Do you want to be happier? Of course, you do. Everyone wants to be happy. But what is happiness, exactly? And how can we achieve that in our everyday life? These are some of the questions that historical biographer, Gretchen Rubin seeks to answer in her book, The Happiness Project.


After a bus-ride epiphany, Rubin decided she would embark on a 12-month quest to become happier and more fulfilled. Beginning with a ‘resolutions chart’, each chapter covers a different area of improvement for the month and within that, simple, tangible steps to achieve that goal. For example, in the month of “Marriage”, some of Rubin’s goals are as simple as ‘quit nagging’ but hold an unexpected weight in communicating and showing affection with your partner. In the month of leisure, some objectives could be practicing yoga or meditation, going on a daily walk, or reading your favorite book.


The casual and personable tone makes it accessible and easy to read, more like a warm embrace than a thoroughly researched book. In addition, although the author referenced many studies and psychological terms, she never goes into enough depth to cite these studies or elaborate on said research. Many readers may be relieved by the lack of psychology jargon although I feel that it might’ve made for a more interesting read. The self-help is not extraordinary or particularly unique, but it can be life-changing to be reminded of the things that we understand deep within ourselves; real happiness and real change is not caused by accident. It is a product of the time, effort, and mindfulness we put in to being content and learning to take pleasure in the small things, both by enjoying these things ourselves and sharing it with others.