A practical guide to being nice.
Much of today’s media tells us to be thinner, richer, and more successful. This book tells us how to be nicer. Niceness may not have the immediate allure of money or fame, but we can all benefit from practical advice on how to be more patient, better at listening, less irritable, and less defensive.
This is a guidebook to the uncharted landscape of niceness, gently exploring the key themes of this often overlooked quality. We learn how to be charitable, how to forgive, how to be natural, and how to reassure. We learn that, rather than indicating naivety, kindness and empathy are in fact unique strengths-and deserve to be rediscovered as the greatest of all human achievements.
- RECONSIDERS NICENESS as a powerful and effective quality.
- A PRACTICAL GUIDE to practicing kindness and empathy in a chaotic world.
- ENCOURAGING AND OPTIMISTIC designed to resonate with everyone.
- SERIES EDITED BY ALAIN DE BOTTON, founder of The School of Life.
Table of Content
I. Why We Don’t Really Want to Be Nice
1. The Legacy of Christianity: Nice but Weak
2. The Legacy of Romanticism: Nice but Boring
3. The Legacy of Capitalism: Nice but Bankrupt
4. The Legacy of Eroticism: Nice but Unsexy
II. Kindness
1. Charity
2. The Weakness of Strength
3. Losers and Tragic Heroes
4. Motives
5. Suffering and Meanness
6. Politeness
III. Charm
1. What Is the Purpose of Friendship?
2. The Problem of Over-Friendliness
3. How to Overcome Shyness
4. Why Affectionate Teasing Is Kind and Necessary
5. How to Be Warm
6. Why Flirting Matters
7. Why Kind People Always Lie
8. How to Be a Good Listener
9. How to Be Open-Minded
10. How Not to Be Boring
11. How to Talk about Yourself
12. How Not to Rant
13. The Charm of Vulnerability
14. The Ultimate Test of Your Social Skills
About the author
The School of Life is a global organization helping people lead more fulfilled lives. Through our range of books, gifts and stationery we aim to prompt more thoughtful natures and help everyone to find fulfillment.
The School of Life is a resource for exploring self-knowledge, relationships, work, socializing, finding calm, and enjoying culture through content, community, and conversation. You can find us online, in stores and in welcoming spaces around the world offering classes, events, and one-to-one therapy sessions.
The School of Life is a rapidly growing global brand, with over 7 million You Tube subscribers, 389, 000 Facebook followers, 174, 000 Instagram followers and 166, 000 Twitter followers.
The School of Life Press brings together the thinking and ideas of the School of Life creative team under the direction of series editor, Alain de Botton. Their books share a coherent, curated message that speaks with one voice: calm, reassuring, and sane.
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