Mo Gawdat

Solve for Happy

Solve for Happy is a self-help non-fiction book in which Mo Gawdat, former Chief Business Officer of Google X, draws on engineering logic, neuroscience, and positive psychology — and on the shattering loss of his 21-year-old son Ali — to construct a practical framework for lasting happiness. The book argues that happiness is a default human state, blocked by six illusions, seven cognitive defects, and curable by five ultimate truths, all examined through a series of thought experiments. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, called it "a powerful personal story woven with a rich analysis of what we all seek in a way we can act upon."

Reviewed Apr 9, 2026