Happy People: 438 Secrets of Happy People From the Book of Proverbs

Computers can help bring people together, and nowhere is that more important than for people who are constantly being moved apart. For example, computers allow access to e-mail, and these instant messages are becoming crucial to military families, who often have to live apart from one another and who even more regularly must settle in new communities apart from their friends.

Melody, a fifth-grader whose father is in the army, has recent- ly lived in Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, and Colorado. While she finds it hai'd to always move away and sometimes watch friends move away, her computer lets her stay in touch with friends who are scattered across the country.

The army has found that computers have made military relo- cations a little bit easier for the entire family because they can use the computer to find out about their new home and to stay in touch with friends they are leaving behind. Sherer 80 42 Try to think less about the people and things that bother you. There are an infinite number of things you could spend your time thinking about, but many of us concentrate great attention on those things that we find most upsetting. Don't ignore what both- ers you, but don't focus on it to the exclusion of the things you enjoy. Ralph owns the corner lot on a crowded Chicago block.

He counts his immediate neighbors as friends. One of his neigh- bors is also his family doctor. The problem is access to backyards. The houses are right on top of each other, and the only way any of his neighbors can drive to their backyards is through Ralph's yard. But Ralph often parks his car' in his yard, which blocks the path of any of his neighbors to their yards.

They can walk to their yards, they just can't drive there. Do they really need to drive to their backyards? Not very often, but the fact that they couldn't because Ralph's car was in the way irritated some of them. Ralph said the rule gives them the right to walk through his backyard, not drive through it. These friends and neighbors soon became neither, for they got together — including the family doctor — and sued Ralph for auto access to their backyards.

Relationships deteriorated, all because no one was prepared to sacrifice something that wasn't really important for the sake of peace and friendship. Scott and McIntosh 82 43 Keep your family close. As family members scatter across the country, it becomes easy to forget to include them in your thoughts and in your time. Keep up the contact, share with your family the news of your life. They want to know, and you will feel better if your bond is maintained.

Her mother recalls the time sadly: I wanted her to pursue her dreams, but I didn't want to lose her. I didn't process it. I felt it was her problem. Over time, Sally's mother showed less and less concern for Sally's decisions. Sally worried that her mother did not care, and their relationship remained as distant as their locations.

Then, Sally realized that beneath the initial concern and her mother's more recent reaction, was the same thing: Sally and her mother communicate regularly, and Sally cherishes the opportunity to visit her hometown. Sally cautions that both those who leave and those who stay have to remember that being apart does not have to mean being distant from each other.

Studies that examine the importance of family to senior citizens as compared to adults not yet entering middle age show family relationships to be an equally crucial component of life satisfac- tion for both age groups. O'Connor 84 44 Eat some fruit every day. Fruit eaters feel good about what they eat, are less interested in eat- ing junk food, and ultimately feel better about themselves. Have you noticed that even though there are magazines that you would never buy and never go out of your way to read, you will pick them up when you're stuck in a waiting room?

Out of desperation and convenience, we accept things that do not appeal to us. The same applies to what we eat. Often it's like we're in that waiting room, going for the first food we see. Keep fruit in the house, and eat it as a snack. It's easy, it's cheap, it requires no preparation time, and it's great for you. Study after study shows the physical benefits of eating fruit, and now we know it has emotional benefits as well. Our bodies crave sweet tastes, which originally was an evolutionary advantage, for it led early humans to consume more fruit. Only in modern times, when sugary sweets have become available to us, has our taste for sweets had negative consequences.

Heatey and Thombs 86 45 Enjoy what you have. People who are satisfied appreciate what they have in life and don't woiry about how it compares to what others have. Valuing what you have over what you do not or cannot have leads to greater hap- piness.

Four-year-old Alice runs to the Chris t mas tree and sees won- derful presents beneath it. No doubt she has received fewer presents than some of her friends, and probably she has not received some of the things she most wanted. But at that moment, she doesn't stop to think why aren't there more pres- ents or to wonder what she may have asked for that she didn't get. Instead, she marvels at the treasures before her. When we think about our lives, too often we think about what we don't have and what we didn't get.

