How to Be Miserable: 40 Strategies You Already Use

Psychotherapist Paterson (Private Practice Made Simple), director of Changeways Clinic in Vancouver, offers an inventive, if strained, twist on the self-help genre. In his practice, he has come to the conclusion that many people are unhappy because of their lifestyles—whether that means not exercising enough, spending more time with screens than with people, or deriving satisfaction solely from work, among other common issues. Recognizing that many people are still unhappy despite the proliferation of self-help books, Paterson alters tactics by adopting the persona of a “tour guide to hell.” Rather than trying to make people happier, in this role he aims to make them feel worse, through 40 ready-to-use strategies. Readers can thus identify which tactics they already practice, and then adopt the opposite. The strategy that makes this book stand out also hinders its readability, as one can only read about poor life choices and go along with the pretense for a limited amount of time. That being said, Paterson’s unique premise at least encourages self-reflection, and for fed-up self-help readers, it may be the panacea they need. (May)