“An enlightening, laugh-aloud read. . . . Filled with open, honest glimpses into [Rubin’s] real life, woven together with constant doses of humor.”—Christian Science Monitor

Gretchen Rubin’s year-long experiment to discover how to create true happiness. Drawing on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world examples, Rubin delivers an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation.

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, 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.

As an added bonus, this recording includes a sampling of Gretchen’s podcast, Happier With Gretchen Rubin. In this episode, "Choose the Bigger Life," Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth Craft, discuss happiness, good habits, and whether Gretchen is going to get a dog.

Listening Length

10 hours and 15 minutes
Author

Gretchen Rubin
Narrator

Gretchen Rubin
Audible release date

Dec 29 2009
Language

English
Publisher

HarperAudio
ASIN

B071NYYNKH
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	10 hours and 15 minutes
Author	Gretchen Rubin
Narrator	Gretchen Rubin
Audible.ca Release Date	December 29 2009
Publisher	HarperAudio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B071NYYNKH
Best Sellers Rank	#4,075 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #284 in Happiness (Books) #414 in Biographies & Memoirs (Audible Books & Originals) #465 in Personal Success

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

6,172 global ratings

5 star		56%
4 star		24%
3 star		12%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Hollow and unengaging

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 10, 2012

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The idea of this book seemed at first compelling enough for me to buy it, but as I went from chapter to chapter, I found it more difficult to read on. Although no doubt genuine, the author comes across as a bit self-obsessed. Now, in all fairness there's a bit of that in all of us, especially if you're going to buy this book. You're most likely buying it because you're searching for ways to increase your own happiness. Fair enough. Overall though, the writing is unengaging and like listening to someone talk about themselves for hours - just not in an interesting way. Phrases like 'studies show' and quoting statistics were already old by page 40.

Chapter after chapter, I kept giving it a try and ultimately grew bored of her rambling. And yet, this is meant to be a #1 Best Seller? That's definitely a sign of the politics involved in choosing what's a best seller because it's definitely not based on the writing style. If you want to read something that is introspective and yet eloquently written, read Thoreau, Krishnamurti or Gibran.

After giving up on the book, I researched the author (and found out that she is the daughter of Robert Rubin, the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton administrations), and both she and her husband are multimillionaires. I'm not suggesting that if one is swimming in cash that they don't have a right to search for happiness, but at the same time, when _that_ privileged, with hired help keeping your house clean and minding your children, I can't say I feel too much empathy as you stare out your New York high society home, trying to find ways to cope with how difficult your life seems to be. I applaud what are probably true efforts in finding meaning and happiness but reading someone's ramblings, basically a published journal, can be painful and dull. After a short while, each chapter was a let down. The insights seemed shallow and unmoving.

I can't help but feel her financial and political status was the driving force behind this being considered a #1 Best Seller, because, quite plainly, I don't think it would have attained that status based solely on the merit of the writing.

58 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

The book came before expected

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 30, 2022

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The book came before expected and was in excellent shape

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amazon#1fan

Amazing Purchase!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 8, 2012

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I recently purchased The Happiness Project after a friend had recommened it to me and I am so glad that I did! This is a wonderful book that helps remind you of the "little" things in life that bring us joy or helps you find them in case you've forgot. It is also a reminder that we can create our own happiness no matter what your situation may be....if you have a dream you have longed for then only you can make it a reality, even if it seems out of reach, by taking baby steps YOU CAN make it happen! I had lost my way for awhile and this book is helping me find my way back one day and one page at a time.

One person found this helpful

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pretty boring.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on March 13, 2015

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i saw a lot of people reading this book so i jumped on the bandwagon and bought it myself. I have to admit though I'm having trouble getting through it. Not stoked about the way it's written and I find it bland and kind of uninspiring. I always finish a book when I start it so I WILL finish this one.. it just might take me a while. It's definitenly not a "can't put it down book" but I guess there are some lessons in it. I find it's like a university essay paper with WAY too many references to other books and philosophers and blah blah blah. probably won't recommend it to others. sorry Gretchen.

3 people found this helpful

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Stacey - Sexual Violence Educator

Honest and thought provoking

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 12, 2021

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I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I recommend reading it one chapter at a time and not trying to duplicate what Gretchen did, but think about what you can do to be a happier person.

One person found this helpful

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italianqueen

From Happiness to Boredom

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 7, 2012

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When I first started reading this book, I thought it was great! The idea and the first few chapters had great tips and facts within them. I loved it so much, I recommended the book to my mother who also bought it. It inspired me to change things in my own life, and gave me a different frame of mind with regards to certain subjects.

However, the rest of the book was a disappointed. After such a strong beginning, the book started to get repetitive with the same phrases being used over and over again. She began to ramble more, and I started to lose interest fast. My mother also agreed, and ended up skipping to the last chapter just to see if anything changed.

I think there is some good information in the book, but it shouldn't have been a best seller.

