JONATHAN RAUCH, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, is the author of several books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. A recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, he's a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He has also written for The New Republic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among many other publications. He lives with his husband in Washington, DC.
"Rauch fills his book with reassuring research on why a midlife
malaise is normal, as well as some sound lessons on how to
cultivate happiness in general. With strong family relationships, a
trust-filled community, and supportive friends, anyone should be
able to ride out even their darkest years." -Wall Street
Journal"Journalist Rauch (Political Realism) argues for a
"happiness curve" to life--a common, U-shaped path from youthful
idealism, through middle-aged disappointment, to eventual
happiness--in this inspired take on midlife crises. They [readers]
will also take comfort from Rauch's personal investment in the
subject--he has moved through the bottom of his own happiness curve
and concludes his heartening self-help book by writing that it was
'worth the wait.'" -Publishers Weekly"In a youth-obsessed culture,
it may be difficult to convince some that life gets better after
50. But by supplanting dated cliches with compelling scholarship,
Rauch offers a fresh and reassuring vision of aging that supersedes
superficial fixations." -The Washington Post"This uplifting report
offers hope and encouragement for aging readers doubting the
longevity of bliss. Stimulating reading for those seeking
enlightenment and joyfulness throughout middle age."
-Kirkus"Psychologists agree that the midlife crisis is a myth. But
why are so many middle-aged people so dissatisfied with their
lives? Sifting through happiness studies and conducting his own
interviews and surveys, Rauch discovers a pattern... This
thoughtful study is sure to find an audience." -Booklist"A
refreshingly thoughtful, positive view of aging." -AARP"The
Happiness Curve is about a midlife transition that empirical
life-time studies and "big data" have demonstrated to be just as
reliable a finding as was Stanley Hall's ground breaking 1907
definition of "adolescence." In order to demonstrate that our
psychological well-being declines until the fifth decade and then
steadily improves, Rauch not only provides illustrative case
histories--always scientifically suspect if reassuring--but also
reviews authoritative lifespan studies, ranging from primatology to
neurophysiology, from demography to frequency of mood altering
medication use. With maturity, gratitude becomes easier, and
"giving it away" becomes a source of joy, rather than a life
sentence of "letting go." The Happiness Curve should be
essential reading for everybody over 40." --George E. Vaillant
MD, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, director of
the Grant Study of Adult Development, and author of Triumphs of
Experience."The Happiness Curve delivers on the promise of
its title, with wise insights and practices to help you become the
best you can be. Leave the midlife slump. Enter into an encore
adulthood of powerful purpose." --Richard Leider, international
bestselling author of The Power of Purpose, Repacking
Your Bags, and Life Reimagined
"When I was 40, I used to think that life begins at 40. How na ve I
was in my callow youth! It's 50, of course--no, make that 60. In
this warm, wise, and witty overview, Jonathan Rauch combines
evidence and experience to show his fellow adults that the best is
yet to come." --Steven Pinker, bestselling author of
Enlightenment Now and The Blank Slate
"Do you wish to understand the arc of your life? And why you are
likely to end up happier than you are right now? If so, The
Happiness Curve is the place to start. And I write this as someone
who can vouch that the upper part of the happiness life curve is
very glorious indeed." --Tyler Cowen, New York Times bestselling
author of The Complacent Class and The Great
Stagnation"It's a great paradox of happiness: The decades when we
experience our greatest worldly success are also when our happiness
craters. Why are middle-aged people so miserable? Jonathan Rauch
tackles the question in this helpful, rigorous, and fun book. The
Happiness Curve will make readers smarter - and perhaps even a
little more joyful." --Arthur Brooks, President, American
Enterprise Institute"Jonathan Rauch has taken the midlife crisis
and transformed it into the kinder, gentler happiness curve. He
pierces the old, cliche-ridden landscape of broken marriages and
red sports cars, and replaces it with a new and rich understanding
of the natural lifecycle. The Happiness Curve is a helpful
travel guide through the middle and later years that will be passed
from one generation to another with the reassuring message: "it
gets better." --Ellen Goodman"Anyone between age 35 and 70 must
read this book. Armed with scientific rigor, compelling stories,
and winsome self-revelation, Jonathan Rauch reveals the mystery of
midlife." --Barbara Bradley Hagerty, New York Times
bestselling author of Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and
Opportunity of Midlife
"Rauch contrasts the happiness people experience in midlife with
the happiness they expect, making an important scientific finding
come to life with urgency and passion. Beautifully written and a
must-read for those who are interested in the science of happiness
and for anyone approaching the age of forty." --Martin Binder,
Professor of Economics, Bard College Berlin"What makes midlife so
difficult for so many? Being human, as this illuminating and
beautifully reasoned book explains. If it's hard to believe that
happiness increases with age, Jonathan Rauch suggests, just wait.
Or read this book." --Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair
Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism"This brilliant book is chock
full of unexpected findings, revelatory insights, and consoling
wisdom about aging, happiness, and the stages of life. I would say
that everyone in his or her forties should read it--it will be a
soothing balm for those in the dark wood of middle age--but that's
too limiting: really, every thinking adult should read this
stimulating intellectual adventure story, which is also a genuinely
helpful guidebook to life."
--Scott Stossel, author of My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread,
and the Search for Peace of Mind and editor of The
Atlantic"This is a book destined to be passed hand to hand as a
balm for the travails of midlife. Required reading for anyone
between the ages of 35 and 55 who wants to avoid needless
suffering." --Miles Kimball, professor of economics at
University of Colorado Boulder
"Rauch's elegantly lucid and nuanced book, which smoothly
summarizes the work of dozens of economists, scientists and
psychologists, begins by examining the work of "happiness
economists," who use "big data" to trace the arc of happiness.
Filtering out variables such as health, wealth and marital status,
they found a consistent U-shaped pattern." --The Columbus
Dispatch
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