The Ten Worlds

The New Psychology of Happiness

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Pub Date 02 Oct 2018 | Archive Date 27 Mar 2019

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Description

What exactly is happiness that we spend our lives pursuing it more fiercely than anything else? The answer, Drs. Lickerman and ElDifrawi argue, is that happiness isn't just a good feeling but a special good feeling—in fact, the best good feeling we're capable of having.

Enduring happiness is something we all want yet many of us fail to achieve. Look around you. How many people do you know who would say they feel a constant and powerful sense of satisfaction with their lives? How many people do you imagine wouldn't find their ability to be happy impaired by a significant loss, like the death of a parent, a spouse, or a child? How is it possible to be happy in the long-term when so many terrible things are destined to happen to us?

In this highly engaging and eminently practical book—told in the form of a Platonic dialogue recounting real-life patient experiences—Drs. Lickerman and ElDifrawi assert that the reason genuine, long-lasting happiness is so difficult to achieve and maintain is that we're profoundly confused not only about how to go about it but also about what happiness is.

In identifying nine basic erroneous views we all have about what we need to be happy—views they term the core delusions—Lickerman and ElDifrawi show us that our happiness depends not on our external possessions or even on our experiences but rather on the beliefs we have that shape our most fundamental thinking. These beliefs, they argue, create ten internal life-conditions, or worlds, through which we continuously cycle and that determine how happy we're able to be.

Drawing on the latest scientific research as well as Buddhist philosophy, Lickerman and ElDifrawi argue that once we learn to embrace a correct understanding of happiness, we can free ourselves from the suffering the core delusions cause us and enjoy the kind of happiness we all want, the kind found in the highest of the Ten Worlds, the world of Enlightenment.

 The Ten Worlds:

Hell Hunger Animality Anger Tranquility Rapture Learning Realization Compassion Enlightenment

What exactly is happiness that we spend our lives pursuing it more fiercely than anything else? The answer, Drs. Lickerman and ElDifrawi argue, is that happiness isn't just a good feeling but a ...


A Note From the Publisher

Fresh on the heels of his phenomenally-received book, The Undefeated Mind, Dr. Lickerman and coauthor Dr. ElDifrawi offer a radically new perspective on understanding and achieving happiness. Drawing on the latest scientific research, Buddhist philosophy, and contemporary case studies from their own patients, Lickerman and ElDifrawi reveal that once we learn to embrace a correct understanding of happiness, we can free ourselves from the suffering the core delusions cause us and enjoy the kind of happiness found in the highest of the Ten Worlds—the world of Enlightenment

Fresh on the heels of his phenomenally-received book, The Undefeated Mind, Dr. Lickerman and coauthor Dr. ElDifrawi offer a radically new perspective on understanding and achieving happiness. Drawing...


Marketing Plan

  • Dr. ElDifrawi is the Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at Redbox; he'll be able to promote the book to over 40 million existing customers, and millions of new customers to Redbox every month. 
  • Dr. Lickerman and Dr. ElDifrawi have done numerous interviews on radio and will reach back out to their collective contact bases. Dr. Lickerman has a personal relationship with the editor-in-chief of Psychology Today and is one of their prominently featured bloggers.
  •  Magazine coverage for the book has been assured. Dr. Lickerman will also leverage relationships he's built with reporters at Crain's, TIME, The Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and First for Women, who've quoted him in the past as an expert for articles they've written, by sending them galleys and requesting reviews.Dr. ElDifrawi has been featured in The Economist, Forbes, Fast Money, WSJ, The New York Times, Sparksheet, Crunchbase, Mashable, Forefront Magazine, and Crain's, and will reach out to his contacts at those outlets and beyond.
  • Dr. Lickerman's blog, 'Happiness in this World' currently has over 26,500 unique visitors per month, with several million page views logged since its inception in January 2009.
  • Dr. ElDifrawi was responsible for developing the entire CPM-based business for Google and YouTube. In addition, some of the best search engine optimization and search engine marketing experts in the world continue to do consulting work for him today. He also has a full content creation, creative, and copywriting team at his disposal. He will put to use all these resources to build and drive traffic to www.thetenworlds.com (owned by the authors). This site will serve as the digital hub where there will be relevant content promoting the book, as well as links for purchasing it.
  • Dr. ElDifrawi will also promote the book through social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. This will incorporate both his personal platform and Redbox's (Redbox has more than 6,000,000 followers across all these platforms). He will also use his contacts at each of these social media companies to help promote the book.    
  • A NY-based PR Firm has been contracted to represent The Ten Worlds

