I was first introduced to Richard Wiseman through his blog. Mr. Wiseman is a psychologist and popular press author. He is interested mostly in debunking myth and the paranormal. His latest book, 59 Seconds, is a self-help book meant to guide people through the scientifically proven ways that they can help themselves.
He divides the book into sections: happiness, motivation, stress, parenting etc. He then proceeds to talk about what psychological studies say are the quickest and easiest ways to changing your life: things you should be able to do in less than 1 minute.
The book is fun and easy to read and some of it is rehashed from his earlier books: The Luck Factor and Quirkology. Wiseman has an oddball sense of humor, and I love the way he debunks traditional advice giving books in every chapter.
My favorite is actually the first chapter in which he discusses some easy paths to happiness. One of the best and most trusted is, you guessed it, write your way to happiness. I don't want to give away the others. Part of the fun of this book is that it reads like an old fashioned book of puzzles. Each chapter has new ideas and new ways of looking at things (all based in science, of course.) I actually felt like I should buy it to have by my bedstand in case I needed a few quick fixes.
59 Seconds really is the self help book that should end self help books. If self-help is your genre you should check it out. Don't miss his other two either.
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