Published in 2025
395 pages
Janice Kaplan is the author of many popular books, including the New York Times bestseller THE GRATITUDE DIARIES and her most recent book, THE GENIUS OF WOMEN. Widely known as a journalist, television producer and magazine editor, she has also written or co-written bestselling novels including THE BOTOX DIARIES, THE MEN I DIDN’T MARRY and MINE ARE SPECTACULAR! as well as the mysteries LOOKS TO DIE FOR and A JOB TO KILL FOR.
Janice was the Editor-in-Chief of Parade Magazine and executive producer of the TV Guide Television Group, where she created and produced television specials that aired primetime on all the major networks. She co-authored the bestseller I’LL SEE YOU AGAIN and the non-fiction HOW LUCK HAPPENS. She began her career as an on-air sports reporter for CBS Radio and went on to be a producer at ABC-TV’s Good Morning America, where she won awards for investigative reporting.
She graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and won Yale’s Murray Fellowship for her writing.
What is this book about?
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries, What Your Body Knows About Happiness is your ultimate insight into the body-mind connection, guiding you to a happier, more pleasurable life.
Happiness isn’t just a state of mind. It’s also a state of body.
Standing straight can give you a shot of confidence and forcing a smile might improve your mood. But do you know why? We generally believe that the brain is the big computer telling our bodies how to respond, but new research shows that the system often works in reverse. Your body reacts first, and your brain then interprets the physical signals. As you walk by a dark alley, your heart starts pounding and only then does your brain get the message: I’m scared! The body can also send messages about positive emotions, allowing you to experience more happiness, love, and joy.
Based on groundbreaking research and expert opinions, What Your Body Knows About Happiness will teach you:
- How to use your body to spark your creativity
- How to find joy through your senses
- How changing your environment can improve your mood
- The unexpected powers of diet, exercise, and sex
- The ways your brain can resolve bodily pain
- How to create optimism through your body
In What Your Body Knows About Happiness, Janice Kaplan, the New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries, explores the startling new evidence showing that our feeling bodies are often smarter than our thinking minds. Talking to experts in a wide range of fields, she brings her distinctive brand of conversation, humor, and storytelling to scientific research, drawing unexpected links that reveal the power of body-mind connections. You’ll also get tips and strategies for knowing your body in a whole new way―leading to greater happiness and pleasure every day.
