulfill our potential, but also the impulse behind a wide variety of economic enterprises, orgasmic workshops, drugs, therapies, etc. Cedertrom's The Happiness Fantasy is a well-written, lively, and critical study of the fantasy that has wormed inside the core of our culture."
—Eva Illouz, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"A wonderful piece of work."
—Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research
"With compelling clarity, wit and wisdom, Carl Cederström cuts through the disabling illusions ceaselessly promoting the personal pursuit of happiness, offering instead an altogether richer, more compassionate, embrace of life and its vicissitudes."
—Lynne Segal, author of Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy
"wise and witty"
—The Independent
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Birth of the Happiness Fantasy: In Bed with Wilhelm Reich
2 Compulsory Narcissism: Happiness in an Age of Precariousness
3 Happiness Inc.: The Corporate Takeover of the Happiness Fantasy
4 Happiness Drugs: From Space-Age Mysticism to Productivity Enhancement
5 Pleasure: A Distinctly Male Fantasy
Conclusion: Happiness after Trump
Notes
