Hector and The Search For Happiness by Francois Lelord

Once upon a time, there was a young psychiatrist called Hector who was not very satisfied with himself so he decided to take a trip from Paris to China to Africa to the United Sates. Along the way, he keeps a list of observations about the people he meets and tries to understand what made people happy or unhappy.  

The part in book that I like is Hector being catch by criminals in Africa and he contemplates his own death. Luckily, he was smart that he wrote a note to criminals when they argued. He just simply wrote “You have a real problem there. We should talk.” This was a magic formula known only to psychiatrists which they are only allowed to use when they lives are in danger.

Hector & the search for happiness

Below are the lessons observed by Hector:-

Lesson no. 1: Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.

Lesson no. 2: Happiness often comes when least expected.

Lesson no. 3: Many people see happiness only in their future.

Lesson no. 4: Many people think that happiness comes from having more power or more money.

Lesson no. 5: Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.

Lesson no. 6: Happiness is a long walk in beautiful, unfamiliar mountains.

Lesson no. 7: It’s a mistake to think that happiness is the goal.

Lesson no. 8: Happiness is being with the people you love.

Lesson no. 9: Happiness is knowing your family lacks for nothing.

Lesson no. 10: Happiness is doing a job you love.

Lesson no. 11: Happiness is having a home and a garden of your own.

Lesson no. 12: It’s harder to be happy in a country run by bad people.

Lesson no. 13: Happiness is feeling useful to others.

Lesson no. 14: Happiness is to be loved for exactly who you are.

Lesson no. 15: Happiness comes when you feel truly alive.

Lesson no. 16: Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.

Lesson no. 17: Happiness is caring about the happiness of those you love.

Lesson no. 19: The sun and the sea make everybody happy.

Lesson no. 20: Happiness is a certain way of seeing things.

Lesson no. 21: Rivalry poisons happiness.

Lesson no. 22: Women care more than men about making others happy.

Lesson no. 23: Happiness means making sure that those around you are happy?

I also want to share about the method of measuring happiness which I found in this book.

         i    Ask people how many times they had felt in a good mood, cheerful, happy during the day or  week.

       ii. Ask people if they were happy in the different areas of their lives.

   iii.      Film people’s facial expressions and then measure them in complicated ways.