But such a focus denies us pleasure. You wouldn't sit next to the Christmas tree and remind Alice that there were presents she didn't receive. Why remind yourself of the things in life you don't have when you could remind yourself of what you do have? People who like what they have, how- ever, are twice as likely to be happy as those who actually have the most. Sirgy, Cole, Kosenko, and Meadow 46 Think in concrete terms. We need to be able to measure our progress, to know that things are improving.

You can't accomplish an abstract goal, because you'll never be sure if you're finished or not. I want to be a better parent. I want to be a better friend. Many of us have these kinds of hopes — vague hopes. The problem with these kinds of ideas is that they are not specific. They include no step-by-step direc- tions and no outcomes. You want to be a better worker. Well, what does that mean?

How does someone do that? How will you know if you've succeeded or not? StarQuest is a consulting firm in Houston that teaches goal setting — specifically, how to make your goals clear and direct. They advise you to think about what you care about, and then think about what you can actually do to accomplish that. You might set as your goals: Here your goals come with built-in directions. These are goals that 89 The 1 00 Simple Secrets of Happy People you can work toward and successfully complete. Completing any goal we set for ourselves improves our confidence and satis- faction and steadies us for the future.

Perceptions that life is meaningful, and therefore worthwhile, increase 16 percent with concrete thinking. Lindeman and Verkasalo 90 47 Be socially supportive. Tate the time to help, comfort, or just be with those you care about when they are in need.

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You will feel good about your efforts, and it will bring you an even closer relationship. Sarah wasn't sure she could make it through all her high school courses, then to college, on her way to a goal of becom- ing a teacher. Often it took her longer than any of her class- mates to finish readings and assignments, and every step along the way was arduous.

Her friends spent many days helping Sarah, especially with her readings. On graduation night Sarah, soon bound for an Ivy League school, thanked those friends fa' their help, faith, and support. She spoke to her classmates as the first blind valedictorian in school history. The need for support or the number of problems individuals face is a less strong predictor of their happiness than the amount of su pport available to them. Jou and Fukada 91 48 Don't blame yourself. When things go poorly, we sometimes start a list of ways we failed, ways we caused the problem. This kind of thinking not only can upset us, it also can keep us from being able to function.

The truth is that any situation is the result of some things that are in your control and some things that are out of your control. Don't delude yourself into thinking a bad situation is completely of your making. Remember, it makes more sense to deal with outcomes than with fault. The flood is spreading across the kitchen floor, heading for the living room. You think to yourself. Why did 1 have to do the dishes right now? Or, If I had washed the dishes by hand, this wouldn't be happening.

If I had waited to use the dishwasher tomorrow, it wouldn't be ruining my night now. It's obvious, if only I had sense enough to see the facts. Why did I even buy this dishwasher? I bet if I had gone with a different model, it wouldn't be flooding my kitchen right now! When things go wrong we look to lay blame, and often we look in the m ir ror.

Mental Health find that many of us fall victim to the "everything is my fault" approach to life. These thoughts do not fix the problem. These thoughts do not make anything better. Blame is about the past; a plan of action to fix a problem is about the future. Happiness does not depend on how many bad things happen to an individual. What is more important is whether an individ- ual tends to make negative conclusions about him- or herself when negative events occur. Individuals who think of themselves as the cause of negative events are 43 percent less likely to be satisfied than individuals who do not.

Panos 93 49 Be a peacemaker. If your friends or family members are upset with one another, you will feel their unhappiness. Try to be the voice of reason and recon- ciliation.

438 Secrets of Happy People from the Book of Proverbs

Nellie and Cindy are sisters from northern California. They were close all their lives, and they even decided to move in together to share Nellie's house. And then the phone bill came. Nellie received what she called the biggest phone bill of her life and immediately confronted her sister.

