There are a lot of books about Happiness nowadays but Dr. Amen's books are always a solid read because of how he refers and builds upon the science of the brain and mind.

I received a copy of this book to read and review, ended up buying it, and it sat on my shelf for a long time. There's a lot of good information in this book, and the information on nutrition is wonderful. But there is also a lot of marketing in this book. It's like he wrote the book to try to market his products. Not all of it, mind you, as there are some great exercises to do, insights to be made, and a lot of in-depth information on neuroscience. But it could also be a trigger for some who aren't familiar with neuroscience. It's probably a book to read slowly and absorb rather than trying to read and get through all at once. But despite some of the things I disliked, I do recommend this book for anyone interested in neuroscience and rewiring our brains.

Dr. Amen is such a brilliant writer! A holistic approach to finding happiness, Dr. Amen breaks down the reasons we are happy and unhappy based on scientific research. Can be a bit overwhelming but this book is for anyone who loves a combination of science, research, and self-help. You will be changed and view happiness differently after reading this book.

I have to admit to being somewhat skeptical about this book. But one of the personality traits or categories the author described so fitted for someone I know that I am willing to give it all a try, especially on how to keep that person happy! Ha! Will try out some of the suggestions and see how it goes. I'm not sure about the supplements recommended though. The practical steps would be what I go for.

You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type by psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen was interesting (of the raised eyebrow variety). I was vaguely aware that his first book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life was popular, but that was all I knew as background information before I started this book.

Alarm bells started going off in my head very quickly—right at the beginning of chapter one, in fact. Dr. Amen writes that he encourages all his patients to watch a video by Dennis Prager with the message that happiness is a “moral obligation.” Excuse me? As someone with major depressive disorder, I would have zero desire to see a psychiatrist who comes out with that nonsense. Then I checked Wikipedia to find out who this Dennis Prager character is. Turns out he’s a conservative talk show host, and from some of the quotes included on the Wikipedia page, he sounds like quite the wing nut, like gay marriage being on par with incest kind of stuff.

The book begins by introducing readers to Dr. Amen’s seven secrets of happiness. These are then explored further in the book’s five parts: the neuroscience of brain types and happiness, the biology of happiness, the psychology of happiness, the social connections of happiness, and the spirituality of happiness.

Part one talks about brain types that Dr. Amen has identified based on activation patterns in brain SPECT scans. The five primary brain types are balanced, spontaneous, persistent, sensitive, and cautious. There are also eleven combination types. A “happiness prescription” was given for each type, including supplements and activities to affect different neurotransmitter systems. What I found weird about this is that it jumbled personality and illness in together, when they don’t necessarily have anything to do with one another.

Some of the advice was… different. Dr. Amen recounted some very particular advice to someone to get a persistent type female all hot and horny (my words, not his), including a rather interesting assertion about baby powder being an aphrodisiac. He wasn’t fully anti-medication, but he wasn’t especially keen on them, either. He wrote that these SPECT scans showed certain medications, like benzodiazepines and opiates, “had toxic effects on brain function, making brains look older and less healthy than they should be.” I don’t think toxic means what he wants it to, and this idea of brains looking older and less healthy is all very subjective and seems to be his own concoction, so just no. I also didn’t like that he was recommending St. John’s wort without talking about it interacting with antidepressants. I’m not at all anti-SJW, but if one is talking about it for mood, it’s only responsible to mention that interaction.

There was a chapter on “happy nutraceuticals.” Dr. Amen recommends “four basics everyone needs to be happy”: a broad-spectrum multi-vitamin/mineral, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics. That’s some pretty pricey happiness. He makes a lot of other supplement recommendations, with particular recommendations for different brain types. One could very easily spend a whole lot of money on all the recommendations for things that don’t necessarily have evidence to back them up.

The part of the book devoted to the psychology of happiness talked about automatic negative thoughts and being Pollyanna-positive (Pollyanna was actually used as an example). There were also recommendations to work on “disciplining your mind” and choose to “focus your thoughts on true and noble things.” I’m not sure what to say to that besides hmm….

In the “Happy Connections” chapter, Dr. Amen promises to “give you a brain-based blueprint to more blissful connections with the important people in your life.” Maybe I’m just cynical, but really? We also get another Dennis Prager quote that ends with the line, “Obviously, we can control our moods.” Thank you for that expert opinion…

Throughout the book, there are a lot of references to and testimonials for Dr. Amen’s 30 Day Happiness Challenge, which costs $49 US. Besides that, there were a lot of references to his Amen Clinics, and a great deal of encouragement for people to get SPECT brain scans, not once, but on a regular basis. The Amen Clinics website doesn’t provide a price. A 2016 Observer article noted a price of $3950 for an exam, which involves two scans, one while resting and the other while concentrating. A 2012 Washington Post article gave a figure of $3500 for “a full initial session, including two scans.”

According to the Washington Post article and the Daniel Amen Wikipedia page, SPECT scanning for psychiatric diagnostic purposes is not generally accepted as being useful. A Google Scholar search for “SPECT scan major depressive disorder” doesn’t turn up anything in terms of diagnostic validity. So that’s a lot of cashish for something of questionable value, especially when Dr. Amen encourages people to get them done regularly.

Besides that, he plugs the podcast he and his wife do, his many other books, and his branded supplements (a 30-day supply of the “Daily Essentials Bundle” from his BrainMD site costs $114.62). I can see why one Goodreads reviewer described this book as a “long format advertisement.” It does feel rather like the written version of an infomercial.