  • Dr. ElDifrawi is the Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer at Redbox; he'll be able to promote the book to over 40 million existing customers, and millions of new customers to Redbox...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780757320415
PRICE $16.95 (USD)
PAGES 264

Average rating from 5 members


Featured Reviews

The Ten Worlds is a book which is as much about philosophy as it is about science.

The authors argue that everything in our life, including happiness, depends on our beliefs. They talk about what believing means and how the frequency with which a belief is stirred up causes us to react. This part of the book was fascinating for me.

The authors, then, talk about the ten worlds (from Buddhism) or life conditions that we are inhibiting at any particular moment. Each of these worlds (except the last one - Enlightenment) has a core delusion. Here, the authors delve into philosophy and intellectualization. Each world is described with dialogue between the two authors and one patient who mainly resides in that world. This made the book easily readable as well as interesting.

The authors end with a large section on Enlightenment and how to achieve it. Here again, we delve into some science and some philosophy.

Overall, the book was a nice read. It gave me a different perspective on how to view life. I don't think this book will help me become happier than I am but I am still glad that I read a different perspective on being happier.

Arc received from NetGalley

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The Ten Worlds: The New Psychology of Happiness, is a very interesting book focusing in the science and psychology of happiness and the absence of happiness (Anger, depression, lethargy, etc)

The authors suggest that we're not happy because of our core believes about what happiness means to us, which causes us to behave in certain ways.

Each chapter presents one of those core beliefs as being part of a certain "world", and thus the name of "The Ten Worlds".

These chapters are a combination of conversations had between one of the authors and his patients during therapy, and also conversations between both authors, debating the world in which they think the patient "IS", and everything related to how to help said patient.

From this 10 worlds, only one of them is considered to bring us true happiness, while 9 of them, are actually delusions that are the very cause for out unhappiness.

These 9 worlds are: Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquility, Rapture, Learning, Realization, and Compassion.

The final world, the one that can attain absolute and true happiness is the world of Enlightenment.

Thru the book, the authors present their ideas on the form of debate and dialogue, but they also include mentions to studies made, results from scientific research and more, making this a very dynamic book.


It was a very nice read, that also made me stop to think about which was my own core delusion and which of the worlds I though I belonged to, and what I could do about it.


I think this is a must read for anyone with depression, or if you have a loved one with depression and you would like help understanding part of their suffering, and hopefully even how to help them.


My favorite chapter was the one on Enlightenment. The description of Enlightenment and moments when the authors experienced it, moved me and made me long for it.

Overall, I think this book is not only very interesting and informative, but could also be very helpful for someone like myself that have suffered major depression for many years. It might not provide a cure for my depression, but it certainly provided a different angle that made me realize things I haven't before.

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Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book before it's publication day for the purposes of reviewing it.

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What exactly is happiness that we spend our lives pursuing it more fiercely than anything else? The answer, Drs. Lickerman and ElDifrawi argue, is that happiness isn't just a good feeling but a special good feeling—in fact, the best good feeling we're capable of having.

Enduring happiness is something we all want yet many of us fail to achieve. Look around you. How many people do you know who would say they feel a constant and powerful sense of satisfaction with their lives? How many people do you imagine wouldn't find their ability to be happy impaired by a significant loss, like the death of a parent, a spouse, or a child? How is it possible to be happy in the long-term when so many terrible things are destined to happen to us?

We wrestle with what happiness is really about. The human condition is prone to struggling through emotions, wondering what the secret of life truly is. This book is just as detailed in philosophy of life as it is about the science of happiness.

Ultimately, it is our belief system that can make a serious impact on our happiness. There is a significant discussion about what a belief is, what believing means, and when a belief is stirred up that causes us to react.

This self-help book was definitely an interesting read and gives a nice perspective on what we could be attaining, but it is conflicting with much discussion of buddhism. I would liked to have seen more of a discussion from other beliefs/religions.

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