Cart
Free Shipping in the UK
Proud to be B-Corp

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary Catherine Gray

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary By Catherine Gray

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray


£7.30
New RRP £14.99
Condition - Like New
Only 2 left

Summary

The new book from the Sunday Times Bestselling Author.

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary Summary

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray

**From the Sunday Times Bestselling Author**

Life-affirming - THE TELEGRAPH

Wonderful - INDEPENDENT

She made it her mission to learn how to be default happy rather than default disgruntled - RADIO 4 - WOMAN'S HOUR

Take a leaf out of Gray's book and be kinder to yourself by appreciating life just as it is - IRISH TIMES

Underwhelmed by your ordinary existence? Disillusioned with your middlin' wage, average body, 'bijou' living situation and imperfect loved ones?
Welcome to the club. There are billions of us. The 'default disenchanted'.

But, it's not us being brats. Two deeply inconvenient psychological phenomenons conspire against our satisfaction. We have negatively-biased brains, which zoom like doom-drones in on what's wrong with our day, rather than what's right. (Back in the mists of time, this negative bias saved our skins, but now it just makes us anxious). Also, something called the 'hedonic treadmill' means we eternally quest for better, faster, more, like someone stuck on a dystopian, never-ending treadmill.
Thankfully, there are scientifically-proven ways in which we can train our brains to be more positive-seeking. And to take a rest from this tireless pursuit. Whew.
Catherine Gray knits together illuminating science and hilarious storytelling, unveiling captivating research showing that big bucks don't mean big happiness, extraordinary experiences have a 'comedown' and budget weddings predict a lower chance of divorce. She reminds us what an average body actually is, reveals that exercising for weight loss means we do less exercise, and explores the modern tendency to not just try to keep up with the Murphys, but keep up with the Mega-Murphies (see: the social media elite).
Come on in to this soulful and life-affirming read, to discover why an ordinary life may well be the most satisfying one of all.
PRAISE FOR CATHERINE GRAY'S WRITING:
"Uplifting and inspiring" The Evening Standard
"Not remotely preachy" The Times
"Jaunty, shrewd and convincing" The Telegraph
"Admirably honest, light, bubbly and remarkably rarely annoying" The Guardian
"An empathetic, warm and hilarious tale from a hugely likeable human" The Lancet Psychiatry

About Catherine Gray

Catherine Gray is an award-winning writer and editor who has been featured in the Guardian, Stylist, the Telegraph, Grazia, The Lancet Psychiatrist, Mr & Mrs Smith, BBC Earth, Women's Health, Stella, T2, Private Eye, Woman's Hour and BBC Breakfast.

Catherine's hit debut, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller. Since then she has published The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober Journal and the critically acclaimed Unexpected Joy of Being Single.

When she's not writing, Catherine can generally be found taking twenty (identical) pictures of the sunset, wondering why she's always the sweatiest person in yoga, fighting her 'spend it all!' financial urges, or scanning the body language of strangers to see if it's OK to pet their dog.

Find out more about Catherine Gray on Twitter @cathgraywrites and Instagram @unexpectedjoyof

Additional information

GOR010308388
9781783253371
1783253371
The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray
Used - Like New
Hardback
Octopus Publishing Group
2019-12-26
288
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
The book has been read, but looks new. The book cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket is included if applicable. No missing or damaged pages, no tears, possible very minimal creasing, no underlining or highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins

Customer Reviews - The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary