Stumbling on Happiness

Stumbling on Happiness is a book of non-fiction by Daniel Gilbert. It was published in the US and Canada in 2006 by Knopf, and has been translated into 20 languages. It is a New York Times bestseller.

Gilbert's primary thesis is that it is very difficult for a person to predict what will make him or her happy in the future. He discusses the psychological barriers to being aware of feelings and desires, honestly evaluating alternatives, and accurately predicting the future.

The advice Gilbert offers is to use other people's experience and opinions. It is surprising how similar are people in much of their experiences, he says. he does not expect too many people to heed this advice, and our culture, accompanied by various thinking tendencies, is against this method of decision making.