The Bright Side

I was left wondering how much humanity would change for the better if everyone read this book. Unlike the plethora of self-help publications full of their clichéd soundbites, Paul-Choudhury has written a truly inspirational and beautiful book with a powerful and timely message for today's society -- JIM AL-KHALILI, author and broadcaster The Bright Side is a book we desperately need right now. This is science-based chicken soup for the soul. It will both nourish and empower you -- ROBERT WALDINGER, bestselling co-author of THE GOOD LIFE I truly loved The Bright Side! It is both intelligent and erudite yet also accessible and warm. The range of examples and examples of pessimism pitfalls will be helpful to all -- CATHY RENTZENBRINK, author of THE LAST ACT OF LOVE With our fashion for cynicism, it's all too easy to believe the worst in ourselves and the world around us. In The Bright Side, Sumit Paul-Choudhury provides the perfect antidote to this defensive pessimism. With a lightness of touch, he deftly melds science, philosophy and culture to build a convincing case for optimism. I left this book feeling energised and empowered -- DAVID ROBSON, author of THE EXPECTATION EFFECT This moving, insightful argument for optimism stands up against the cynical mood of the twenty-first century, challenging - and equipping - the reader to help create a better world -- DR MICHAEL BROOKS, author of THE ART OF MORE I love this book so much! The Bright Side is a thrilling and galvanising ride. The optimism Paul-Choudhury describes is not just for the self-help aisle - it is a societal engine for creating the best of all possible worlds. This book is nothing less than a set of operating instructions for a better future -- SALLY ADEE, author of WE ARE ELECTRIC The next few years are some of the most important in human history. The problems we face are huge, and can feel overwhelming, but it is vital that we don't fall into what Sumit Paul-Choudhury calls the pessimism trap - the sense that all is lost and there's no point struggling. This book brilliantly shows the way out. Both personal and universal, interwoven with examples from literature, history and modern science, this book shows us how to find within us fierce imagination and determined hope, and create a better future -- ROWAN HOOPER, author of SUPERHUMAN In a world of polycrises and blighted by a pall of pessimism, this book is a beacon of light in exploring how imagination about a better future, and the agency to create that future, can lift our sights and our spirits. It could scarcely be more timely or important -- ANDY HALDANE, CEO of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) The Bright Side makes a compelling case for optimism. Psychological science shows that optimism is up to us, an existential choice. The facts of our external world, however, do not compel optimism, and Paul-Choudhury in a masterful historical review finds that it is the optimists who change the external world for the better while the realists passively accept their lot. I went away from this book inspired and enriched -- MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN, bestselling author of LEARNED OPTIMISM and FLOURISH Optimists believe problems can be solved - and we could sure use some optimism right now. Sumit Paul-Choudhury's dazzling The Bright Side lights the way -- GREGG EASTERBROOK, author of THE PROGRESS PARADOX