Cindy looked at the bill and said that most of the calls weren't hers; they must have been placed by Nellie. Words escalated, until the tension between the sisters com- pletely eclipsed their familial bonds. The rest of their family members felt unco mf ortable in their presence and began to avoid them rather than dying to help them through the difficulty.

With no compromise in sight, Nellie sued her own sister in small claims court. The family was exasperated with the both of them. And even while Nellie won the case, she lost her sister. The passive avoidance of problems between loved ones re- duces contentment by 15 percent. To keep in contact and main- tain happiness, difficulties must be faced rather than avoided. Simpson 95 50 Cherish animals.

Animals have so much to teach us about love. The closer we get to animals, the more joy they give us. She has tried all kinds of things to brighten the days for her senior citizens. What works better than anything else is dogs. The local animal shelter brings in a vanload of small dogs every Thursday afternoon, and the seniors immediately smile. The dogs offer unconditional love, and the residents of the nurs- ing home, who often feel isolated and withdrawn, take that love and are energized by it.

Softened by the love, they return it right back to their furry friends. Blank faces come alive, and eyes uncloud. Those with a loved pet are 22 percent more likely to feel satisfied than those without. Barofsky and Rowan 97 51 Make your work a calling. If you see your work as only a job, then it's dragging you away from what you really want to be doing. If you see it as a calling, then it is no longer a toiling sacrifice.

Instead, it becomes an expression of you, a pail of you. Victor is a motorman for the Chicago Transit Authority. Five days a week he's running an elevated train on the Red Line. Victor stands out in the minds of the people who ride his train because of a notable and unusual trait: Don't lean against the doors, I don't want to lose you," he tells passengers over the intercom as the train departs.

As the train makes its way north, Victor points out notable sites, including which connecting buses are waiting in the street below. Why does Victor have such a positive approach to his job? Among those who felt control, life satisfaction was 28 percent higher than among those who did not. Thakar and Misra 99 52 Never trade your morals for your goals. People who compromise what they believe in to satisfy their goals wind up dissatisfied with their accomplishments. If you do not believe yourself to be moral, satisfaction is unattainable.

His trans- gression was that he had faked all the documents in his applica- tion: His fake application looked so good that Yale admitted him. The student actually did well in his classes and was nearing graduation. How did he get caught? He simply could not keep quiet about his fake application, even though his real course work was about to get him a degree. The fact that his achievement would always be predicated on a lie made it no achievement at all. People who feel they lack morals report they are half as likely to feel happy compared to those who feel they are moral.

Garrett 53 Don't pretend to ignore things your loved ones do that bother you. In the name of being agreeable, some people by to avoid areas that might cause dissension. But with our loved ones, this sbategy sometimes makes us uncomfortable. We can feel unappreciated because we have made a sacrifice but nobody thanks us for it. Sometimes we feel angry because this problem doesn't go away. Raise the subject of your disagreement, but do so lovingly and con- structively, not with anger or aggression.

Mary is a hairdresser. Her sister Kim is a banker. Normally, this is of little importance to Mary. But Mary's mother intro- duces her daughters to friends this way: Her sister's a banker, though. Why does her mother have to focus on her daughters' occupa- tions and then say it in a way that makes it sound like she's dis- appointed in Mary's work?

Inevitably, when Mary visits her mother, her mother com- plains that Mary is unfriendly or "too down. She was proud of both of her daughters, and she didn't intend to make it seem that her daughters' occupations were what mattered to her.

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In relationships, those who feel they can freely communicate their concerns and needs to their partner are 40 percent more likely to feel satisfied than those who do not. Ferroni and Me 54 Get a good night's sleep. Don't skimp on sleep. A fall night's rest is fuel for the following day. Rested people feel they work better and are more comfortable when the day is over.

A study found that workers in the Northeast were 3 percent more productive than they had been on Tuesdays the autumn before. Monday night football came on an hour earli- er in , and more men got a decent night's sleep as a result. Instead of games lasting past midnight, in games tended to end before 1 1: Sleep is such an easy thing to trade away to IV, to work, to anything. Sleep seems like the bottomless bank account we can never overdraw. But a good night's sleep pays dividends in every aspect of our lives. For those who sleep less than eight hours, every hour of sleep sacrificed results in an 8 percent less positive feeling about their day.

