The Sunny Nihilist cover art

The Sunny Nihilist

How a Meaningless Life Can Make You Truly Happy

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Sunny Nihilist

By: Wendy Syfret
Narrated by: Shaelee Rooke
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Nihilism is making a comeback, and for younger generations, the idea that existence is meaningless is cause for celebration, not despair.

Written directly for burnt-out millennials disillusioned with the search for meaning through career success, a beautiful life and a beautiful Instagram account, The Sunny Nihilist explains why achievement has not made us happy. Looking anew at a philosophy usually associated with grumpy pessimists, writer Wendy Syfret examines how meaning pervades our modern experience of work, love, religion and wider society, and asks whether a touch of upbeat nihilism could actually lighten our loads.

Making the case for rejecting the cult of purpose and accepting our un-importance in the universe as a positive reality, The Sunny Nihilist urges us to be cheerful in the face of it - because if nothing matters, we might as well be happy and good to each other.

In an era defined by stress and selfishness, self-care and obsessive individuality, emptiness can offer absolution.

©2021 Wendy Syfret (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK Aging & Longevity Personal Development Personal Success Happiness Inspiring
All stars
Most relevant
Great book & well read, nihilism is a weighty subject & people often think of it in its negative context and it's perversion to fit horrid ideals, but this book goes a long way to explaining why being a sunny nihilist can and does bring new a positive "meaning" to life without damaging others in the process. I really enjoyed this book & feel it was a good use of my time.

Good book & well read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I wasn't expecting to be as impacted by this book as I was. It's written in an accessible and lightweight tone, but its insights are actually quite profound. The book strips away unnecessary complications that arise from our constant search for meaning, which creates space for us to find beauty in the here and now.

Lives up to the title!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.