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  • The Antidote

  • Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
  • By: Oliver Burkeman
  • Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
  • Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (106 ratings)

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The Antidote

By: Oliver Burkeman
Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

What if ‘positive thinking’ and relentless optimism aren’t the solution to the happiness dilemma, but part of the problem?

Oliver Burkeman turns decades of self-help advice on its head and paradoxically forces us to rethink our attitudes towards failure, uncertainty and death. It’s our constant efforts to avoid negative thinking that cause us to feel anxious, insecure and unhappy. What if happiness can be found embracing the things we spend our lives trying to escape? Wise, practical and funny, The Antidote is a thought-provoking, counter-intuitive and ultimately uplifting read, celebrating the power of negative thinking.

©2019 Oliver Burkeman (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"Burkeman has written some of the most truthful and useful words on happiness to be published in recent years." (Guardian) 

What listeners say about The Antidote

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    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing topics and well researched.

I struggled with the narrator's voice, very boring, at the end I seemed to not have a clear conclusion.

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5 people found this helpful

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Stoicism, Buddhism and death

A well written and page turning adventure through discovering something better than the pursuit of happiness and positive thinking. Exactly what I needed to read, thanks Oliver, would recommend to all

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3 people found this helpful

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This book came highly recommend

This book came highly recommend and it certainly lived up to it! Very well written piece and very thought provoking.

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1 person found this helpful

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Awe inspiring

This book takes you on a journey through a unique perspective of happiness in life. It’s entertaining and and informative. I loved it!

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Entertaining and well-reasoned

Oliver Burkeman writes compellingly and humorously about the human experience. An enjoyable and thought-provoking audiobook to listen to!

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Lightweight

The pursuit of happiness is such an interesting topic but unfortunately not when it’s written in a style where the author has not real expertise in the subject but relies completely on the work of others to contradict the worthwhile attributes of ‘positive thinking’. His arguments range far and wide as he dips into every concept, and era in which beings have sought solutions to the human dilemma. And all that dipping, name dropping, quoting become incredibly annoying. Mr Burkeman’s book is rather slight instead of offering anything truly meaningful.

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Pairs well with 4000 weeks

As someone who enjoyed 4000 weeks, the Antidote was a treat with a vaguely similar theme, and tons more interesting references and stories to help make the underlying points stick.

Particularly outstanding in this title is the theme of how goals and ruthless confidence in achieving them can be far more detrimental than creating poor outcomes... it can, as Oliver relates, go as far as being deadly.

If you like having your views on the world and your own existence stirred, then this book is for you.

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Thoroughly enjoyable

I enjoyed every minute of this book. As a recent philosophy student, and a recovering self-help positivity addict, this book helped me understand many of the concepts that have been on the fringe of my consciousness for a while. I find Burkeman’s style both engaging and soothing, and I’m left wanting to listen to The Antidote again and again so I can wipe away some of the happiness ideals that have left me feeling miserable about my life for so long.

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One of the best

This is an excellent book that both clearly and entertainingly walks through the key tenants of this approach. And this approach is … spot on!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Oliver has a wonderful style

Some poignant pieces in the book, but I recommend 4000 weeks over the Antidote. Great research and good storytelling style.

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