Product Description
The Simple Science of a Happy Family From raising children to getting along with in-laws, what do people with close and loving families do differently than those with strained or unfulfilling relationships? Sociologists, therapists, and psychiatrists have spent entire careers investigating the ins and outs of family dynamics, yet their findings are inaccessible to ordinary people, hidden in obscure journals to be shared with other experts. Now, David Niven, the i… More >>
100 Simple Secrets of Happy Families: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It
#1 by Cult Doctor on April 8, 2010 - 11:17 pm
I have enjoyed every title by this author, and this one is no less. Buy a stack nad give them to your family! Start a reading / support group!
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by A Reader on April 8, 2010 - 11:36 pm
I am a sucker for research. I don’t like to think about gurus sitting around in a cave somewhere dreaming things up. Niven’s series of books offers substance to what he offers. Empirical studies aren’t a sure thing, but they’re a lot better than most of what’s out there on the market. Families have never been an easy puzzle to figure out, but this book takes us up the mountain.
I’d recommend this to anyone who is in a family and is open to new ideas. Great read.
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by Suz on April 9, 2010 - 1:11 am
This book is a pleasant and inspirational read. It’s a good book to pick up and put down, as each chapter is independent of one another and takes only a few minutes to read. I question its claim that it is based upon “the research of noted scientists,” as a quick scan of its reference pages show that a high percentage of the studies cited come from doctoral dissertations. Hardly the stuff that “sociologists, therapists, and psychiatrists have spent entire careers investigating”.
I questioned some of the more startling claims made by Dr. Niven based upon some of these dissertations, but even going to the universities’ websites, I was unable to obtain copies of the original papers in order to determine the accuracy of his interpretation, and indeed of the studies themselves. A search of the authors of the dissertations did not indicate that they had gone on in any way to distinguish themselves in their field.
So, that being said, I have found it an enjoyable book to read, but one that I will not be relying upon for necessarily accurate information or statistics. I give it a 4 for enjoyment and a 2 for credible research.
Rating: 3 / 5