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America the Anxious
- How Our Pursuit of Happiness Is Creating a Nation of Nervous Wrecks
- Narrated by: Ruth Whippman
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
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Publisher's summary
Are you happy? Right now? Happy enough? As happy as everyone else? Could you be happier if you tried harder?
After she packed up her British worldview (that most things were basically rubbish) and moved to America, journalist and documentary filmmaker Ruth Whippman found herself increasingly perplexed by the American obsession with one topic above all others: happiness. The subject came up everywhere: at the playground swings, at the meat counter in the supermarket, and even - legs in stirrups - at the gynecologist.
The omnipresence of these happiness conversations (trading tips, humble-bragging successes, offering unsolicited advice) wouldn't let her go, and so Ruth did some digging. What she found was a paradox: despite the fact that Americans spend more time and money in search of happiness than any other nation on earth, research shows that the United States is one of the least contented, most anxious countries in the developed world. Stoked by a multi-billion dollar "happiness industrial complex" intent on selling the promise of bliss, America appeared to be driving itself crazy in pursuit of contentment.
So Ruth set out on to get to the bottom of this contradiction, embarking on an uproarious pilgrimage to investigate how this national obsession infiltrates all areas of life, from religion to parenting, the workplace to academia. She attends a controversial self-help course that promises total transformation, where she learns all her problems are all her own fault; visits a "happiness city" in the Nevada desert and explores why it has one of the highest suicide rates in America; delves into the darker truths behind the influential academic "positive psychology movement"; and ventures to Utah to spend time with the Mormons, officially America's happiest people.
What she finds, ultimately, and presents in America the Anxious, is a rigorously researched yet universal answer, and one that comes absolutely free of charge.
Cover design by James Iacobelli.
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- The Freedom of Having an Only Child, and the Joy of Being One
- By: Lauren Sandler
- Narrated by: Lauren Sandler
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Journalist Lauren Sandler is an only child and the mother of one. After investigating what only children are really like and whether stopping at one child is an answer to reconciling motherhood and modernity, she learned a lot about herself - and a lot about our culture's assumptions. In this heartfelt work, Sandler legitimizes a discussion about the larger societal costs of having more than one.
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Data Driven
- By Meghan B on 01-11-22
By: Lauren Sandler
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30 Lessons for Living
- Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans
- By: Karl Pillemer Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 1,000 extraordinary Americans share their stories and the wisdom they have gained on living, loving, and finding happiness. After a chance encounter with an extraordinary 90-year-old woman, renowned gerontologist Karl Pillemer began to wonder what older people know about life that the rest of us don't. His quest led him to interview more than one thousand Americans over the age of 65 to seek their counsel on all the big issues- children, marriage, money, career, aging.
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Solid advice, however memory may bias it
- By Glenn on 10-08-12
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Women Who Think Too Much
- How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life
- By: Susan Nolen-Hoeksema
- Narrated by: Sheryl Bernstein
- Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
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It's not a surprise that our fast-paced, overly analytical culture is pushing people - especially women - to spend countless hours thinking about negative ideas, feelings, and experiences. Renowned psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema calls this "overthinking". Her groundbreaking research shows that an increasing number of women - more than half of those in her extensive study - are doing it too much and too often, hindering their ability to lead a satisfying life.
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Generic tools for overcoming overthinking
- By letlet on 01-09-19
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How to Get Sh*t Done
- Why Women Need to Stop Doing Everything So They Can Achieve Anything
- By: Erin Falconer
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Finally, in the first productivity book by a woman in a decade, Erin Falconer will show you how to do less - a lot less. In fact, How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to offload, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest. In How to Get Sh*t Done she shows how even the most perfectionistic among us can tap in to our inner free spirit and learn to feel like badasses rather than drudges.
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Not What I Expected
- By Justin Jones on 02-05-18
By: Erin Falconer
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Labor of Love
- The Invention of Dating
- By: Moira Weigel
- Narrated by: Kyra Miller
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Weaving together over 100 years of history with scenes from the contemporary landscape, Labor of Love offers a fresh feminist perspective on how we came to date the ways we do. This isn't a guide to "getting the guy". There are no ridiculous "rules" to follow. Instead Weigel helps us understand how looking for love shapes who we are and hopefully leads us closer to the happy ending that dating promises.
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Not Meant To Be Useful, But Quite Fun
- By Gillian on 02-14-17
By: Moira Weigel
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Your Turn
- How to Be an Adult
- By: Julie Lythcott-Haims
- Narrated by: Julie Lythcott-Haims
- Length: 20 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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What does it mean to be an adult? In the 20th century, psychologists came up with five markers of adulthood: finish your education, get a job, leave home, marry, and have children. Since then, every generation has been held to those same markers. Yet so much has changed about the world and living in it since that sequence was formulated. All of those markers are choices, and they’re all valid, but any one person’s choices along those lines do not make them more or less an adult.
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Not the book that was advertised
- By M. Rogers on 04-13-21
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The Secret Lives of Introverts
- Inside Our Hidden World
- By: Jenn Granneman
- Narrated by: Susie Berneis
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Is there a hidden part of you that no one else sees? Do you have a vivid inner world of thoughts and emotions that your peers and loved ones can't seem to access? Have you ever been told you're too quiet, shy, boring, or awkward? Are your habits and comfort zones questioned by a society that doesn't seem to get you? If so, you might be an introvert. On behalf of those who have long been misunderstood, rejected, or ignored, fellow introvert Jenn Granneman writes a compassionate vindication.
