On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.” One sees clearly with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye. This classic reminds us what is important in life. It’s a children’s book but its lessons are valid for adults too. We often need to be reminded what really matters. After all, all adults were once children. 9. The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan With such a vast array of self-help and psychology books about happiness on the market, it can be a challenge to try and work out which ones to invest time in. Hopefully, this summary of ‘happiness books’ can act as a guide to the content of these books to help you make a (slightly!) more informed decision! Therefore, it is proposed that the key to lifelong happiness is overall wellbeing, satisfaction, and fulfillment. In it, Harris explains the myths about happiness and popular ideas about it and suggests that these myths are misleading and inaccurate, and even that in part they cause the widespread experiences of stress, anxiety, and depression. He says that many current psychology programs are, in fact, making things worse.

While that could be a testament to how many of the books aren’t that helpful, there are definitely some diamonds underneath all of these books. Below I’ve sifted through the numerous happiness books and put together a list of books that are popular and cover this topic in the best way possible. The following list contains both fiction and non-fiction ‘happy books’–everything from self-help to humor but what these books share in common is their ability to inspire happiness. Experience the antistress effect of an adult coloring book: our coloring games are the perfect solution when you're facing boredom, need to express yourself creatively or when you need to turn to relaxing games to decompress. Just start painting a Disney, Marvel or nature piece of art and feel your worries seep away. Scientific research has shown this paradox in Britain, the US, Continental Europe, and Japan. In fact, compared to fifty years ago, the First World has seen increases in depression, crime, and alcoholism. Layard actually published the second edition of this book in 2011 to adequately reflect the developments since the first publication.

2. The Happiness Project

This book is promoted as “ Your hands-on guide to reducing stress, being happier, and living a more fulfilling life”. I am very interested in your thoughts… have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? Would you recommend any to someone with a bit of time on their hands? Please comment below!

Varied and inclusive art: our adult coloring book is the work of artists from all over the world. Immerse yourself into happy, positive pictures with coloring games coming from all cultures. Based on this study, Achor reveals the 7 core principles of positive psychology that every person can practice to enhance our performance, improve our careers and achieve success at work. He was awarded an MBA from Harvard, is eminently popular as a TED presenter, and he also founded the Institute for Global Happiness. But when she hurts herself and is unable to return to work at full capacity, she grows close with her replacement, Cameron, a young man newly arrived in town looking for his birth mother. I wrestled with whether or not to include this book here, because it is dark. Beginning in the 1600s, it follows the decedents of two Ghanaian sisters over 300 years: one sister marries a slaver and remains in Ghana, and the other is sold into slavery in America. There is some truly horrifying violence in this novel, the kind that is physically painful to read. It’s also a gorgeous story about some of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in fiction. And the ending is like a clean, bracing wind: it does not erase the generational trauma at the heart of this novel, but there’s an expansiveness to it that makes room for hope and healing. The Bird Artist by Howard NormanThe title (The Happiness Trap) encapsulates the main argument of the book – that the more people try and achieve happiness, the more they actually suffer in the long-term. Therefore, ACT is suggested as a way to escape ‘ The Happiness Trap’. ACT is an innovative new method based on mindfulness. It aims to outline the meaning of happiness at each stage of self-actualization and provide readers with an understanding of why cultivating positive emotions can lead to better health and wellbeing.

Exclusive digital art games: our partnership with Marvel and Disney allows you to color unique art pieces featuring your favorite superheroes and characters. This book describes how by using their ‘signature strengths’, a person can create a buffering effect against ill fate and negative emotions. However, as well, using one’s signature strengths enables individuals to also make the world around them a better place. Explorative– A happiness book will get you to look deeper at yourself and your way of thinking. It shouldn’t shy you away from that possibility or distract you with something else.If you ask him if he’s happy, even though he’s suffered the loss of his country, the Dalai Lama will give you an unconditional yes. What’s more, he’ll tell you that happiness is the purpose of life, and that the very motion of our life is toward happiness.” 13. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Mules of Love by Ellen Bass:Balancing heart-intelligent intimacy and surprising humor, the poems in Ellen Bass’s Mules of Love illuminate the essential dynamics of our lives: family, community, sexual love, joy, loss, religion and death. The poems also explore the darker aspects of humanity—personal, cultural, historical and environmental violence—all of which are handled with compassion and grace. Furthermore, ‘ The Art of Happiness’ suggests that happiness can be achieved by ‘systematical training of our hearts and minds’. She suggests that happiness is found by being kind – not only to our friends, family, and colleagues, but also towards ourselves, others who we don’t know well, and even people we don’t really like! In this inspiring book, Boorstein details advice that offers warmth and wisdom. She explores how, in spite of the odds being against us, that we can still feel a sense of happiness. From her work over three decades, Boorstein has noticed that the ‘secret’ to happiness is to develop and connect with kindness. Painting made easy: just tap on the template of your choice and start a paint by number game. Simple, creative and deeply satisfying.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been craving feel-good books recently, which has lead me to contemplate that age-old question: is there such thing as feel-good literary fiction? I think there is, although it can be hard to find. What is slightly less hard to find, it turns out, is happy literary fiction. Playing it safe to avoid a broken heart has been his MO ever since his father died and left his mom to unravel—but this strategy is not without fault. His best-friend-turned-girlfriend-turned-best-friend-again, Florence, is set on making sure Nate finds someone else. And in a twist that is rom-com-worthy, someone does come along: Oliver James Hernández, his childhood best friend.