The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People

By David Niven, Ph.D.

(Following is a brief explanation from the back cover of the book, and the Table of Contents)

Scientists and academics have spent entire careers investigating what makes people happy. But
hidden in obscure scholarly journals and reports, their research is all too often inaccessible to
ordinary people. At last, social scientist and psychologist David Niven, Ph. D., distills the
scientific gobbledygook of over a thousand of the most compelling and important studies on
happiness and habits for happiness is illustrated with a clear example and illuminated by a
straightforward explanation of the science behind it to show you how to transform a ho-hum
existence into a full and happy life.

Table of Contents

1. Your Life Has Purpose and Meaning

2. Use a Strategy for Happiness
3. You Don’t Have to Win Every Time
4. Your Goals Should Be Aligned with One Another
5. Choose Your Comparisons Wisely
6. Cultivate Friendships
7. Turn Off the TV
8. Accept Yourself—Unconditionally
9. Remember Where You Came From
10. Limit Yourself to Thinking About One Subject as You Lie Down to Sleep
11. Friendship Beats Money
12. Have Realistic Expectations
13. Be Open to New Ideas
14. Share with Others How Important They Are to You
15. If You’re Not Sure, Guess Positively
16. Believe in Yourself
17. Don’t Believe in Yourself Too Much
18. Don’t Face Your Problems Alone
19. Age Is Not to Be Feared
20. Develop a Household Routine 21. Don’t Be Overprotective
22. Pay Attention. You May Have What You Want
23. Don’t Let Your Religious Beliefs Fade
24. Do What You Say You Are Going to Do
25. Don’t Be Aggressive with Your Friends and Family
26. Root for the Home Team
27. Don’t Confuse Stuff with Success
28. Every Relationship Is Different
29. Don’t Think “What If”
30. Volunteer
31. If You Can’t Reach Your Goals, Your Goals Will Hurt You
32. Exercise
33. Little Things Have Big Meanings
34. It’s Not What Happened, It’s How Your Think About What Happened
35. Develop Some Common Interests with Loved Ones
36. Laugh
37. Don’t Let Your Entire Life Hinge on One Element
38. Share of Yourself
39. Busy Is Better Than Bored
40. Satisfaction Is Relative
41. Learn to Use a Computer
42. Try to Think Less About the People and Things That Bother You
43. Keep Your Family Close
44. Eat Some Fruit Every Day
45. Enjoy What You Have
46. Think in concrete Terms
47. Be Socially Supportive
48. Don’t Blame Yourself
49. Be a Peacemaker
50. Cherish Animals
51. Make Your Work a Calling
52. Never Trade Your Morals for Your Goals
53. Don’t Pretend to Ignore things Your Loved Ones do that Bother You
54. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
55. Buy What You Like
56. Accomplish Something Every Day
57. Be Flexible
58. Events Are Temporary
59. Be Your Own Fan
60. Join a Group
61. Be Positive
62. There Will Be an End, but You Can Be Prepared
63. How We See the World Is More Important Than How the World Is
64. Keep a Pen and Paper Handy
65. Help the Next Person Who Needs Some Minor Assistance
66. Take Care Not to Harshly Criticize Family and Friends
67. Some People Like the Big Picture, and Others Like the Details
68. Do things You Are Good At
69. Go visit Your Neighbor
70. Smile
71. Don’t Accept Television’s Picture of the World
72. You Always Have a Choice
73. Be Agreeable
74. Don’t Ignore One Part of Your Life
75. Listen to Music
76. Let Your Goals Guide You
77. Use Your Job Positively
78. Don’t Forget to Have Fun
79. Believe in Ultimate Justice
80. Reminisce
81. Be Conscientious
82. Don’t Dwell on Unwinnable Conflicts
83. Enjoy the Ordinary
84. Focus Not on the World’s Tragedies, but on the World’s Hope
85. Get a Hobby
86. Envying Other People’s Relationships is Pointless
87. Give Yourself Time to Adapt to Change
88. Focus on What Really Matters to You
89. Realize that Complete Satisfaction does Not Exist
90. Surround Yourself with Pleasant Aromas
91. Don’t Let Others Set Your Goals
92. You Are a Person, Not a Stereotype
93. Know What Makes You Happy and Sad 94. Keep Reading
95. We Must Feel Needed
96. Say “So What”
97. Have a Purpose
98. You Have Not Finished the Best Part of Your Life
99. Money Does Not Buy Happiness
100. What Does it All Mean? You Decide