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Unnecessary voices
- By Adrienne Warg on 09-13-19
By: Jenn Granneman
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The Attachment Effect
- Exploring the Powerful Ways Our Earliest Bond Shapes Our Relationships and Lives
- By: Peter Lovenheim
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Attachment theory is having a moment. Recently covered in the New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, and elsewhere, it's also the subject of popular relationship guides. Why is this 60-year-old theory, widely accepted in psychological circles, suddenly in vogue? Because people are discovering how powerfully it sheds light on who we love - and how. Fascinated by the subject, award-winning journalist and author Peter Lovenheim went on a years-long journey to understand it from the inside out.
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Failed to Attach
- By Danielle SeCheverell on 07-21-20
By: Peter Lovenheim
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Happily Ever After
- The Life-Changing Power of a Grateful Heart
- By: Trista Sutter
- Narrated by: Trista Sutter
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Whether or not you remember Trista (Rehn) Sutter from her heartbreak on the first season of The Bachelor reality show or as the original Bachelorette, you’ve probably seen her on the cover of magazines like People and US Weekly or on shows like Ellen and Dancing with the Stars. She has rarely been out of the public eye since falling in love with Ryan Sutter on The Bachelorette more than ten years ago.
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Not what I was expecting
- By marcie on 01-09-17
By: Trista Sutter
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Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed
- Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids
- By: Meghan Daum
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller, Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed "fertility crisis" and whether modern women could figure out a way to have it all - a successful, demanding career and the required 2.3 children - before their biological clocks stopped ticking. Now, however, conversation has turned to whether it's necessary to have it all (see Anne-Marie Slaughter) or, perhaps more controversial, whether children are really a requirement for a fulfilling life.
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Am I the only sane childfree woman in here?
- By J. Malouin on 09-29-15
By: Meghan Daum
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Happy Mind, Happy Life
- The New Science of Mental Wellbeing
- By: Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
- Narrated by: Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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During his twenty years as a GP, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, author of the international bestseller Feel Better in 5, has seen first-hand that motivation isn't always enough for us to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It's only when we learn how to support our own mental wellbeing and cultivate core happiness that these choices become easy. In Happy Mind, Happy Life, Dr. Chatterjee shares cutting-edge insights into the science of happiness and reveals ten simple ways to put you back in control of your health.
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Ok
- By Anonymous User on 07-01-22
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168 Hours
- You Have More Time Than You Think
- By: Laura Vanderkam
- Narrated by: Elizabeth London
- Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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There are 168 hours in a week. This book is about where the time really goes, and how we can all use it better. It's an unquestioned truth of modern life: we are starved for time. With the rise of two-income families, extreme jobs, and 24/7 connectivity, life is so frenzied we can barely find time to breathe. We tell ourselves we'd like to read more, get to the gym regularly, try new hobbies, and accomplish all kinds of goals.
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I really wanted to like this book
- By Tiffany on 11-04-10
By: Laura Vanderkam
What listeners say about America the Anxious
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M Steve
- 02-04-21
Eh
Intellectually dishonest, which would be fine except that it's not very funny. the author seems to know where she's going from page one but acts like she doesn't and is more accusatory than insightful.
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- Colette Astoria
- 10-31-19
Thought provoking
This book provides a unique look at what our society has been morphing into theses past years of social media and feel good pursuits.
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- NS
- 11-28-18
quite enjoyable
Note: Closer to a 4.5 than 5.
Perhaps a bit loose with the academic psychology she is alternately invoking and critiquing, the author is nevertheless highly entertaining throughout. Furthermore, the broader takeaways seem to stand regardless of whether her interpretations of the science are 100% correct. (I say that as a non-expert myself, but some of the critiques seem a bit loose.)
Particularly appreciated is the critical observation of the business behind not just the broader happiness movement, but even the academic research (via grants from the politically motivated Templeton Foundation).
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- Mark
- 12-15-19
I'm Happy I Listened (Mostly)
As I listened to this book, I found my attention drifting to the circumstances under which it was written. A couple of airline tickets (?), an internet connection and a stack of positive psychology books seemed to be the sum total of resources underpinning this enterprise.
Given these limitations, the results are remarkable. Ruth Whippman is a supremely entertaining and stylish writer. Her shoestring budget investigative journalism is compelling (see Chapter 4 on Tony Hsieh’s dystopian corporate happiness projects), and her analysis of the happiness industry’s corrosive influence is completely persuasive.
The reason I haven’t rated this book more highly is that it contains far too much of what Whippman herself would characterize as ‘mommy blogging.’ In a work packaged as a big-picture critique of a national pathology, there are just too many digressions concerning her children, home life and other details of her autobiography. Some listeners may appreciate the candor, but it was during these lapses that I began to ponder the scope of the research being offered.
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- Only Originals
- 12-06-16
Thoroughly Enjoyable
Any additional comments?
It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book so much. Sometimes, it takes the insights of an objective observer to shake us from old habits. From now on, I'll be living more and harassing myself over my own inadequacies less.
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- Tizita E.
- 02-17-17
Makes a very intelligent and interesting case
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
In case you understand that each coin has 2 sides, and based on that you start wondering why the US culture puts such a strong focus on being positive all the time, this book will help you to gain deeper cultural insights.
Would you ever listen to anything by Ruth Whippman again?
Without a doubt
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There are many moments actually, I particularly liked the way she weaves in Facebook and the Mormon church.
Any additional comments?
I admit that I may have been more receptive to the book's storyline because of my European background.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-05-21
Funny, smart and enlightening
Loved this book!
Funny, smart, thought provoking. The narration is great and the content is reveting.
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