Kaushik Basu (Torva)
I NEED to admit something: at times, I am an angry man.
Perhaps 鈥渁ngry鈥� isn鈥檛 the right word 鈥� 鈥渇rustrated鈥� is closer. The sluggishness and inefficiencies of others can spark frustration whether I am at airport security, in the supermarket or on the road. That emotion manifests as a roll of the eye or a rueful comment to myself as I wonder why people make the decisions they do, and I get frustrated when their inefficiencies affect me.
Advertisement
So a new book called Reason to be Happy: Why logical thinking is the key to a better life(the US subtitle is On the unexpected benefits of thinking clearly) by Kaushik Basu, former chief economist of the World Bank and a professor of economics at Cornell University in New York, should be perfect for me.
Indeed, on page 60, Basu speaks directly to everyone like me when he writes: 鈥淎nger and resentment about what others choose or do are, most of the time, pointless emotions.鈥� We would do better, Basu says, to think logically (or clearly) about what to expend our emotional and mental energy on 鈥� and to be less bothered by what other people do.
The slender book, coming in at a little over 200 pages, is Basu鈥檚 attempt to bring ancient philosophy up to date for both business bros and make-life-better believers. Ancient philosophical conundrums collide with stalwarts of organisational psychology, such as game theory, to create an oddly captivating book.
Early on in Reason to be Happy, Basu explains that he has written his book to be dipped in and out of. However, his plain-speaking style is compelling enough to make readers tear through the first half. Here, we learn all sorts of things using logical thinking, from why we shouldn鈥檛 be angry that our friends have more friends than we do, to what you should do with the information that 鈥渆very ten minutes of jogging that you do increases your life expectancy by eight minutes鈥�. Basu admits he gave up his regular jogging after deciding that he would rather spend that 10 minutes doing something he liked than trudging round parks early in the morning 鈥� a triumph of logical thinking made him happier.
However, there is a change by the second half. Basu moves from small changes that improve your life to ones requiring collective action, culminating in a grand manifesto for a better world. Unfortunately, the format grows a little鈥� well, too logical and formulaic.
Vignettes and personal anecdotes introduce a concept; Basu gives a bit of history, then teases out an exercise that seems abstract before bringing it closer to the reader鈥檚 lived experience. A thought experiment reinforces Basu鈥檚 point, the lesson is learned, a new section head appears 鈥� and repeat.
It is eminently readable and far from bad, but in proselytising about the superiority of reason and rationality over emotion, Basu accidentally makes the case for the very human foibles he is trying to iron out. What makes life interesting is the unexpected 鈥� we could have done with a twist in the narrative or an unusual phrase or two here. The economist makes brilliant points and readers will learn a lot, but some of the prose and presentation is more utilitarian than exciting.
But I guess that was to be expected 鈥� and I was happy enough taking lessons from the book into my life. For instance, in future I will try to rationalise why other people wait until they reach airport security machines to unpack their liquids and electronics, and become a more patient person. It is just that I really would have been a little happier had it all been a bit less logical.
Chris Stokel-Walker is a technology聽writer based in Newcastle聽upon Tyne, UK