Pilcher and Ott 55 Buy what you like. Don't accumulate possessions for the sake of having a lot of stuff. On the other hand, don't deny yourself something that you really want or need. If you buy things that are important to you, you can appreciate them every day and won't feel the need to fill your home with eveiy item at the mall. In a single year, Americans buy over 17 billion articles of clothing. Americans buy so much new clothing that eveiy year we give over million pounds of clothing away to the Salvation Army alone.

Americans buy so much new clothing, and so quickly discard anything that is worn, that the federal government has reclassified sewing machines' place in econom- ic growth measurements from the "apparel and upkeep" catego- ry to the "recreation" categoiy. Many of us accumulate so far beyond our needs that we can- not use nearly all of what we have. In those cases, we are spend- ing more, but getting less, because the things we buy don't real- ly serve our needs or purposes.

Other people go to the opposite extreme. Don't put off buy- ing items that would have value to you eveiy day merely to The 1 00 Simple Secrets of Happy People demonstrate your frugality, since the purpose of saving is to allow you to buy what you need. Anticipating and accumulating consumer goods can contribute to a sense of persona! Sometimes days fly by without anything standing out in your mind, without any tangible improvement. Eveiy day make sure, no matter how small the effort, that you do something to make your dreams come true.

We've all heard the proverb "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If you keep moving and see different surroundings, you know you are making progress. If you can't see the progress you are making, if eveiy step seems to leave you in the same place, then you will have trouble believing that you are moving forward. Every day in your life you have to see the progress. As k your- self, What did I accomplish today? If you have an answer, if you can see the progress you have made in your journey, then you have had a valuable day, a good day.

Students who could not see progress were three times less likely to feel satisfied than students who could. McGregor and Little 57 Be flexible. When we want to be with friends and fa mily , often we want it to be on our terms. If everybody approaches relationships this way, no one will be happy. Instead of thinking only about what you want, think about what the others want too, and consider why it is important to spend time together.

Accept that there are always dif- ferences between people and that if you are flexible you will enjoy your time with them more and feel closer to them. Three sisters, Donna, Marie, and April, all want to hold the family's Christmas celebration at their. For years, they took turns, rotating to all three houses every three years. Then Donna had a child and wanted to have the family over to her house every year.

She wanted her son to be able to wake up and see the tree and spend the whole day at home. Marie didn't think that was fair'. She wanted things done the same as they had always been done. April was left in the uncomfortable position of not being able to do any- thing except sacrifice her own turn. However, their desire to be together on their own terms kept them from being peacefully together.

It is far better to be flexible enough to sacrifice what's personally ideal to have something acceptable, than to sacrifice the accept- able to have nothing. Nearly all individuals report significant changes in their lives and in their values over the course of time. Those who viewed these changes as inevitable and remained open to the possibili- ty that changes would be positive were 35 percent more likely to be satisfied with their lives than those who did not.

Minetti 58 Events are temporary. Bad things happen, but usually we do not feel their effects on us forever. It's really true that time heals wounds. Your disappoint- ments are important and serious, but your distress will pass and your life will take you in new directions.

Give yourself some time. He felt that he was a failure. Alm ost thirty years later, Dan was asked about the things that defined him. Was the disappointment that had once sick- ened him first in his mind? His relationship with his wife, his life as a father, his commitment to political progress — these were the things he mentioned.

Did he feel like a failure? Instead, they are characterized by the ability to think about other things in the aftermath of neg- ative events. Schwarz, and Golisano 59 Be your own fan, We need self-reinforcement, a belief in ourselves that is strong and unwavering. Be ready to pick yourself up when you are feeling down. A paper tacked to the wall listed the players who had made the varsity team. Fifteen-year-old Michael Jordan looked up and down the list.

