Gretchen Craft Rubin

The Happiness Project

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 of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she 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. Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't. Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound. Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own 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

farah!

Second time reading it. Inspiring and will be making my own happiness project

Robin Collura

Saffy

this was such a lovely how-to book… so warm.. even when the pov was from an older woman and i was only a teenager when i read this (lol).. it pretty much shows up despite any differences, we all still have one sole purpose and that is be happy. sadly i couldn’t really get myself really hooked with the book till the point i don’t really remember did i finish them or not.. 🥲

Kath

Giving this a 4 (rated up, my original rating is 3.5) simply because of how it motivated me during the beginning of 2020 to create my own "happiness project" which I named "the renaissance project" as my goal was to reset my life. Unfortunately, it didn't stick as I always fail to keep up with life-projects 🤡😂 but whenever I feel like I am once again stuck in a rut, I flip through this book and find little jolts of motivation. It's an easy read - mainly like a compilation of blog posts.

Elizabeth Wood

I think everybody could benefit from creating their own happiness project modeled after Gretchen’s idea. However, I was not sure the content was really book worthy. Listening to all the details of every single one of her resolutions grew tiresome especially towards the end. I also grew tired of listening to her read and promote her blog.

There were some insights that I appreciated, but I can’t say I’m a huge fan. 3⭐️ is very generous of me. 😂

Matthew Royal

Rubin's idea of happiness correlates closely to mine: completing todo lists, knocking out 1-minute chores, and paying attention both to small maintenance items around the home and emotionally in relationships. 

It's an incrementalist's approach to maintaining and growing happiness that emerges over time. To us, happiness is a tidy house and thriving relations. This is a good 3.5 stars book -- usable ideas, relateable moments, but not ground-breaking or Nobel-worthy. (sorry!)

Gillian Rose

Interesting. I picked it up when I was pretty depressed and now I'm not but there was some really great research and ideas. I may start my own project.

Gretchen Rubin

Bretchen 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.

Madhuri jain

Amazing work

This was my first book on happiness subject but i could relate it with my life so well. She not only talks about ideal situations but also make us learn to accepts our imperfections and utilize them in boosting our own happiness. Worth reading.

Rohini Anandamurugan

I'll preface this by saying that I strongly disagree with the author on many aspects, but I still found the book to be really good because it gave me sufficient fodder to reflect on them.

According to the author, her life is perfect. She has everything she could ever ask for and yet, she isn't as happy as she is "supposed" to be. So she takes on this journey to identify the areas where she could maximize her happiness. I specifically liked this because she didn't do anything outlandish (or uproot her whole life) to become more happy. She just identified little pockets of happiness and as she looked for hers, it was easier for me to reflect on my own little pockets and identify my areas of growth.

It also greatly helps that she has carried out her project in a very logical and methodical fashion. Every approach of hers is either backed by research or by her introspection on the literature of happiness. 

However, please take into account that this book is from years ago and there's plenty of new research on certain subjects that she's touched upon. So if you plan to read this book, then I'd advice you to keep any eye out for that :)

Taylor

Literally excruciating. I have so many issues with the writing, the content, the publisher for printing it, etc. Ending with the “don’t talk shit” chapter is smart tho bc now I feel bad for ragging on what is obviously a very earnest if not completely misinformed stunt memoir. 

Legitimate critiques: a plethora of “studies say” claims with no sources; about 200 pages too long; misleading title made me expect a year of Aristotle and I ended up getting a year of a sick French nun and Churchill & Franklin (gag).

Marisel 

Despite some fundamental issues with this book, which doesn’t exclude that it is a somewhat preselected audience it seems to target, I very much enjoyed it. Rachel seems a candid person who is genuine in her pursuits and earnest in her exploration of how an already seemingly perfect life can be turned into a more deeply fulfilling life—and after all, what’s wrong with that?! She is clearly aware of her uptight and over controlling tendencies, and is not afraid to display her foibles and flawed character in order to drive her points home. Yes, even humans already living charmed lives can often find their over scheduled and hectic lives, less than satisfying, and I’m completely ok with supporting their quest to finding more fulfillment! Although I wasn’t in agreement with all of her advise, I did find most of the strategies she presents, to be thought provoking and valuable. Putting these principles and ideas into practice will benefit not just the privileged, but anyone searching for a more meaningful life. There’s some solid truths in these pages, but in the end, I found the greater message to be not so much about the details (which, as she points out, will be different for each person) but rather about the importance of reviewing and questioning the stuff of our lives, and prioritizing what’s worth sweating and what’s just Not! A worthy (even fun) read.

linda

this book is awful...
trauma-producing
just a social commentary for me at this point

IDEL

3.25

i couldn't say it was 100% worst but surely, reading this book has been a DRAG.

on the other hand, the narrative felt like a *way too long* conversation held over tea. it's exactly like listening to someone talk, nothing else. it didn't convince me to try my own happiness project, but i'd say it's still a pretty good read since there were parts that i still found interesting and new (at least to my own perspective) that i could apply for a different purpose ;)

though i have to admit: this book annoyed me a LOT lmao just for the reason that i saw a number of similar annoying behaviors that i do which also made me understand the negative reviews T.T

that's all. rn, i'm just happy and ready to move on *SIGH*

Tracie McMurray

Interesting premise and a good start of summer read. I will note that I listened to the audio and read this physical book. If you are listening to the audio only be aware there are no real transitions between the author's words and the words taken from comments to Rubin's blogs. So, it will be a little confusing. In the physical book the font changes when she is quoting comments from her blog.

