The Importance of Being Miserable

<p>Humans just want to be happy, yes? After all, that’s what life’s all about.</p><p>Well ... no.</p><p>It turns out that, for a huge chunk of history, feeling good was the furthest thing from our minds. Expecting life to be fun and fulfilling (or, if all else fails, fine) is actually a very recent phenomenon. And there’s every reason to think that it’s making us sad.</p><p>A playful tour of Western ‘progress’, from ancient philosophers to modern-day pop stars via pills, priests, Proust and the plague, The Importance of Being Miserable explores how, why and when we all started to pursue happiness.</p><p>And why feeling bad may not actually be all that bad.</p>