When the seats finally became available, after a tiring standing-room-only ride in the crowded subway train, why did the woman in high heels choose not to sit down while her 10–year–old did? When made to compete in the kids’ activity of arranging wood blocks one on top of another, why did one manager falter at just 5 blocks while another managed to stack up an impressive 20? Are we able to learn things, like swimming or riding a bicycle, without any memory of having undergone such learning?

Do we impose limits and restrictions on our own selves that we may not even be aware of? How is our inability to recognize such self-imposed limits related to fleas? For happiness, is it good to be the big fish in a small pond or go for bigger oceans? How does the culture of a society constrain its very members that it is intended to help? Why did the family, across generations, always clip the turkey’s wings while cooking a festival feast?

If those questions got you intrigued, piqued your curiosity, and hastened your pulse with excitement, then this book is for you. This book covers those and a slew of other questions that shed light onto what constrains people, what motivates them, and ultimately what makes them happy.