The quotes from the blog comments were a little annoying by chapter 9. It started to feel formulaic and like fluff. I would much rather have just heard the author's experience. Since the comments are unattributed to the many contributors, it also feels a little strange. But, maybe I am just "a non joyous type".

What if you could change your life--without changing your life? Gretchen had a good marriage, two healthy daughters, and work she loved--but one day, stuck on a city bus, she realized that time was flashing by, and she wasn’t thinking enough about the things that really mattered. “I should have a happiness project,” she decided. She spent the next year test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Each month, she pursued a different set of resolutions: go to sleep earlier, quit nagging, forget about results, or take time to be silly. Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness that already existed in her life. Written with humour and insight, Gretchen’s story will inspire you to start your own happiness project. Now in a beautiful, expanded edition, Gretchen offers a wealth of new material including happiness paradoxes and practical tips on many daily matters: being a more light-hearted parent, sticking to a fitness routine, getting your sweetheart to do chores without nagging, coping when you forget someone’s name and more.

Nitin Ranjan

Instead of saying “be yourself”, the author says “be Gretchen”. This is where I knew that this book is a personal memoir, not a book to be read by the public. But still, even if you can *get* a few concepts out of a 300-page text, it’s probably worth it. For example, the concept about how both money and health contribute to happiness mostly in the negative, “the lack of them brings much more unhappiness than possessing them brings happiness”. I never thought like this. A few quotable quotes apart, the rest of the book are just words of a self centred individual who believes that every little interaction of her daily life is something others can learn from.

Sonja H

Wollen wir nicht alle glücklich sein? Gretchen Rubin vermisste eines Tages ein tieferes Glück in ihrem Leben und beschloss, dem mit einem persönlichen "Happiness Project" auf die Spur zu gehen. Zunächst recherchierte sie im Bereich der "Positiven Psychologie", um herauszufinden, was die Forschung als unerlässlich für ein glückliches Leben betrachtet. Anschließend wählte Rubin darauf basierend für jeden Monat des folgenden Jahres ein Thema und füllte dieses mit Vorsätzen wie z.B. "morgens singen". Würde sie dies zu einem glücklicheren Menschen machen?
Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen. Ich mag "Erfahrungsabenteuer", wenn Menschen versuchen, Theorien und wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse in den ganz normalen Alltag einzubinden.
Die Autorin schildert ihre Reise zum Glück sehr offen und persönlich. Sie wirkt authentisch und "lebendig". Allerdings hätte ich mir bei einigen Passagen gewünscht, sie hätte etwas fundierter erklärt, welche Motive oder Thesen ihren gewählten Vorsätzen zugrunde lagen. 
Dieses hier fehlende Untermauern mit Fakten ist ihr in ihrem neuesten Buch "Better Than Before" deutlich besser gelungen.
Ein allgemeines Rezept kann Gretchen Rubin am Ende natürlich nicht liefern. Aber sie inspiriert und motiviert ihre Leser, selbst damit zu experimentieren, was sie glücklicher macht.

“This book made me happy in the first five pages.” —AJ Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Award-winning author Gretchen Rubin is back with a bang, with The Happiness Project. The author of the bestselling 40 Ways to Look at Winston Churchill has produced a work that is “a cross between the Dalai Lama’s The Art of Happiness and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.” (Sonya Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want) In the vein of Julie and Julia, The Happiness Project describes one person’s year-long attempt to discover what leads to true contentment. Drawing at once on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world applicability, Rubin has written an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation.

The Happiness Project (Revised Edition)

evy 

something i really enjoyed about this book was its structure.
the book was split into months, and inside each month the author discussed a few bullet points.
i enjoyed the organization, which so often lacks in these types of books.

Stefanie Sugia

"A 'happiness project' is an approach to changing your life. First is the preparation stage, when you identify what brings you joy, satisfaction, and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom, and remorse. Second is the making of resolutions, when you identify the concrete actions that will boost your happiness. Then comes the interesting part: keeping your resolution."

This book is a happiness project made by Gretchen Rubin, what she tried to change in her life and what she learned. She created a 12-month project, with different resolution in each one. In this book, the 12 areas she wanted to cover for her happiness project: Vitality, Marriage, Work, Parenthood, Leisure, Friendship, Money, Eternity, Books, Mindfulness, Attitude, and Happiness. She constantly remind the readers that her happiness project may differ from our needs. But her happiness project is trying to inspire people in trying to be happier....

Read the full review here:
http://www.thebookielooker.com/2013/0...

