The Giving Way to Happiness Lib/E: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving

We often focus on how our gifts can help those in need. But the act of giving actually improves our own lives as well. In The Giving Way to Happiness, Jenny Santi overturns conventional thinking about what it takes to be happy by revealing how giving to others--whether in the form of money, expertise, time, or love--has helped people from all walks of life find purpose and joy. Drawing on the wisdom of great thinkers past and present, as well as cutting-edge scientific research, Santi makes an eloquent and passionate case that oftentimes the answers to the problems that haunt us, and the key to the happiness that eludes us, lie in helping those around us. This book is filled with inspiring stories told firsthand by Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn, Noble Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, supermodel Christy Turlington Burns, Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp, philanthropist Richard Rockefeller, environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, activist Ric O'Barry, bestselling author Isabel Allende, ALS survivor Augie Nieto, and many others from all over the world. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they have all found unexpected happiness and fulfillment through giving. This book tells us not just how they changed the world but also how their acts changed their very own lives. In addition, Santi reveals: - How altruism involves far more than suppressing basic selfish urges. Rather, we are wired to give, as it activates the same pleasure centers of the brain stimulated by food, sex, and drugs - How helping others--whether by walking a friend through a struggle that you've also experienced or by supporting a cause to honor a loved one's memory--can be a healthy way to deal with adversity and process grief - The unexpected reasons why those who "gave it all up" to make a difference, and who face the direst situations, are nevertheless some of the happiest, most fulfilled, and least angst-ridden people you'll ever meet. - Practical, universally applicable lessons on what kind of giving makes people happy and what doesn't. How do you discover giving that is unique to you and makes you feel good? In this inspiring audiobook, Santi turns conventional wisdom upside down about what it takes to be happy and reveals the surprising reasons that have led so many people to live lives full of meaning, purpose and happiness

About the Author :
Jenny Santi was born and raised in Manila in the Philippines; has lived in London, the French Loire Valley, and Singapore; and now lives in New York. Santi is a philanthropy advisor to some of the world's most generous philanthropists and celebrity activists. For five years, beginning when she was only twenty-eight, Santi was the head of Philanthropy Services (Southeast Asia) for the world's largest wealth manager. She holds an MBA from INSEAD, went to the Wharton School as an exchange student, and attended New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. Deepak Chopra, M.D. is acknowledged as a world leader in establishing a new life-giving paradigm that has revolutionized common wisdom about the crucial connection between mind, body, spirit, and healing. He is the author of nineteen books and more than thirty audio, video, and CD-ROM programs. He has been published on six continents and in dozens of languages. Nearly ten million copies of his books have been sold in the English language alone. Karen Saltus has narrated television and radio commercials, audiobooks, textbooks, multimedia, film, and voice prompts for interactive telephone applications. She began her career thirty years ago at a radio station in Portland, Maine. She later became a creative director for a station in Massachussetts. In 1994 she became a full-time freelance voice-over talent.

Review :
"The Giving Way to Happiness is full of interesting insights from big-ticket philanthropists and prominent personalities, but it is also about something bigger: how we can all find happiness through helping others. If done right, giving may well be the greatest gift you can give yourself." -- "Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author" "This thoughtful look at philanthropy honestly examines the self-interest often involved in it and suggests that a self-focused approach to giving may in fact be entirely appropriate." -- "Publishers Weekly" "Well done! A wonderful and timely contribution." -- "Christy Turlington Burns, founder of Every Mother Counts"