He could not find his name. Michael Jordan had not made the team. Michael Jordan is considered by most experts to be the best basketball player ever. But he had to believe in himself to get there.

By the time many basketball players reach the tenth grade, they are receiving hundreds of letters from college coaches seeking to recruit them into their programs. Michael Jordan didn't receive a single letter, because Michael Jordan didn't make the team. Michael Jordan didn't give up. He believed in himself and in his ability, and he practiced and practiced. The next year he made the team. And he became its star. For those who believe, it is only a challenge. The fendency to reinforce one's own self-confidence improves life satisfaction by about 20 percent for both men and women.

Seybolt and Wagner 60 Join a group. Take an inventory of your interests. Chances are there is a group in your area dedicated to your special interest. People in groups devel- op positive personal relationships that tend to make them feel more comfortable around others, less lonely, and more in control of events. Bob, who lives in rural Iowa, had retired and was looking for people who shared his interest.

He found himself involved with a woodworking group where he could pick up tips, exchange ideas, and correspond with peo- ple who shared his interest. Soon Bob was receiving messages from people all over the country who wanted to discuss their hobby, and he made a number of friendships. Woodworking friends Bob had corresponded with were sad- dened and began discussing a project to make a get-well gift fa' Bob and his wife. Eventually twelve different people from The 1 00 Simple Secrets of Happy People across the country, including a policeman, a lawyer, an engi- neer, and a janitor, started working on pieces of a bookshelf.

The finished project was assembled by one of the group's members, and it was sent to Bob in Iowa. Bob was touched by the gift. He could not believe the good- will of his fellow woodworkers, and he was grateful that he had been a part of such a wonderful group. Group membership tends to make people feel more connected to each other and increases personal confidence and satisfac- tion by 7 percent. Coghlan 61 Be positive. Whether you are at home, in the workplace, or among friends, be the person who exudes optimism, and you will find it reflected right back at you.

Pessimistic people who reminded you why you were likely to fail, or optimistic people who gave you reasons you would suc- ceed? Think of the people you like to be around. Think of the peo- ple who are a joy to be around. What do they have in common? Are any of them pessimistic — continually expecting the worst to happen? We gravitate to people who approach life with pleasant expectations. Living a satisfied life is one of the defining challenges of our life, and it is a challenge best met with optimism. Instead, a far better predictor of happiness than the number of good or bad events a person has endured are the beliefs and attitudes he or she maintains.

Chen 62 There will bean end, but you can be prepared. One of the great sources of anxiety as we age is that we will never get a chance to do that thing we always wanted to do, or to finish that project we were working on years ago, or to mend the fences that may have fallen into disrepair as our relationships evolved. Don't wait until the end of your life to figure out what you wished you had done. Think of those things now and do them.

Students often will procrastinate. Assign them a paper, with two months to do it, and many will literally wait until the last day, cramming through their readings, making notes, and then charging through the writing. Not a moment of this process is enjoyed. It is a manic effort, with little concern for quality. Students who write their papers in a timely fashion, anticipate what needs to be done, and do the work in an order- ly process never feel out of control, and can even enjoy them- selves.

We live life like a student writing a paper — either as the pro- crastinator or the planner. The procrastinator feels out of con- trol, and each passing year is a source of desperation. The planner The 1 00 Simple Secrets ot Happy People finishes what needs to be done, and treats each passing year as a sign of accomplishment Research on senior citizens finds that those who are most com- fortable with their own mortality do not ignore the matter, but prepare themselves for it. Oates 63 How we see the world is more important than how the world is. What is the shape of the world, what condition is it in?

Scientists, philosophers, and kings could offer a never-ending debate on the question. But there is no real grade for the world apart horn the one you assign it. On each of these cards, however, something was wrong, something differed from the usual. The four of clubs was red, the five of diamonds had six diamonds. People were shown the cards and asked what they saw.

Were people surprised to see these obviously error-filled cards? They were not, because they didn't notice. When asked to describe the cards they were looking at, people answered they were looking at the five of diamonds or the four of clubs. They didn't mention that the cards were mismarked.

