{"product_id":"the-sweet-spot-the-pleasures-of-suffering-and-the-search-for-meaning-9780062910578","title":"The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"This book will challenge you to rethink your vision of a good life. With sharp insights and lucid prose, Paul Bloom makes a captivating case that pain and suffering are essential to happiness. It's an exhilarating antidote to toxic positivity.\" --Adam Grant, #1 \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eThink Again\u003c\/em\u003e and host of the TED podcast \u003cem\u003eWorkLife\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOne of \u003cem\u003eBehavioral\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eScientist\u003c\/em\u003e's\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Notable Books of 2021\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eAgainst Empathy\u003c\/em\u003e, a different kind of happiness book, one that shows us how suffering is an essential source of both pleasure and meaning in our lives\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy do we so often seek out physical pain and emotional turmoil? We go to movies that make us cry, or scream, or gag. We poke at sores, eat spicy foods, immerse ourselves in hot baths, run marathons. Some of us even seek out pain and humiliation in sexual role-play. Where do these seemingly perverse appetites come from?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on groundbreaking findings from psychology and brain science, \u003cem\u003eThe Sweet Spot\u003c\/em\u003e shows how the right kind of suffering sets the stage for enhanced pleasure. Pain can distract us from our anxieties and help us transcend the self. Choosing to suffer can serve social goals; it can display how tough we are or, conversely, can function as a cry for help. Feelings of fear and sadness are part of the pleasure of immersing ourselves in play and fantasy and can provide certain moral satisfactions. And effort, struggle, and difficulty can, in the right contexts, lead to the joys of mastery and flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut suffering plays a deeper role as well. We are not natural hedonists--a good life involves more than pleasure. People seek lives of meaning and significance; we aspire to rich relationships and satisfying pursuits, and this requires some amount of struggle, anxiety, and loss. Brilliantly argued, witty, and humane, Paul Bloom shows how a life without chosen suffering would be empty--and worse than that, \u003cem\u003eboring\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Bloom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ecco Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/06\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.30w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780062910578\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBloom, Paul:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003ePaul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. His research explores the psychology of morality, identity, and pleasure. Bloom is the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including, most recently, the million-dollar Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. He has written for scientific journals such as \u003cem\u003eNature and Science\u003c\/em\u003e, and for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, the\u003cem\u003e New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, and the \u003cem\u003eAtlantic Monthly\u003c\/em\u003e. He is the author or editor of eight books, including \u003cem\u003eAgainst Empathy\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e Just Babies\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eHow Pleasure Works\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDescartes' Baby\u003c\/em\u003e, and, most recently, \u003cem\u003eThe Sweet Spot.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Paul Bloom \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47834231013533,"sku":"9780062910578","price":42.03,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_62fdb674-d714-4efc-ad50-426b78803b92.jpg?v=1776146981","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-sweet-spot-the-pleasures-of-suffering-and-the-search-for-meaning-9780062910578","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}