This book offers a path to well-being and satisfaction for the anxious and exhausted and anyone charmed by concepts such as hygge, ikigai, and wabi sabi. Psychologist Scott Haas spends much of his time in Japan, and with this book he provides a host of delightful examples of the way he has been made welcome, accepted and happy in this distant country, as well as many thought provoking and practical lessons which you can apply. WHY BE HAPPY? will help make your world a happier place by discovering a place of contentment and peace amid the chaos of modern life.

This book offers a path to well-being and satisfaction for the anxious and exhausted and anyone charmed by concepts such as hygge, ikigai, and wabi sabi. Psychologist Scott Haas spends much of his time in Japan, and with this book he provides a host of delightful examples of the way he has been made welcome, accepted and happy in this distant country, as well as many thought provoking and practical lessons which you can apply. WHY BE HAPPY? will help make your world a happier place by discovering a place of contentment and peace amid the chaos of modern life.

Food writer and clinical psychologist Scott Haas wanted to know what went on inside the mind of a top chef--and what kind of emotional dynamics drove the fast-paced, intense interactions inside a great restaurant. To capture all the heat and hunger, he spent eighteen months immersed in the kitchen of James Beard Award-winner Tony Maws' restaurant, Craigie on Main, in Boston. He became part of the family, experiencing the drama first-hand. Here, Haas exposes the inner life of a chef, what it takes to make food people crave, and how to achieve greatness in a world that demands more than passion and a sharp set of knives.
A lens into what motivates and inspires all chefs--including Thomas Keller, Andrew Carmellini, whose stories are also shared here--"Back of the House" will change the way you think about food--and about the complicated people who cook it and serve it.