Shawn Achor

Shawn Achor

"Positive psychology researcher and bestselling author who spent 12 years at Harvard studying how happiness fuels success."

Shawn Achor is one of the world's leading experts on happiness, success, and human potential. After spending twelve years at Harvard University — where he graduated magna cum laude and later taught one of the most popular courses on positive psychology in the school's history — Achor became CEO of GoodThink Inc., bringing his research on the connection between happiness and success to nearly half of the Fortune 100 companies. His TED Talk, "The Happy Secret to Better Work," is one of the most popular of all time, with more than 25 million views. Achor's research has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and on Oprah, and he has trained employees at the Pentagon, the White House, and impoverished schools across Africa. He continues to research and speak on positive psychology, resilience, and organizational culture.

1 book summarized
Shawn Achor

Books by Shawn Achor

Our in-depth summaries and reviews of his work

Key Ideas & Recurring Themes

The Happiness Advantage

Happiness fuels success, not the other way around — positive brains outperform negative or neutral ones on nearly every business and educational outcome.

The Tetris Effect

Training your brain to scan for positive patterns and opportunities instead of stress and problems, so you spot more of what's going right.

The 20-Second Rule

Small changes in activation energy — making good habits 20 seconds easier and bad habits 20 seconds harder — reshape behavior more reliably than willpower.

Notable Quotes

"Happiness is not the belief that we don't need to change; it is the realization that we can."
— The Happiness Advantage
"We become more successful when we are happier and more positive."
— The Happiness Advantage

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Book Author Shawn Achor