Liz Carpenter

An easy, enjoyable read with a lot of food for thought.

Erin Noel

Gretchen takes one year to focus on 12 areas of happiness--nothing official, but each one has importance to her (which you'll learn is the most important thing to honoring your personal happiness). Each month she focuses on one of the twelve so it proved valuable to spend time with the ones I was most curious about and speed read others. I think the message that resonated most for me in this book was "Be [put your name here]". It's unfortunately so easy to confuse my happiness with things that others believe should make me happy, so it reminded me to be true myself and let go of things I've been carrying around with me that aren't an authentic part of who I am. Simple right?!

Chris Aldrich

This popped up a few weeks ago in my little free library, and expecting that it fell into a similar category as my friend P.M. Forni's works, I thought I'd give it a quick read. Given the title, it certainly wasn't being marketed to me directly, but I suspect the writer lost the battle with the publisher for giving it a more sophisticated subtitle.

In particular, it comes out in the category of books fashioned from tying together ideas from a commonplace book(s). It's well written and covers a broad variety of ideas and research, which most are unlikely to be aware. 

It's a bit more prescriptive and accessible to most in comparison to Thinking, Fast and Slow, though I prefer the later for its depth. I was somewhat disappointed that her references were primarily from writers living after the 1400's while I initially expected to see more material from 400 BCE to 500AD, but one can obtain many of these from the aforementioned P.M. Forni references. I was disappointed that her one passing mention of eudaimonia was for its simple existence as a word rather than for its relation to the thesis of the overarching text.

Having read many of her references including having been a fan and proponent of Benjamin Franklin's system for several decades, I didn't learn too many ideas I wasn't previously aware of, though it did make for a relatively interesting biography, in great part because of a large overlap in my interests and the author's.

I ran across many poor reviews of the work which seemed to focus on the writer's privileged background and her choice to write on this particular topic. I find this generally disingenuous as I seriously doubt any of these critics would have leveled similar barbs at any of the better known philosophers from ancient Greece onward and every one of those authors also held positions of power, prestige, and/or wealth. The real difference between the groups of writers is that this is a meta-analysis and general recipe for a modern approach to happiness while prior efforts by the classical writers were generally of a more straightforward philosophical bent. 

I wasn't a fan of the inserted comments from the author's blog as a general narrative construct, though they did serve to provide additional ideas outside of the direct sphere of the author's experience to give unimaginative readers ideas about how they could use the advice to structure their own program.

As very few are aware of and even fewer have tried to implement Franklin's system, I could easily recommend this to a variety of people, though given the title and the marketing viewpoint of the book, I'm not sure many would take the content as seriously as they ought. I would rarely read, much less recommend a "self-help" title, but though I wish the references to the science of happiness were more thorough here there is some great underlying scientific material, so I would recommend this to anyone who wants to contempalate how to live a happier life.

Charlie de Zeeuw

I have seen many negative comments on this book, so I shall record my own opinion as well.
The happiness project was a personal resolution for Gretchen, therefore it can't be seen as a self help book as much as a guidance you can use to create your own path toward happiness. It comes with some great advice, sources to other similar books and information, and a wonderfully realistic flow in progress in a very day to day woman. I am 17, struggling with happiness during a lockdown in this pandemic, and I could use some strategies to find my own way toward a more pleasing life.

This book may not be literature, or the thing any person enjoys, but I did. The advice is solid, you see a person's growth and it inspires you, and the lay out is just generally enjoyable for a casual good read.

Zoe Smolen

I wanted to read this book for quite a while, but I'm not sure what I thought about it now that I've finished it. The book and its premis was interesting, but I'm not sure the premise would work for everyone. Granted, Rubin does state numerous times that "Everyones happiness project would be different, so she was aware of the fact that what worked for her might not work for others. There were some interesting ideas in the book however, but there were also a lot of person specific ones. Overall, it was an interesting read, and spawned some ideas in me, but it was much more person specific than I was expecting.

Amy Arthun Lorton 

It was the strangest thing- when this book was sitting on my nightstand I had no desire to pick it up. When I forced myself to pick it up, I enjoyed it and highlighted quotes on happiness like crazy. But then it would sit on my nightstand and I again had no desire to pick it up. I still haven't finished it but I can't say that I'm actively reading it.

Enfys J. Book

I was a bit disappointed in this one, because the author herself is a bit ascerbic and borderline entitled. She is starting from a position of socioeconomic privilege, with a job she loves that allows her to stay at home with her kids, which puts her at a distinct advantage compared to others. Not only that, there's some coginitive dissonance between her mantra of "Be Gretchen" and her constantly having to check herself and act differently than she was accustomed or wanted to.

But...does the book have merit? Yes. Just go into it with a slightly critical eye. I think a lot of her ideas are good ones, but at the same time she takes on an overwhelming amount of things to do each month, which may be discouraging to readers wanting to attempt their own happiness projects. She does admit that every happiness project will be different, though, so bear that in mind.

The Happiness Project

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