The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - Summary and Analysis

Please Note: This is a summary and analysis of Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project” not the original book. We summarize and analyze each chapter to help you better understand the original. 


A happiness project is a long-term, finite plan designed to change your life in a positive way. Rubin began her happiness project with a realization while waiting at a bus stop one day. A woman walked past her, pushing a stroller with one hand while holding an umbrella and a cell phone in the other. The realization that she was often as overwhelmed as this woman made Rubin want to make a change. She needed to do something big enough that would give her more control over the flow of her life, but small enough that it wouldn’t upset the stability of her family of four. The idea of a happiness project was born from there, and she set out to understand and control her own happiness.