Why did this happen? Because what we see is a function not only of what is really there, but also of what we are looking for — our expectations, our assumptions. Researchers have compared, for example, people who have received a job promotion, and they found that while some of the people treas- ure the opportunity others lament the added responsibility. The implications of life events are a matter of perspective. Chen 64 Keep a pen and paper handy. People often feel frustrated that they can't remember a good idea they had last week or an interesting dream they had last night.

Those who keep a notebook feel like they are more in control and are missing less. Emily is an aspiring writer and is always writing things down. Even when she can't find paper, she scrambles to find envelopes, napkins, a piece of cardboard, anything that she can use to write down her thoughts. Does she do this because she is a particularly forgetful person?

No, it is because she is both real- istic enough and disciplined enough to know that human beings run across too many ideas in a day to remember all of them or even most of them. Good ideas come floating into our heads and will just as easily float right out. Writers who acknowledge this cany around a notebook so that the best of those ideas make it to paper.

You don't have to be a writer, how- ever, to have good ideas floating through you. Keep a notebook and pen handy, and you will be able to hold onto those fleeting thoughts. People who feel like their best ideas escape them are 37 percent less likely to feel content than people who do not. Giving help is a win-win situation, so take the time to pay attention to your surroundings and offer the help that you can. It could be as simple as making a habit of holding the door open for the person coming in behind you. It's a gesture of friendliness that makes another person feel better and makes you feel good about yourself.

If you were stuck trying to get out of a parking lot, with a mile-long procession of cars in front of you on the main road, people in the Midwest would stop and give you room to pull out. Based on their example, Stacy got in the habit of letting cars out when traffic was backed up.

Antonia D. Webb (Author of Secrets of Happy People from the Book of Proverbs)

Stacy liked this friendly approach to life and soon received a dramatic example of its value. After letting a car out in front of her, Stacy soon had to pull over to the side of the road because her car was making a strange noise. The driver she had let out saw her pull over and The 1 00 Simple Secrets of Happy People followed her. The other driver asked Stacy if she needed any help, and after a brief investigation concluded that Stacy had just run out of gas.

He gave her enough gas to get her to a sta- tion and told her how nice he found people in this part of the country. She gave him her telephone number, and one year later they were married. Williams, Haber, Weaver, and Freeman 66 Take care not to harshly criticize family and friends. We rely on those closest to us fa' support.

We can accept critical words horn those who are not close to us because we can believe they reflect a lack of knowledge about us rather than an actual flaw in us. From our friends and family, however, critical words cut deeply. Tiy to avoid fixing your friends and family. Love them for who they are. If you must say something negative, always be con- structive.

Make your criticism reflect your love and respect, not your disappointment. The word flew out of her mother's mouth and slapped Carol in the head. She didn't like having her boss disappointed with her, but her own mother call- ing her stupid was painful. Stupid is a common word, with a range of meanings from ill-considered to ignorant. Maybe Carol's mother meant it in the nicest possible terms, but even then, when speaking to The 1 00 Simple Secrets of Happy People someone, especially someone close, you have to assume that your words will be taken in the strongest, least positive way.

Chand 67 Some people like the big picture, and others like the details. When you look at a restaurant bill, you can eye the total due or you can focus on each item listed.

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Life is the same way. You can think in terms of the totality of what you have accomplished, or you can think in terms of the momentary episodes of your life. Adopt the focus that makes you feel more satisfied. Shayne rated it did not like it Jan 03, Sheila marked it as to-read Dec 10, Betty marked it as to-read Jan 04, Lori Joy Cerdeiros marked it as to-read Jan 08, Laurel Hicks marked it as to-read May 14, Beth Taylor marked it as to-read Jun 18, Irene marked it as to-read Jul 31, Connie Rawlings marked it as to-read Jul 17, Kajola marked it as to-read Jan 20, Nospin added it Jan 21, Christine marked it as to-read Jul 12, Concise and to the point, this book lists simple ways to improve your life by increasing your level of happiness.

