โWith his pioneering research, Corey Keyes put languishing on the map. In this powerful book, he brings it to life. Get ready to rethink your understanding of mental health, update your views on happiness, and come closer to realizing your potential.โโAdam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential
If youโre muddling through the day in a fog, often forgetting why you walked into a roomย .ย .ย .ย
If you feel emotionally flattened, lacking the energy to socialize or feel joy in the small thingsย .ย .ย .ย
If you feel an inner voidโlike something is missing, but you arenโt sure whatย .ย .ย .ย
Then this book is for you.
Languishingโthe state of mental weariness that erodes our self-esteem, motivation, and sense of meaningโcan be easy to brush off as the new normal, especially since indifference is one of its symptoms. It is not a synonym for depression and its attendant state of prolonged sadness. Languishers are more likely to feel out of control of their lives, uncertain about what they want from the future, and paralyzed when faced with decisions. Left unchecked, languishing not only impedes our daily functioning but is a gateway to serious mental illness and early mortality.
Emory University sociologist Corey Keyes has spent his career studying the causes and costs of languishingโthe neglected middle child of mental health. Now Keyes has written the first definitive book on the subject, examining the ripple effect of languishing on our lives before deftly diagnosing the larger forces behind its rise: the false promises of the self-help industrial complex, a global moment of intense fear and loss, and a failing healthcare system focused on treating rather than preventing illness.
Ultimately, Keyes presents a counterintuitive approach to breaking the cycles keeping us stuck and finding a path to true flourishing. Unlike self-improvement systems offering quick-fix mood boosts, his framework focuses on functioning well: taking simple but powerful steps to hold our emotions loosely, becoming more accepting of ourselves and others, and carving out daily moments for the activities that create cycles of meaning, connection, and personal growth.
Languishing is a must-read for anyone tempted to downplay feelings of demotivation and emptiness as they struggle to haul themselves through the day, and for those eager to build a higher tolerance for adversity and the pressures of modern life. We can expand our vocabulary for describing our inner experiences and deepest needsโand, with it, our potential to flourish.
โWith his pioneering research, Corey Keyes put languishing on the map. In this powerful book, he brings it to life. Get ready to rethink your understanding of mental health, update your views on happiness, and come closer to realizing your potential.โโAdam Grant, author of Hidden Potential
โWith compassion, clarity, and raw honesty, Keyes explains the languishing-to-flourishing continuum, and how to break out of the ruts that keep us demoralized and worn down, improve our daily functioning, and find a deeply rooted sense of well-being. If you feel like youโre running on empty, this book is for you.โโAngela Duckworth,ย author of Grit
โLanguishing combines decades of Keyesโs own scientific research with powerful personal stories to offer an antidote to the feelings of emptiness and nihilism that plague modern humans. Love. Learn. Work. Pray. Play. Five ingredients that have the potential to transform a life.ย This book will change the way you think about pain and pleasure, our innate psychological needs and the behaviors that throw us off balance, and the path to holistic well-being in an overstimulating, overwhelming world.โโAnna Lembke, MD,ย author of Dopamine Nation
โIn this timely book, Corey Keyes equips us with the tools needed to reignite our passion for life, work, and relationships in a world that often leaves us feeling adrift. Embrace this bookโs wisdom and let it beย the catalyst for your transformation toward a life well lived.โโArianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global
โCorey Keyes is the leading researcher studying flourishing andย languishing. In this conceptually rich and deeply personal book, Keyes helps us to see that most people areย languishingย to some degree because we live in a society almost perfectly designed to interfere with some of our deepest needs. His sociological insights are profound. His recommendations will help individuals and societies to flourish.โโJonathan Haidt, professor at NYUย Stern School of Business, author of The Righteous Mind, andย co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind
โ[Keyes] sets out in thisย perceptive guideย to lead those who feel โemotionally flattenedโ onto โa path toward flourishingโ . . . [and] carefully sketches the contours of a pervasive and sometimes-nebulous phenomenon. . . . Keyesโsย eye-opening musings will be a balm to those in need of a fresh perspective.โโPublishers Weekly
Corey Keyes is a sociologist and professor emeritus at Emory University whose research on mental healthโincluding his pioneering work on the science of human flourishingโhas had wide-reaching policy implications. Over the course of his career, heโs advised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Happiness Forum, as well as governmental agencies in Canada, Northern Ireland, and Australia.
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