{"product_id":"9781923135192","title":"The Importance of Being Miserable : A short history of human happiness, and why sometimes it's good to feel bad","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAuthor: Eamon Evans\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch4\u003eSociety \u0026amp; culture: general\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003ch5\u003ePublished on 30 December 2025 by Affirm Press in Australia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePaperback | 272 pages\u003cbr\u003e234 x 156 x 21 | 338g\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHumans just want to be happy, yes? After all, that’s what life’s all about.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWell ... no.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd why feeling bad may not actually be all that bad.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Far From The Madding Crowd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48281390350595,"sku":"9781923135192","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0404\/3207\/4914\/files\/9781923135192.jpg?v=1780129582","url":"https:\/\/www.maddingcrowdlinlithgow.com\/products\/9781923135192","provider":"Far From The Madding Crowd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}