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What if a $5 Sudoku Book Can Make You Happier Than a $100,000 Tesla?
A surprising lesson in the psychology of happiness
My path to completing my first Sudoku was an unusual one.
One day, I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole and ended up stumbling upon a video about advanced Sudoku strategies. I have no idea why I clicked it, I had never done a Sudoku in my life. Just as I started watching it my wife came over and — much to my surprise — sat down next to me and started watching the video.
She told me that she loves Sudoku, which is something that I didn’t know about her. After nine years of marriage, discovering something about your spouse that you didn’t know or suspect is quite a thrill.
The next time she was at the grocery store she picked up a book of Sudoku puzzles for $5.
At the time, I also happened to be reading the book Mindset by Carol Dweck which deals in part with the importance of attempting hard things — things that humble you by revealing your need to improve.
I figured attempting a hard Sudoku from my wife’s book was just what I needed.
I jumped right in to the hard section and quickly got stuck. I came back the next day and was still stuck. At my wife’s suggestion, I went to the begging and…
