Tal Ben-Shahar

Tal Ben-Shahar (Hebrew: טל בן-שחר; born 1970), also known as Tal David Ben-Shachar, is an Israeli professor, and writer in the areas of positive psychology and leadership. He has subsequently written several best-selling books and in 2011 co-founded Potentialife with Angus Ridgway, a company that provides leadership programs.

Tal Ben-Shahar

Early life and education

Ben-Shahar has a bachelor's degree from Harvard in Philosophy and Psychology^[1] and received his PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University in 2004 with his dissertation, "Restoring Self-Esteem's Self-Esteem: The Constructs of Dependent and Independent Competence and Worth."^[2]

Career

Ben-Shahar consults and lectures internationally in topics including leadership, ethics, happiness, and mindfulness. In 2011, Ben-Shahar co-founded Potentialife to bring positive psychology to people's daily lives.^[3]

He is the author of the international best sellers Happier and Being Happy, which have been translated into 25^{[citation needed]} languages. He has also written two children's books in collaboration with Shirly Yuval-Yair in Hebrew; one about Helen Keller and the other about Thomas Edison. The books aim to teach children about happiness.

He is the narrator of the 2012 documentary Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference, produced by Raphael Shore.^[4]

Ben-Shahar taught at Harvard, where his classes on Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership were among the most popular courses in the university's history.^{[5] [6][7]}

Ben-Shahar is also the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy.^[8] Ben-Shahar has also helped establish the Master's Degree in Happiness Studies program at Centenary University.^{[citation needed]}

Publications

• "How to Be Happier" in The Art and Practice of Living Wondrously (Ronit Ziv-Kreger, ed.) (2025)
• Being Happy: You Don't Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life (2010) originally published in hardcover as The Pursuit of Perfect (2010)^[9]
• Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment (2007)^[10]
• A Clash of Values: The Struggle for Universal Freedom (2002)
• Heaven Can Wait: Conversations With Bonny Hicks (1998)^[11]