Tal Ben-Shahar Tal Ben-Shahar (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: טל בן-שחר; born 1970), also known as Tal David Ben-Shachar, is an American and Israeli

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

in the areas of

positive psychology Positive psychology is the scientific study of conditions and processes that contribute to positive psychological states (e.g., contentment, joy), well-being, Positive psychology of relationships, positive relationships, and positive institutio ...

and

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

. He has subsequently written several best-selling books and in 2011 co-founded Potentialife with Angus Ridgway, a company that provides leadership programs.

Early life and education

Ben-Shahar has a bachelor's degree from Harvard in Philosophy and Psychology and received his PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University in 2004 with his dissertation, "Restoring Self-Esteem's Self-Esteem: The Constructs of Dependent and Independent Competence and Worth."

Career

Ben-Shahar consults and lectures internationally in topics including leadership, ethics, happiness, and

mindfulness Mindfulness is the cognitive skill, usually developed through exercises, of sustaining metacognitive awareness towards the contents of one's own mind and bodily sensations in the present moment. The term ''mindfulness'' derives from the Pali ...

. In 2011, Ben-Shahar co-founded Potentialife to bring positive psychology to people's daily lives. He is the author of the international best sellers ''Happier'' and ''Being Happy'', which have been translated into 25 languages. He has also written two children's books in collaboration with Shirly Yuval-Yair in Hebrew; one about

Helen Keller Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when ...

and the other about

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

. The books aim to teach children about happiness. He is the narrator of the 2012 documentary ''Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference'', produced by Raphael Shore. Ben-Shahar taught at Harvard, where his classes on Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership were among the most popular courses in the university's history. Ben-Shahar is also the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy. Ben-Shahar has also helped establish the Master's Degree in Happiness Studies program at

Centenary University Centenary University is a private university in Hackettstown, New Jersey, United States. Founded as a College-preparatory school, preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1867, Centenary evolved into a Jun ...

Publications

* ''Being Happy: You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life'' (2010) originally published in hardcover as ''The Pursuit of Perfect'' (2010) * ''Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment'' (2007) * ''A Clash of Values: The Struggle for Universal Freedom'' (2002) * ''Heaven Can Wait: Conversations With Bonny Hicks'' (1998)

References

Books

*Tal Ben-Shahar (2007) ''Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment'', McGraw-Hill Professional. *Tal Ben-Shahar (2009) ''The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life'', McGraw-Hill Professional. *Tal Ben-Shahar (2010) ''Even Happier: A Gratitude Journal for Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment'', McGraw-Hill Professional. *Choisir sa vie: 101 expériences pour saisir sa chance (French Edition, 2011) - *Being Happy: You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life (2010) - *Happier, No Matter What.: Finding Pleasure and Purpose in Hard Times (2014) - *Short Cuts to Happiness: Life-Changing Lessons from My Barber (2018) - *10x: A Program for Achieving Spectacular Leadership Results (2018) - *The Question of Happiness: On Finding Meaning, Pleasure, and the Ultimate Currency (2002) - *Ganar felicidad (Spanish Edition, 2008) - *Heaven Can Wait: Conversations with Bonny Hicks (1999) - *The Days After: Thoughts on War and Peace in the Wake of September 11 (2001) - *Secret method Harvard University No.1 popular lectures HAPPIER-happiness and success in my hand (Japanese Edition, 2007) -

External links

* https://www.happinessstudies.academy/
Potentialife Limited
* Personal http://www.talbenshahar.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Ben-Shahar, Tal Positive psychologists Harvard College alumni Academic staff of Reichman University American self-help writers 1970 births Living people Jewish Israeli writers Jewish agnostics American agnostics Harvard University Department of Psychology faculty