The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray, Paperback, 9781783256044 | Buy online at The Nile
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The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary

Author: Catherine Gray   Series: The Unexpected Joy Of

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary
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A celebration of the everyday from the Sunday Times bestseller

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Summary

A celebration of the everyday from the Sunday Times bestseller

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Description

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

'Life-affirming' - THE TELEGRAPH

'Wonderful' - INDEPENDENT

'She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled' - RADIO 4 - WOMAN'S HOUR

'Take a leaf out of Gray's book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is' - IRISH TIMES

'This book came to me in an hour of need - during lockdown when I had to focus on the positive, appreciate simple things, not lose my shit, and value each day. It was a pure joy for me and held my hand' - SADIE FROST

'Interesting and joyful. Lights a path that could help us to build resilience against society's urging to compare life milestones with peers' - LANCET PSYCHIATRY

Underwhelmed by your ordinary existence? Disillusioned with your middlin' wage, average body, 'bijou' living situation and imperfect loved ones? Welcome to the club. There are billions of us. The 'default disenchanted'. But, it's not us being brats. Two deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenons conspire against our satisfaction. We have negatively-biased brains, which zoom like doom-drones in on what's wrong with our day, rather than what's right. (Back in the mists of time, this negative bias saved our skins, but now it just makes us anxious). Also, something called the 'hedonic treadmill' means we eternally quest for better, faster, more, like someone stuck on a dystopian, never-ending treadmill. Thankfully, there are scientifically-proven ways in which we can train our brains to be more positive-seeking. And to take a rest from this tireless pursuit. Whew.

Catherine Gray knits together illuminating science and hilarious storytelling, unveiling captivating research showing that big bucks don't mean big happiness, extraordinary experiences have a 'comedown' and budget weddings predict a lower chance of divorce. She reminds us what an average body actually is, reveals that exercising for weight loss means we do less exercise, and explores the modern tendency to not just try to keep up with the Murphys, but keep up with the Mega-Murphies (see: the social media elite).

Come on in to this soulful and life-affirming read, to discover why an ordinary life may well be the most satisfying one of all.

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Critic Reviews

Life-affirming. -- THE TELEGRAPH
Wonderful. -- INDEPENDENT
She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled. -- RADIO 4 - WOMAN'S HOUR
Take a leaf out of Gray's book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is. -- IRISH TIMES
This book came to me in an hour of need - during lockdown when I had to focus on the positive, appreciate simple things, not lose my shit, and value each day. It was a pure joy for me and held my hand. -- SADIE FROST
Interesting and joyful. Lights a path that could help us to build resilience against society's urging to compare life milestones with peers. -- LANCET PSYCHIATRY

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About the Author

Catherine Gray is author of five books, including The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober. She's sold over half a million books in English-speaking territories, her work has been published in the likes of Stylist, Marie Claire, The Lancet Psychiatry and the Guardian, and her books have been translated into nine languages. In 2018, Catherine founded charitable campaign Sober Spring, a three-month sabbatical from alcohol, and she now runs it with Alcohol Change UK, for whom she is an ambassador. She's been sober since 2013. Catherine lives in Hove and when not writing she enjoys falling off a paddleboard, giving her plants names like 'Cassandra' and 'Miguel', and spamming Instagram with pictures of dogs.

Instagram.com/unexpectedjoyof

Twitter.com/cathgraywrites

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Product Details

Publisher
Octopus Publishing Group | Aster
Published
21st December 2023
Pages
288
ISBN
9781783256044

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