The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the… (original 2009; edition 2011)

There was some good information here that she provided, but the problem was the lack of citations. She tossed out research without any mention where it came from along with footnotes for further review. A little unexpected due to her experience with court system.

The real interest for me was her revealing of her own character and her relationship with others. I don't believe she knew how much she was showing the reader.

I will use some things in the book to grow myself, but I don't feel the hodge podge of different practices really apply to me.

An enjoyable read peppered with interesting studies on happiness (which could have used some citations). To me, The Happiness Project read like a novel with the author and her family being the characters. I enjoyed getting to know all of them in addition to gaining insight into happiness. I will be buying this book so that I can highlight the points that really hit me. I am also looking forward to starting a happiness project of my own; I could really use one since my life has gotten into a slump ever since starting full time work after graduating from college several years ago. I will definitely do some things differently than Gretchen Rubin did. I found some of her resolutions were too vague and difficult to measure whether you've accomplished them, even though at the end of the book she gives the advice to have specific, measurable resolutions *shrugs* There also is not very much guidance on how to set up a happiness project of your own unless you want to go the route the author did and do research on happiness first and then put your project together from scratch. I'm not interested in doing months of research on happiness, so I will be visiting her web site where a happiness project toolbox is available. Hopefully that has a nice outline of all her research so it will be easy to customize it to my personality.
According to Gretchen Rubin, there are many things in my life that I have been doing/not doing that are working against my happiness. I gave this book 5 stars because it gave me the gift of hope, the hope that maybe I can make my life sparkly and fun again ;)
( )

Read from May 16 to June 01, 2011

Happiness is defined a little differently by everyone. Reading a book and sitting in the sun makes me happy. Other people like to go to concerts and stand in a crowd (that stresses me out). While Rubin's happiness isn't mine, her book lays out a really nice guide for someone that might want to complete their own happiness project. ( )

I loved this book! It is thoughtful, funny, and inspiring. I find myself bringing it up in everyday conversation to friends, coworkers, and family members. I'm glad I own a copy -- I know I'll want to refer to it again and loan it to friends. Last night I started my one-sentence journal, and I suspect I'll be implementing more of Rubin's ideas. ( )

Interesting read. Lots of good quotes and summaries of scientific studies and research and theories. Similar in a way to Elizabeth Gilbert's book Committed; that was on the topic of marriage, this was on the topic of happiness. Both authors took a scholarly/research approach; Gilbert's presentation was more personal, written with a chatty tone. Rubin's writing is a bit less informal, and there is also the regimented "project" aspect of it.


Happiness and unhappiness aren't opposite sides of the same emotion - they're distinct and rise and fall independently. (p. 65)

Enthusiasm is more important to mastery than innate ability...because the single most important element in developing an expertise is your willingness to practice. (71)

Research shows that the more elements make up your identity, the less threatening it is when any one element is threatened. (78)

For both men and women...the most reliable predictor of not being lonely is the amount of contact with women. Time spent with men doesn't make a difference. (52)

"One is not always happy when one is good; but one is always good when one is happy." -Oscar Wilde (54)

"We are doomed to choose and every choice may entail an irreparable loss." -Isaiah Berlin (126)

It's easy to make the mistake of thinking that if you having something you love or there's something you want, you'll be happier with more. (179)

"The years as they pass plunder us of one thing after another." -Horace (198)

( )