Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

Matthieu Ricard, a molecular biologist turned Buddhist monk described by neuroscientists as 'the happiest man alive,' argues that happiness is not a condition dependent on external circumstances but a skill that can be cultivated through systematic mental training. Drawing on decades of brain-imaging research on long-term meditators, Buddhist philosophy, and Western psychology, Ricard presents a practical path to well-being grounded in attention regulation, compassion, and the progressive uprooting of habitual thought patterns.

Richard Branson has long argued that business success and personal happiness are not opposing forces — Virgin's famously playful culture is built on that conviction — and he recommends Ricard's book on Virgin.com as the scientific case for that philosophy. What makes the book useful to a founder is Ricard's core claim: happiness is trainable. Brain imaging shows that even a few weeks of daily meditation measurably alters the structure and function of regions governing attention, emotional regulation, and empathy. For a founder operating under chronic uncertainty, the practical implication is that emotional resilience is not a fixed personality trait but a muscle you can strengthen.