Happiness Project

Can Being A Parent Make You Happier?

Todd Kashdan | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Zombies, Working Mothers, Meaning, Motherhood, Positive Psychology, Happiness Project, Stay at Home Mothers, Happiness, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Parents News

Raven (5 years old): Dad, we love you, even if you yell at us. Even if you rip out our eyeballs, we still love you. Chloe (5 years old): Are you going to die soon?

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15 Websites That Will Make You Smile Right Now

Amy Neumann | Posted 04.26.2012

Read More: Ted, Uplifting News, Social Good, Positive News, Good News, Happiness Project, Tiny Buddha, Zen Habits, Impact News

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. ~ James M. Barrie There is no shortage of news these days, ever...

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Want To Be Happier? Write Your Own Set Of Personal Commandments

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Happiness, Creativity, List Writing, Commandments, Be Happy, Gretchen Rubin, Values, Happiness Commandments, Being Happy, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Spirituality, Healthy Living News

Each person's list will differ. One person's commandment is to "Say yes," another person's commandment is to "Say no." You need to think about yourself, your values, your strengths and weaknesses, your interests.

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WATCH: Art Project Aims To Change The World, One Swing At A Time

Posted 08.15.2011

Read More: Video, Jeff Waldman, The Awesome Foundation, Public Art, Swings, Awesome Foundation, Swings Video, Happiness Project, Swings Los Angeles, Los Angeles News

Jeff Waldman is trying to change the world, one swing at a time. Waldman and his team have installed simple rope and wood swings in the Marshall Is...

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13 Tips for Dealing with a Really Lousy Day

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Unhappiness, Relationships, Happiness, Happiness Project, Goals for Happiness, Happiness Tips, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

We've all had terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days. Here are some strategies I use for coping with a lousy day.

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Make A Joke Of It: Difficult, But Effective

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, Sense of Humor, Happiness Tips, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

Although we often assume that feelings inspire actions, in fact, actions also inspire feelings. By pushing myself to act happier, I make myself feel happier.

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Balanced Life: Be Nice, It Matters

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Kindness, Happiness, Be Kind, Happiness Advice, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Be Nice, Healthy Living News

I was about to get a promotion. My boss said sternly, "Be polite and be fair. Then you'll do fine." I've always remembered that.

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8 Pieces of Advice From My Sister, the Sage

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

My sister Elizabeth Craft is a sage. Every time I talk to her, I keep a pen and paper handy so I can write down her words of wisdom.

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Trying to Make a Tough Decision? Try Asking Yourself the 5 Fateful Questions

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Decisions, Decision-Making, Choice, Goals, Happiness, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Decision Making, Healthy Living News

When I'm reluctant to take a risk or face something uncomfortable, I ask myself these five questions. They help me think clearly about a situation.

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Balanced Life -- 5 Tips for Happiness Inspired by a Family Vacation

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Ghappy, Gretchen Rubin, Happiness Project, Happiness Tips, Gretchen Rubin Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

It's hard to remember the lessons I've learned. For that reason, because I'm going away on my family vacation next week, I went back to see what I wrote last August's vacation.

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Throw Away Other People's Trash, or, How to Boost Your Self-Esteem

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Self-Esteem, Happiness, Random Acts of Kindness, Happiness Tips, Self Esteem, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News

The best way to feel better about yourself is to do something worthy of your own respect.

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Life Got You Down? Frame Your Problem

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

When you're annoyed or frustrated, ask yourself, "What exactlyis the problem here?" This rule seems so obvious that it's hard to explain why it's so tremendously helpful.

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Reconsider the Rules of Thumb You Use in Everyday Life

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Heuristics, Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Is, Finding Happiness, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News

My adventures in happiness research led me to the concept of heuristics. Heuristics are "rules of thumb," the quick, common sense principles people apply to solve a problem or make a decision.

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5 Common Happiness Mistakes: 'Boosters' That Do More Harm Than Good

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Be Happy, The Happiness Project, Happiness Project, Happiness Tips, Healthy Living News

I've found out from long experience that several of the most popular strategies for boosting happiness don't actually work very well in the long term.

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Balanced Life: Buddhism Has 8 Auspicious Symbols. What Are Yours?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Be Happy, Happiness Tips, Being Happy, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News

It was Buddhism that inspired me to write my Four Splendid Truths (after I formulated the First Splendid Truth, I just had to assume that I'd end up with more than one).

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Balanced Life: Want To Be Happier? Avoid False Choices

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, Being Happy, Happiness Project, Happiness Advice, Healthy Living News

I think false choices are tempting for a couple of reasons. The way you set up the options usually makes it obvious that one choice is the high-minded, reasonable, laudable choice, and one is not.

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Balanced Life -- Beware of Fake-Work and Make-Work

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: How to Be Happy, Work Productivity, Happiness Tips, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News

I remind myself that all work isn't created equally. Just because I'm busy doesn't mean that I'm being productive.

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Overcoming My Fear on the Road to Happiness

Randy Taran | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: The Happiness Project, Women and Happiness, Pursuit of Happiness, OWN Network, Oprah, The Hap, Happiness Project, Happiness Tips, Happy Place, Video, Healthy Living News

Ask yourself, what is the scariest thing that you could do? For me, it's revealing what's most important me, to a large group of people. Not only did I not seek out these opportunities, I ran from them!

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Balanced Life -- 5 Tips for Improving Monday Mornings

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Mood, Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin, Healthy Living News

I've talked to several people about how they deal with Mondays. Their different answers illustrate a common point: the importance of self-awareness.

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Balanced Life -- Clear a Surface

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: How to Be Happy, Dealing With Stress, Stress Relief, Happiness Tips, Getchen Rubin, Happiness Project, Stress Tips, Gretchen Rubin Huffpost, Healthy Living News

For most people, outer order contributes to inner calm; a messy coat closet is clearly a very trivial element in life, yet clearing out that messy coat closet gives a disproportionately large happiness boost.

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Quiz: Are YOU the Annoying One?

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness Study, How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, Being Happy, Gretchen Rubin, Happiness Project, Women and Happiness, Healthy Living News

We all see the world through our own eyes, and it can be hard to recognize how our words and actions appear to other people.

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10 Easy Ways to Be Happy Now: Exercising the Happiness Muscle

Randy Taran | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness Methods, How to Be Happy, The Happiness Project, Pursuit of Happiness, Women and Happiness, Happiness Tips, The Hap, Happiness Project, Happy Place, Healthy Living News

How can we develop that happiness muscle, and start pumping up our happiness? Here are 10 easy tips that can make a real difference.

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Balanced Life: Think About Your Routines -- Daily, Weekly, Yearly

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: Happiness Tips, Christopher Alexander, Happiness, How to Be Happy, Happiness Project, Healthy Living News

One of my Secrets of Adulthood is "What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while." But it's easy to kid myself about what I do every day, and what I do once in a while.

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Want to Feel Happier? Listen to a Favorite Song

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 11.17.2011

Read More: How to Be Happy, Happiness Tips, Happiness Music, Happiness Project, Happiness, Healthy Living News

Research demonstrates - and everyday experience confirms - that one of the simplest, easiest ways to boost your mood and your energy is to listen to your favorite upbeat music.

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No Hoax: the Happiness Class at Harvard

Claudia Ricci | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Happiness Class, Harvard, Happiness Project, Happiness, College News

A reader emailed me shortly after my piece on happiness appeared here the other day. Apparently, there is a class on happiness taught at Harvard -- it's the most popular class on that august Cambridge campus.

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