The Meaning of Nice: How Compassion and Civility Can Change Your Life (and The World)

Discover the hidden power of nice.

The Meaning of Nice is a multi-faceted exploration of a simple word and how it has developed over time and among various disciplines. With emphasis on philosophy, positive psychology and interpersonal relationships, Joan Duncan Oliver probes theories and practices to explain why and how nice girls can get the corner office and nice guys can finish first. We tend to associate "nice" people with kindness and good manners - it's an indistinct, generic kind of praise. Joan Duncan Oliver restores the power of nice, and shows how this complex quality can change your life, and has never been more crucial to our well-being as individuals and as a society.

Joan Duncan Oliver has been an editor for The New York Times Magazine and editor-in-chief of New Age Journal. She was a founding editor of People, Us, and Self magazines, and has also written for O: The Oprah Magazine, Health, and other publications. Currently she is editor-at-large for Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Her previous books include Coffee with the Buddha and Happiness.