Dr. Brian King trained as a neuroscientist and psychologist and for the past decade has traveled the world as a comedian and public speaker. By day he conducts seminars, presented nationwide and attended by thousands of people each year, on positive psychology, the health benefits of humor, and stress management. By night he practices what he teaches in comedy clubs. Dr. Brian began performing stand-up comedy in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009, and has performed hundreds of shows around the world. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas, a master's degree from the University of New Orleans, and a PhD from Bowling Green State University, and is the author of The Laughing Cure. Dr. Brian hails from New York City and today spends his life on the road in the US, traveling regularly with his partner, Sarah, and their young daughter, or at their second home in Montreal, Canada.

Preface

Are You Happy?

Chapter 1

Of Bears and Traffic

What Happens in Our Head During Stress?

Worry Is the Worst

What Happens to Our Bodies During Stress?

Negative Emotions and the Stress That Inspires Them

Chapter 2

Making Decisions Under Fire

It's Never Too Late to Change

Crawling Up That Step

Chapter 3

Having Goals and Making Plans

Feeling in Control, Even When We're Not

Learning the Hard Way

(Through an Unfortunate Series of Break-Ins)

Chapter 4

Interview with a Real American Badass

Chapter 5

The Choices We Make

Getting to the Gym Across the Street

Chapter 6

Three Days in Xpujil (Jon's Story)

Chapter 7

Puzzles, Games, and Bear Attacks

Fostering Resilience in Children

Chapter 8

Practicing Positive Thinking

Laughing It Off

Don't Eat the Poison Berries

Chapter 9

Feeling Overwhelmed and Exhausted

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness, But Misery Takes Credit

The Biggest Irony of My Modern Life

Chapter 10

Facing Challenges

Carving a Carousel

Afterword

Pursuing Happiness

Acknowledgments