Following each 'secret' you'll find the scientific research to back it up. But don't misread me here; the steps are really simple and easy to apply. Yet these are definitely not your run-of-the-mill, one person's opinion, made-up factoids. And that makes it a great read. Some of my favorites include reading books and using aromatherapy. Obviously since I was reading that book, I Concise and to the point, this book lists simple ways to improve your life by increasing your level of happiness.

Obviously since I was reading that book, I was thrilled to know I was making myself happy, which was a given. To read that, statistically, people who read books not only increase their imagination and entertainment levels, but that they are 8 percent happier than people who don't read was a plus.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It

Just some reinforcement there. And the use of aromatherapy is something I might've considered, but reading the scientific proof that happy scents make happy people and vice versa was enlightening. Out of the simple techniques, about 90 of them are simple changes anyone can make on a daily basis; approximately 5 are life choices that are not so simple and would take some effort; and 5 or so were a bit vague but then again maybe I was a bit tired when reading them. All in all, I would suggest reading this and may even read it again just to reinforce some of the ideas.

Aug 04, Jaime Olmos rated it it was amazing. If I could only abide by the behaviors the book recommends I think I'd be happier and a better human being Very simplistic kumbaya at that. All the hating on TV was particularly grating, especially the whole bit about TV only offering one simplistic plotline while books apparently expose you to millions of creative trains of thought. Bitch please, and I say that as someone who loves reading.

Dec 15, Emily rated it liked it Shelves: I basically read this entire book during one commute it was a long commute involving an unauthorized person on the tracks. The author digests a mountain of academic papers about happiness into page anecdotes and guidelines about the kinds of activities and habits of mind that make people happy.

If the author enjoys writing readable summaries of papers, I have a stack of articles on information retrieval, machine learning, information-seeking behavior, and text categorization that I can send him at any time. I picked this up because a friend had read it and it was available at the library, so it met my expectations mostly because they were very moderate.

Note that it was published in , so a lot of the source material may be out of date. Jun 10, Jeff rated it really liked it Recommends it for: People who like quick snippets of actions leading toward happiness. I like this book, mostly. Niven gives short snippets of actions that can lead to happiness, followed by a short example of somebody who did or didn't take that action and the positive or negative consequences that arose , followed finally by a result of a study showing how taking these actions is generally better than not doing so. It seems that some of the suggestions are very similar to others, and probably could have been combined.

Perhaps you could say there are differences I like this book, mostly. Perhaps you could say there are differences, but were they so significant that they had to be in separate categories, or did Mr. Niven split hairs in order to have secrets? All in all, a helpful book that I'd recommend for somebody seeking quick but powerful helps. Jan 18, Kewpie rated it it was ok. I think it's fascinating that there are psychologists now who are studying happiness. It is neat that they are looking into what healthy people are doing right instead of what unhealthy people are doing wrong.

However -- I thought this book was a bit fluff. It seems like they took a list of the most common traits of happy people, added some statistics and then wrote some little fluffy paragraphs to go with each one. I liked the list and the statistics, but the little stories weren't so inspir I think it's fascinating that there are psychologists now who are studying happiness. I liked the list and the statistics, but the little stories weren't so inspiring and they weren't that great. Get this book at the library, and copy the things and maybe some of the statistics.

Don't bother with the "Chicken Soup" wanna-be stories. Jul 13, Ai rated it liked it Shelves: It was one of good self-help books I've ever read. You may apply in your everyday life. The author made good summaries from academic journals. The book is surely readable and interesting though there might be nothing novel. However, the thing is we easily forget such a way to human's well-being. The book may remind me of something important in life. But just a self-help book. Nothing serious but good. I am intrigued by happiness and the many ways people try and find it, an interest left over from a college course I took called Happiness and the Good Life.

This was a small book with a bit of a hokey premise, though it is full of good advice. The chapters were short about 2 pages each , so they were easy to read but I think I would have preferred a more in-depth look at each of the "secrets" and why they work.