How to Be Less Miserable: End the Negative Mind Loops and Find Joy

In How to Be Less Miserable, Lybi Ma, the executive editor of Psychology Today, provides strategies that challenge negative thinking and inspire a more positive mindset.

As human beings, we are all predisposed to a negative mindset. This tendency is a byproduct of the evolution of our species. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to stay vigilant at all times--what if a man-eating predator was lurking in their midst? It was more important to be aware of potential danger than to find food. It's part of our genetic code, and we've carried this innate predisposition that something bad is about to happen to us into the twenty-first century. Even the most optimistic among us aren't immune.

How to Be Less Miserable offers current research on the human brain's tendency toward negative thinking, why we do it, why it's so hard to stop doing it, and how we can use evidence-based methods to overcome the patterns that lead to anxiety, depression, and more. The author covers a wide range of topics, including:

healthy ways to pursue happiness

how to overcome stress and anxiety

tools for dealing with emotions

building resiliency and mental flexibility

the importance of social groups

the perils of social media

personal growth and the pursuit of passions

being kind and true to yourself

The strategies found in this book are based in large part on wisdom from the experts and researchers Lybi Ma has worked with throughout her career. They provide helpful and meaningful ways to manage and overcome negative thinking. Ultimately, How to Be Less Miserable is for anyone searching for a different way to think about emotional and mental health.

Lybi Ma is the executive editor of Psychology Today. In addition to producing the print magazine, she also edits its website and blog platform, which hosts more than nine hundred authors, academic researchers, and journalists. She edited a Psychology Today book series covering topics such as anger, food addiction, and bipolar disorder. She has a blended family of five adult children and lives with her husband in Westchester, New York.