The Happiness Project : : or why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More fun

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A thoughtful and prescriptive work on happiness filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm, and humor.

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Disappointed submitted by rachel on July 29, 2011, 5:28pm While Gretchen Rubins clearly did a lot of background work for this book, I found it superficial. Every month, Ms. Rubins picks a handful of projects designed to bring happiness -- cleaning her closest, being nicer to her husband, etc. -- but I felt that the projects could have been more thoroughly researched and implemented. My biggest complaint is that while Ms. Rubin's briefly describes the research that leads her to pick her projects (hugs that last at least 6 seconds raise endorphins), she does not cite any references for her research. Also, some of her attempts (like the mindfulness month), blatantly disregard important components of a discipline that she didn't seem to spend much time trying to understand. This is a quick read, but it felt unfulfilling.

Happier w/o reading this book submitted by andreahubert on June 27, 2012, 2:52pm Not what I expected. Very disappointed. Would not recommend.

Insightful read! submitted by staceylea on August 10, 2012, 7:52pm I actually really enjoyed reading this because it gave me a chance to think of what I might do if I had the same goals as the author and what I might do with my own different goals for increasing happiness. I don't have the time to spend writing a book about my own happiness project but I think it was really eye-opening to see how someone can learn a lot about many different things and then take the best of that and implement it in her life in order to make her life more fulfilling. As someone who has dealt with depression, I felt like this was something that resonated with me. There are a lot of things I could be doing to be happier, I just need to look for them and DO them in order to be ME. I'm looking forward to her next book, due out next month.

Couldn't get into it submitted by crazypockets on June 21, 2013, 2:26pm A couple people had recommended this, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I found it kind of hard to get into though and wound up having to give up for now. I might come back to it, but I think I was expecting it to be more of a memoir than self-help book. I agree with rachel that it seemed superficial. Or at least I found it hard to relate to a woman who had a beautiful family and a high-powered job taking on this kind of project. Not that I think someone like that can't be happy, but at my personal point in life, it seemed hard to identify.

Interesting. Not for everyone submitted by DownesS on July 3, 2013, 9:44am This is such an interesting book and a wonderful story of a woman taking more control in her life. She was very happy and satisfied with her situation (happily married, two beautiful children, happy with her job...etc.) but she felt that she could be better and more easily happy. She took a good hard look at herself and what made her happy and she decided that each month she would resolve to work on a different aspect of her life. She made some small adjustments, but some well very hard to achieve. I think everyone could benefit from the simple act of looking in and discovering what makes up happy and if we aren't currently happy, why? Are we doing it to ourselves? Most likely the answer is yes....so let's change that! Gretchen will show you the way to you finding your own happiness.

Super interesting submitted by michael007 on July 4, 2013, 7:30am This book is super interesting!

Reflection submitted by kittenkat101 on August 13, 2014, 11:07pm I expected to read about one woman's experience trying to be happier. In that, the book succeeded. While her project may not have been "perfect," the book made me think about my habits and moods, so I would recommend it. It made me want to try and be happier, even though I will go about it in an entirely different way. I can see how this book might be frustrating or problematic for someone who feels that things are seriously going wrong in their life, so I would recommend it to be read as an encouragement to reflect on the things you can control, and not as a guidebook of habits.

Good New Years Resolution Book submitted by charlottedebaltzo on June 20, 2017, 10:42am I enjoyed reading this book, especially at the beginning of the new year. Although I think the author has a structure for her goals that is a bit intense, the general idea of her book to set goals and better yourself is a great takeaway. The beauty of this book is that you can take ideas that you like for your own life and leave the ones that don't work for you or that you don't think are that important. It won't make you happier reading it, but it will help you be motivated to set your own goals in an attempt to enjoy life to it's fullest!

Great book submitted by melissahimich on July 31, 2018, 3:22pm I really enjoyed reading this book. It was full of good ideas and it really made me think about certain aspects of my life. I’m actually considering making a few lists of my own and following her advice!

the happines proyect submitted by sandri on August 15, 2018, 5:24pm I did not liked but interesting.

good submitted by kevinhe on August 6, 2019, 4:17pm such a book to teach us how to pursue the real happiness. great.

Book submitted by Clown81 on August 31, 2019, 5:18pm We will see.

It's a Keeper! submitted by mickplu on June 21, 2020, 5:20pm Although not all of Gretchen Rubin's goals will apply to the reader, there are many great ideas and steps to plan your own Happiness Project. This is a book I will keep and refer back to occasionally.

Good book to help you focus submitted by JennJenn on July 31, 2020, 4:37pm I liked the way the author thought about what made her happy but was not prescriptive in saying that everyone should do it her way. It has some creative ideas.

So-so book but has good applications submitted by denisemw on August 18, 2020, 12:36pm Interesting project and well researched and written. There are some good take-aways, whether it be de-clutter, make new friends, splurge once in a while, etc. I normally read books very quickly - say a few days - and this took me a very long time to read. I really think if you read it, it is best to read once chapter at a time and let it sink in, apply it to your own life. If you move on to the next chapter without contemplating, you miss out.