One person found this helpful

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Sandra

Riding the fence-hence the 3 or 2.5 to be more exact.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 17, 2011

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I decided not to finish it. It maybe wasnt what I expected or hoped for more than anything. I found her to be a bit controlling and self absorbed but I am glad for her that her project worked to make her a happier person. It was just not what I expected. It seems though that others really liked it. The idea of creating a happiness project is good and I probably got more out of the title than the actual book itself. I am riding the fence on this one I guess and wishing I had saved the money for a Dalia lama book. :)

8 people found this helpful

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Alli Saunders

Even if it think you're happy read this

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 5, 2017

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Love this book. It's one of the top five books I recommend to anyone. Even if you consider yourself a happy person this book is worth reading. The author does monthly experiments around different areas of life that make people happy and she shares the benefits of each. Love her podcast too. This is a book you'll read more than once and lend out to friends.

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Top reviews from other countries

Ark

If you are married with kids then you can relate ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 26, 2017

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If you are married with kids then you can relate, if not, it's hard to follow along with this project. Particularly, if not having family and kids in your life is the cause of your unhappiness.

51 people found this helpful

Ian Murdoch

A well put together diary of how to be happy! :-)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 7, 2015

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I have to admit that after reading one or two of the reviews of this book I started reading with a preconceived notion that the author was just another writer who was "jumping on the band wagon" of the self help, how-to-be-happy genre. I'm happy to report that I was wrong. This is a fabulous book with A LOT of content. I particularly enjoyed Gretchen's willingness to admit her failures as well as her successes, and to present her family warts and all.

Will this book make you happy? It very well might help you along the road. Your life will be different to Gretchen's, as mine is, but the lessons are very easy to pick out and there's a lot of supporting material on-line from the author's blog and other sites. You'll be glad to know there is no on-line course or seminar to attend at the end of the book, so you can rest easy. There is an on-line community to engage with if you find yourself wanting to take things further.

Gretchen is clearly a successful and professional individual and a talented writer. The book is well organized, well structured, and very well written. It's an easy read, but is packed with info, and is great on detail. I'm glad I read it, and happy I was wrong in my initial impressions. :-)

25 people found this helpful

Claire King

Occasionally useful but long winded by a self indulgent writer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 11, 2021

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I bought this book on a recommendation. I’m an avid and fast reader of many types of books but I found this one to be a slog. There’s many, many quotes by famous thinkers in history peppered throughout - especially Samuel Johnson which is fine but seemed to be used to excess at times.
The positives: it’s no surprise that there are some useful tips to take on board within these pages. They may well lead you to be more mindful and focussed on your personal growth. It’s obvious the author has done extensive research and has a passionate interest in this field too.
The negatives: I realise this was an experiment by the author but I found it to be really self indulgent on her behalf. I imagine she’s not an easy person to be around! Also a lot of her tips seemed fairly obvious to me. I read fast but this book seemed to take me an age to get through - I just felt quite disengaged by it.
As I mentioned there are some useful tips like the personal commandments and the resolutions chart but I was expecting better (based on the reviews) but thought it a little dull. I’m glad I’ve finished it!

Cara Bennett

Trite. Not a good use of your reading time.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 7, 2016

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Trite. I ended up skim-reading most of it because it was just not worth my time. This Upper East Side (read: wealthy New Yorker) mum of two's year-long project to increase her happiness is utterly disappointing. The concept is great, but her personal approach to and journey towards happiness are not only uninspiring, they are potentially harmful. I have a lot in common with Ms Rubin - perfectionism, countless project ideas, and a desire to catalog every moment of life resulting in enormous amounts of files, lists, scrapbooks, memory boxes etc. The perfectionism, attachment, and obsessiveness which feed into this, are things which many people - myself included - are trying to COUNTER as part of self-improvement. Ms Rubin, on the other hand, massively expands her to-do-lists, cataloging, and ongoing project commitments because in her head happiness is bred by success which is bred by productivity. There are far far wiser people out there - I thoroughly enjoyed Authentic Happiness, Flow, and Learned Optimism. (on a different note, Rubin's biography of Winston Churchill is 5*).

14 people found this helpful

Jessica

Both personable and great advice

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 3, 2020

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This book was our choice for June's bookclub and I wasn't too excited after our last self-help book was rubbish. But wow, I loved this so much. I identified with so much of what she was saying so it was really interesting to examine some of my character traits and give so much brainpower to exploring my own happiness. The book ends with a helpful list of resources if you're interested in creating your own happiness project, so don't just stop when the main story ends!
Based on Gretchen's approach, I've been able to give some real thought into organising my own goals and resolutions and how I can take my random "oh I wish I loved going to the gym" and "I always wanted to try pottery" thoughts and rephrase and coordinate them a proper, actionable plan. The July/August chart is now stuck to the fridge. Let's see if I can make it the whole year!

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