Most books that want to change us seek to make us richer or thinner. This book wants to help us to be nicer: that is, less irritable, more patient, readier to listen, warmer, less prickly.
This is a guidebook to the uncharted landscape of niceness, gently leading us around the key themes of this forgotten quality. We learn how to be charitable, how to forgive, how to be natural, and how to reassure. We learn that niceness is compatible with strength and is no indicator of naivety. Niceness deserves to be rediscovered as one of the highest of all human achievements.
Chapters include:
- Why We Don’t Really Want to be Nice
- Charity
- Politeness
- Losers and Tragic Heroes
- What is the Purpose of Friendship?
- How to Overcome Shyness
- Why Flirting Matters
- How to Be a Good Listener
- The Charm of Vulnerability
123 pages. Hardcover.
About The School of Life
Founded by philosopher Alain de Botton, The School of Life is an organization that promotes emotional intelligence. Their books and courses are designed to help people find calm, self-understanding, and resilience through basic concepts found in philosophy and psychology. Topics covered include everything from love and marriage to modern capitalism and human behavior.
