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Tal Ben-Shahar

(1970 - )

Tal Ben-Shahar is an Israeli author, lecturer, and consultant who is most famous for teaching Harvard University's most popular course.

Born in Ramat Gan, Israel to an engineer and biology teacher, Ben-Shahar earned his BA in psychology and philosophy from Harvard University, where he would also later receive his Ph.D in organizational behavior. He became interested in positive psychology in 1993 as an undergraduate student at Harvard.

His teaching courses at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and the "Psychology of Leadership" famously became some of the most popular courses in the university's history with an enrollment total of over 1,400 students.

Ben-Shahar consults and lectures around the world to executives of multi-national corporations, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and the general public. He also currently teaches at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. According to Ben-Shahar, the most exciting part of his research is applying positive psychology ideas to schools and the way children are taught in the education systems in various countries.

Ben-Shahar is also the author of the international bestsellers Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment and Being Happy: You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life. Both books have been translated into twenty-five languages. In 2007, he appeared on cable television's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart after his book Happier gained international acclaim. Ben-Shahar's newest book, Choose the Life You Want, will be published in the fall of 2012.

In 2012, Ben-Shahar was selected to narrarate the documentary Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference, produced by Raphael Shore and JeruslameOnlineU.com.


Sources: Tal Ben Shahar; Israel Inside: The Movie; Wikipedia.