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

by Gretchen Rubin
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 cover
Good Books rating 3.88
Self-Help and Personal Development
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  • ID: 3211
  • Added: 2025-10-17
  • Updated: 2025-10-23
  • ISBN: 9780062474247
  • Publisher: HarperCollins
  • Published: 2015-12-29
  • Reviews: 4

The Happiness Project is a captivating account of Gretchen Rubin's year-long experiment to discover what truly leads to happiness. Combining cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and practical advice, Rubin offers an insightful and inspiring guide to personal transformation. /n/n Praised for its relatable and engaging style, this book is a cross between the Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love. Rubin's exploration of happiness is not just theoretical; it's a deeply personal journey that readers can relate to and apply to their own lives.

Reviews
The Literary Lioness · The Literary Lioness · 2025-10-17
thought-provoking 3.50

Rubin's realization that she was not truly happy despite having a perfect life is a compelling starting point. The book offers a unique perspective on happiness and personal growth.

The Literary Lioness found Gretchen Rubin's realization that she was not truly happy despite having a seemingly perfect life to be a compelling starting point for the book. They appreciated Rubin's intellectual curiosity and her willingness to explore different aspects of happiness through personal experiments. The reviewer noted that the book offers a unique perspective on happiness and personal growth, making it a valuable read for anyone looking to improve their own well-being. They highlighted Rubin's ability to blend personal storytelling with broader insights, making the book both engaging and thought-provoking.

Quick quotes

    Gretchen Rubin realized that she had not accomplished true happiness.

    Rubin realized that despite having a seemingly 'perfect' life she was not as happy as she could be.

    The book offers a unique perspective on happiness and personal growth.

Lesser Joke · 2017-03-26
inspiring 3.50

The book is a unique blend of self-help and memoir, offering a personal account of Rubin's journey to happiness.

Lesser Joke found 'The Happiness Project' to be a unique blend of self-help and memoir. They appreciated Rubin's personal account of her journey to happiness, which they found both inspiring and practical. The reviewer noted that the book's structure makes it easy to apply the lessons to one's own life. They also highlighted that the book's blend of genres makes it stand out from typical self-help books.

Quick quotes

    Ultimately, her book about the experience falls somewhere in between these two viewpoints, a strange blend of self-help book and memoir.

    It keeps this book concise, clear, and easy to apply to my own life.

    I am now inspired to start my own Happiness Project.

Green Groundswell · 2013-01-11
insightful 4.00

The narrative is both thoughtful and entertaining, offering a unique perspective on the various facets of happiness. The insights shared are practical and relatable, making it an engaging read.

Green Groundswell found Gretchen Rubin's exploration of happiness to be both insightful and enjoyable. The book is structured in a way that makes it easy to follow Rubin's personal journey, and her reflections on happiness are both thought-provoking and practical. The reviewer appreciated the balance between personal anecdotes and broader insights, making it a relatable and engaging read. They highlighted how Rubin's experiences and experiments with happiness can inspire readers to reflect on their own lives and make positive changes.

Quick quotes

    Rubin delivered a thoughtful and entertaining narrative on what she views as the facets of happiness.

    She shared her happiness journey in a way that is both relatable and inspiring.

    The book is a great blend of personal story and broader insights into happiness.

Year of Reading My Books · 2011-12-27
inspiring 4.50

The book is a mix of challenges and successes, all of which are worth the read. The personal experiences shared are both fantastic and unsuccessful, but ultimately valuable.

The reviewer from Year of Reading My Books appreciated the honesty and variety in Rubin's experiences throughout the book. They noted that while some of Rubin's attempts to increase happiness were successful, others were not, but all were valuable in their own way. The reviewer found the book to be a compelling read, filled with personal anecdotes that are both relatable and inspiring. They highlighted the importance of Rubin's willingness to share both her successes and failures, making the book a realistic and practical guide to finding happiness.

Quick quotes

    Throughout the book, she describes her challenges, successes, and experiences – some fantastic, some unsuccessful, but in total, all worth it.

    Her journey is filled with personal anecdotes that are both relatable and inspiring.

    The book is a realistic and practical guide to finding happiness.

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