Near the beginning of the book, Dr. Amen writes, “My prayer for young people is often, ‘Please, God, do not let them be famous before their brains are developed,'” because the brain’s dopamine control centre isn’t fully developed until around age 25. That sounds like an awfully privileged group of young people he’s working with for that to even be a thing. There’s some famous name-dropping, too, like big-name influencers that I’ve never heard of because I don’t care about influencers. There was a fair bit of my friend-ing, too, like “my friend Tony Robbins.”

So yeah, that was the book. The infomercial-ness was tacky, and given how much money Dr. Amen is making off these probably unnecessary brain scans, he’s not so hard up for cash that he needs to push the promotion angle. But he’s sold a lot of books, and I’m sure people will buy this one. I’m also fairly sure that a lot of those people aren’t going to pick up on a lot of the book’s weaknesses, and that’s fine. But just like the saying that money can’t buy you happiness, I don’t think all the money that Dr. Amen is urging you to spend is going to make your life wonderful.



I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

I have been following Dr Amen for a couple years now and was thrilled to have an opportunity to read and review his latest book; You, Happier. Some of the information I had heard before (and is always a good reminder) and some of it was new.
In the introduction he shares the Lies and the Secrets to happiness. For each secret he provides a question to ask yourself. The book addresses each of the secrets.

He breaks the book into 5 parts.
Part 1 The Neuroscience of Brain Types. He will address each brain type; Balanced, Spontaneous, Persistent, Sensitive and Cautious.
Part 2 The Biology of Happiness. He shares natural ways to feel good and addresses the impact of food.
Part 3 The Psychology of Happiness (Mindset). He provides actionable steps to take to create a positive mindset. You don’t have to say I am just born negative.
Part 4 The Social Connections of Happiness. I found it interesting to understand how your brain type can impact your relationships. I related it to understanding love languages. There are reasons you and your spouse, friends, family etc are different and it isn’t necessarily bad, it is just different. Understanding that can help you not take things personally.
Part 5 The Spirituality of Happiness addresses values, purpose and goals and how they impact happiness.

This book is a wealth of information. It can be overwhelming. Just take it one part or question at a time and you will be so glad you learned this info that others are not talking about.

I have been a fan of Dr. Daniel Amen since I saw one of his PBS specials many years ago. Like other books of his that I have read, I appreciate how Dr. Amen breaks down medical jargon and complicated theories into everyday language for readers without a medical background. I thoroughly enjoyed the first section of this book, which explains brain “typing” and how learning which type of brain each of us have can assist in cultivating the most happiness, both for ourselves and for those in our lives. The brain typing information was absolutely fascinating.

I thought the information about nutrition was extremely interesting and informative. I also especially liked the section at the end dealing with core values, purpose and goals.

What I did not like is the number of times that references are made to different marketing opportunities and products for sale. I thought the middle of the book was a little simplistic, but overall I feel like I definitely learned something.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book. There are definitely people in my life to whom I will recommend this book.

Interesting book overall, specially for those interested on self-improvement.

I liked the book, the author is very passionate about the subject and it translate on the writing. However, it does look like a long book advertisement for his clinic and projects, which gets tiring at points - same thing with the name- dropping and hyperboles.

I did learn useful things to use in my life, and the chapter about nutrition is quite compelling

From the first time I saw a PBS program by Dr. Amen I have been a fan.
I have read several of his previous books, so some of the content in You, Happier was familiar to me.
Still, I enjoyed hearing the anecdotes again. The information comes across as fresh and enlightening.

Besides giving us excellent information on ways we can take action to improve our individual brain health, actions are offered for ways to make our relationships, whether at home, school, work, with family, friends or associates, function more smoothly or cause less friction.

Who doesn't want to be happier? Feel more energized? Experience less stress or reduce stress more quickly? Discover what works for you from this excellent reference.
Buy a copy for your kids!

I suggest you also watch his life presentation next time you have the opportunity.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book early. The opinions expressed are my own. I will read sections of this book again and again.

In You, Happier by Dr. Amen, he encourages you to approach happiness as a daily journey. There are seven secrets to happiness that are shared in this book. This is something that is unique to Dr. Amen's methodology and approach and is not something that is explored or communicated by other doctors. Part 1 of the book describes the neuroscience of the brain and specific brain types. This provides you with a clear understanding of the complexity of your brain and how based upon your brain type, you may require different actions/activities. Part 2 of the book describes the biology of happiness. This part of the book describes strategies, supplements, and diet changes that will enhance your daily happiness. Part 3 of the book describes mindset and how you can change your mindset and achieve happiness. Part 4 of the book describes social connectedness and how it relates to our happiness. Finally, part 5 explores core values, purpose, and goals and relating them to our happiness. This book is a wealth of important information not explored in other books about happiness. It is backed by scientific research and that is also examined in this book. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an in-depth read on Dr. Amen's view of happiness and achieving happiness through making changes in your life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

You, Happier
by Daniel G. Amen., MD
Pub Date: March 1, 2022
After studying more than 200,000 brain scans of people from 155 countries, Dr. Amen has discovered five primary brain types and seven neuroscience secrets that influence happiness. In You, Happier, he explains them and offers practical, science-based strategies for optimizing your happiness. Dr. Amen will teach you how to discover your brain type based on your personality and create happiness strategies best suited to you; improve your overall brain health to consistently enhance your mood; protect your happiness by distancing yourself from the “noise” in your head, and make seven simple decisions and ask seven daily questions to enhance your happiness. Creating consistent happiness is a daily journey. In You, Happier, Dr. Amen walks you through neuroscience-based habits, rituals, and choices that will boost your mood and help you live each day with clearly defined values, purpose, and goals.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.
I didn't see anything new here, so I will not be buying it for our library.
3 stars