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Reason to be Happy review: Can thinking logically make us happier?

Leading economist Kaushik Basu's new book argues that we can increase our overall happiness by thinking more clearly

By Chris Stokel-Walker

31 January 2024

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Rather than getting angry, we would do better to think logically about how to expend our energy

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Reason to be Happy
Kaushik Basu (Torva)

I NEED to admit something: at times, I am an angry man.

Perhaps “angry” isn’t the right word – “frustrated” is closer. The sluggishness and inefficiencies of others can spark frustration whether I am at airport security, in the supermarket or on the road. That emotion manifests as a roll of the eye or a rueful comment to myself as I wonder why people make the decisions they do, and I get frustrated when their inefficiencies affect me.…

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