The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary

Catherine Gray, Catherine Gray

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Paperback

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QTY:

English

Aster
09 April 2024

Coping with personal problems; Popular psychology; Lifetyle & personal style guides

Series: The Unexpected Joy Of

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*FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
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'Life-affirming' - THE TELEGRAPH

'Wonderful' - INDEPENDENT

'She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled' - RADIO 4 - WOMAN'S HOUR

'Take a leaf out of Gray's book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is' - IRISH TIMES

'This book came to me in an hour of need - during lockdown when I had to focus on the positive, appreciate simple things, not lose my shit, and value each day. It was a pure joy for me and held my hand' - SADIE FROST

'Interesting and joyful. Lights a path that could help us to build resilience against society's urging to compare life milestones with peers' - LANCET PSYCHIATRY

Underwhelmed by your ordinary existence? Disillusioned with your middlin' wage, average body, 'bijou' living situation and imperfect loved ones? Welcome to the club. There are billions of us. The 'default disenchanted'. But, it's not us being brats. Two deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenons conspire against our satisfaction. We have negatively-biased brains, which zoom like doom-drones in on what's wrong with our day, rather than what's right. (Back in the mists of time, this negative bias saved our skins, but now it just makes us anxious). Also, something called the 'hedonic treadmill' means we eternally quest for better, faster, more, like someone stuck on a dystopian, never-ending treadmill. Thankfully, there are scientifically-proven ways in which we can train our brains to be more positive-seeking. And to take a rest from this tireless pursuit. Whew.

Catherine Gray knits together illuminating science and hilarious storytelling, unveiling captivating research showing that big bucks don't mean big happiness, extraordinary experiences have a 'comedown' and budget weddings predict a lower chance of divorce. She reminds us what an average body actually is, reveals that exercising for weight loss means we do less exercise, and explores the modern tendency to not just try to keep up with the Murphys, but keep up with the Mega-Murphies (see: the social media elite).

Come on in to this soulful and life-affirming read, to discover why an ordinary life may well be the most satisfying one of all.

By: Catherine Gray
Read by: Catherine Gray
Imprint: Aster
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 124mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 260g
ISBN: 9781783256044
ISBN 10: 1783256044
Series: The Unexpected Joy Of
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 09 April 2024
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Catherine Gray is a Sunday Times bestselling author of five books, including The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. She's sold over half a million books in English-speaking territories, her work has been published in the likes of Stylist, Marie Claire, The Lancet Psychiatry and the Guardian, and her books have been translated into nine languages. In 2018, Catherine founded charitable campaign Sober Spring, a three-month sabbatical from alcohol, and she now runs it with Alcohol Change UK, for whom she is an ambassador. She's been sober since 2013. Catherine lives in Hove and when not writing she enjoys falling off a paddleboard, giving her plants names like 'Cassandra' and 'Miguel', and spamming Instagram with pictures of dogs. Instagram.com/unexpectedjoyof Twitter.com/cathgraywrites

Reviews for The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary

Life-affirming. -- THE TELEGRAPH Wonderful. -- INDEPENDENT She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled. -- RADIO 4 - WOMAN'S HOUR Take a leaf out of Gray's book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is. -- IRISH TIMES This book came to me in an hour of need - during lockdown when I had to focus on the positive, appreciate simple things, not lose my shit, and value each day. It was a pure joy for me and held my hand. -- SADIE FROST Interesting and joyful. Lights a path that could help us to build resilience against society's urging to compare life milestones with peers. -- LANCET PSYCHIATRY