The Noonday Demon

This book by Andrew Solomon was genuinely recommended once in the episodes we index, on Tim Ferriss. The people who vouched for it on air: Arthur Brooks. It comes up in conversations about exercise & strength, meditation & mindfulness, motivation & discipline, relationships. Every quote below is verbatim, attributed, and linked to the exact second it was said. Sourced expert opinion, not medical advice.

The Noonday Demon examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. Drawing on his own struggles with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors and scientists, policy makers and politicians, drug designers, and philosophers, Andrew Solomon reveals the subtle complexities and sheer agony of the disease as well as the reasons for hope. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications and treatments, and the impact the malady has on various demographic populations, around the world and throughout history.

• “Andrew Solomon, who wrote The Noonday Demon... It's the best book I've ever read about anxiety and depression. Andrew Solomon's a phenomenal writer.”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “It's the best book I've ever read about anxiety and depression. Andrew Solomon's a phenomenal writer”
  Arthur Brooks · The Tim Ferriss Show · Sep 202302:28:55

  Said during "How to Be Happy, Arthur C. Brooks Interview". The episode features Arthur C. Brooks: Harvard professor, social scientist, and happiness expert; author of From Strength to Strength and co-author with Oprah Winfrey of Build the Life You Want; writes a weekly column in The Atlantic and runs Harvard's Leadership and Happiness Lab. Harvard happiness professor Arthur Brooks explains why satisfaction comes from wanting less, and how unhappiness is essential to a fully lived life.