The Happiness Project

By: Gretchen Rubin

Narrated by: Gretchen Rubin

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin’s] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor.”—Christian Science Monitor

Gretchen Rubin’s year-long experiment to discover how to create true happiness. Drawing on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world examples, Rubin delivers an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation.

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

As an added bonus, this recording includes a sampling of Gretchen’s podcast, Happier With Gretchen Rubin. In this episode, "Choose the Bigger Life," Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth Craft, discuss happiness, good habits, and whether Gretchen is going to get a dog.

©2009 Gretchen Rubin (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Packed with fascinating facts about the science of happiness and rich examples of how she improves her life through changes small and big. The Happiness Project made me happier by just reading it." (Bookpage.com)

Lots of great ideas & concepts to chew on.

Easy to apply, and easy to understand. Thought she did a good job of writing for a broad audience.

I love this book!

This is my second time reading this book. It had changed my life! we have a Happiness Project Accountability group that meets once a month for a year and a half now.

I learned a lot from your book

Would you consider the audio edition of The Happiness Project to be better than the print version?

I dont know... i dont have the printed version. so i cannot answer this question.

What did you like best about this story?

the flow and the simple words she used in narrating her story

What does Gretchen Rubin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

it felt more real and less preaching.. like a sister talking to another sister and telling her about her experiences in different aspects of life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

it made me smile at times.... but no extreme reactions

Any additional comments?

it was too long... it could have been written or narrated in less words. too much unnecessary details made me to hit the forward button during some chapters.

Gold stars for Gretchen Rubin

I so enjoyed listening to the Happiness Project. I read this several years ago, but after hearing Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth Happiness podcast these past months, I wanted to "hear" Gretchen tell her story. She shares her journey to become happier, and inspired me to do the same. This was life changing for me, and is sure to do the same for anyone who is ready to answer the questions for themselves.

insightful, well-researched

Love the book, appreciate how many studies were included, and that Gretchen was mindful of whether something really helped her. She does say everyone is different and what works for her may not work for you. I found the book VERY helpful and easy to understand.

a fun read with good ideas. relatable author.

learned alot from this book including fun games for kids. will utilize some ideas. nice light book

What a great book!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book with all it's wisdom and practical advice. Gretchen is a pleasure to listen to and I've started following her podcast as well and subscribed to her quotes of the day email.

I absolutely like it!

I absolutely like it! In this book author provides miscellaneous methods to be a bit happier in relationships, career and everyday life. The Resolution Chart is brilliant tool to maintain and control habits, this is really helpful!

I’ve learnt so much from this book

At first i was’t sure what to expect and i was skeptical, but once i started reading, the content just hit the right spots. The book is full of helpful information and amazing research findings. I really enjoyed that it is personal and full of real everyday stories. I really liked the idea of hapiness project. Before this book the though that you can systemise
happiness in a such way never came to my mind.
I’ve already started implementing some of the resolutions into my live and i’m planning to do more and may be even to have happiness project of my own.
The commandments and the secrets of adulthood lists also sound like very practical and useful tools.
I recomend this book to everyone who seeks to improve their live and to boost their happiness.

Helpful

This was a decent book, with some helpful tips on happiness. I enjoyed listening.