Do you want to joyful purpose in life? Below 17 books on happiness provide a roadmap to achieving happiness, pleasure, a positive mindset, or something close to it.
In a world that races by with lots of responsibilities and distractions, finding happiness feels like a treasure hunt in a maze. Yet, within the pages of books, lies a sanctuary—a realm where the art of happiness is not just explored but celebrated, dissected, and woven into tales and teachings.
These books are more than ink on paper; they’ve whispered secrets, guiding lights, and vibrant canvases painting the shades of joy. Each chapter, each word, is a stepping stone toward that elusive yet profoundly sought-after destination: happiness.
Welcome to a library that doesn’t just house stories but harbors the alchemy of happiness itself.
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| 17 Books on Happiness Will Discover Your Happy Life | Author | |
| 1. | Build the Life You Want | Oprah Winfrey |
| 2. | Happiness | Matthieu Ricard |
| 3. | The Power of Positive Thinking | Dr. Norman Vincent Peale |
| 4. | Delivering Happiness | Tony Hsieh |
| 5. | The Art of Happiness | Dalai Lama |
| 6. | Stumbling on Happiness | Daniel Gilbert |
| 7. | The Happiness Hypothesis | Jonathan Haidt |
| 8. | The Power of No | James Altucher |
| 9. | Joyful | Ingrid Fetell Lee |
| 10. | 10% Happier | Dan Harris |
| 11. | The Happiness Advantage | Shawn Achor |
| 12. | Ikigai | Héctor García |
| 13. | Thrive | Arianna Huffington |
| 14. | Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff | Richard Carlson |
| 15. | The Happiness Trap | Russ Harris |
| 16 | The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck | Mark Manson |
| 17. | If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? | Raj Raghunathan |
17 Books on Happiness
Author — Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah Winfrey
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In “Build the Life You Want,” Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey extend a warm invitation to start a journey toward greater happiness, no matter the challenges you face.
With a blend of insight, empathy, and optimism, Brooks and Winfrey suggest the transformative potential of emotional self-management, offering actionable practices rooted in research. They illuminate the path to fortify the strong pillars of happiness: family, friendship, work, and faith. As they share personal wisdom from their own journeys and the inspiring stories of resilient individuals who have found joy amidst adversity, you’ll discover valuable lessons.
2. Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill
Author — Matthieu Ricard
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Think beyond wealth, fitness, or career triumphs—prioritize life-long well-being and genuine happiness as the ultimate goals. Ricard taps into fiction, poetry, philosophy, Buddhism, science, and personal intuition to craft a roadmap for reshaping our perspectives in today’s world. His writing style simplifies complex ideas, makes them accessible and relatable to a broad audience, and assures that everyone can understand and apply this knowledge in their lives.
“Happiness” is more than a book; it’s an insightful guide loaded with lessons and exercises, paving the way for a joyous life in a straightforward, inspiring manner.
3. The Power of Positive Thinking
Author — Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
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Step into the world of Dr. Peale’s remarkable bestseller, solely crafted to teach you toward a life full of happiness, fulfillment, and worth. This book truly unveils a collection of practical techniques that help you to pursue your dreams and aspirations.
Within these lessons, discover the secrets to believing in yourself and approach every task with confidence and a positive mindset. Find new wellsprings of strength and achieve your biggest dreams. Letting go of worries for a calmer, more peaceful life. Improving how you connect with others in both personal and professional life. This guide serves as your companion on a journey toward empowerment and growth.
Author — Tony Hsieh
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Another book is “Delivering Happiness,” Tony Hsieh talks about the lessons he learned in business and life. He shares stories from his journey, like starting a worm farm and running a pizza business, and talks about his experiences with companies like LinkExchange and Zappos.
The book is quick and easy to read, showing how a unique company culture can lead to success. It shares that focusing on making others happy can also bring a lot of happiness and success to you.
Author — Dalai Lama
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The Dalai Lama is always seen smiling or laughing, spreading happiness to everyone around him. He’s the leader of Tibet, has won a Nobel Prize, and is a well-known speaker. People love him because just being near him makes them feel happier too. He believes that happiness is what life is all about and that our lives naturally move toward being happy.
In “The Art of Happiness” Dalai Lama talks about beating everyday worries like anxiety, feeling unsure, or getting angry. The main goal of life is happiness. Once a person has what they need to live, happiness mostly comes from how we think rather than what’s around us.
This book says we’re in control of our own happiness. If we train our thoughts and feelings and work on how we see things, we can all find happiness. This book has touched lots of lives, making people feel better all over the world.
Author — Daniel Gilbert
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In this great book, famous Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert talks about how our imaginations and predictions about the future make us confused about what will make us happy.
In his studies, he brings together psychology, neuroscience, economics, and philosophy to show why we often struggle to find happiness and how understanding these fields can guide us toward it. This book goes beyond typical happiness guides by focusing on human motivation.
Author — Jonathan Haidt
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Jonathan Haidt mixes philosophy and science in an awesome way, giving us cool new ideas. He talks about why it’s hard to control ourselves and stick to our plans, why getting what we want doesn’t always make us happy for long, and how small changes can make a big difference.
He even explains why people who don’t believe in a higher power can still feel something special. At the end, he answers the big question “How can I live a meaningful life?” with a clever mix of philosophy and science. The book takes old-fashioned wisdom and combines it with modern science in a special and different way.
Author — James Altucher
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Saying “no” can be tough but it’s very important. Have you ever found yourself agreeing to things that stress you out or aren’t good for you? This book helps you see that saying “no” isn’t just okay, it’s vital.
Authors James Altucher and Claudia Azula Altucher use their own experiences and what they’ve learned from others to explain that saying “no” is your basic right. This freedom allows you to say a powerful “yes” to things that bring opportunities, happiness, and love into your life.
It’s not just about saying “no,” it’s about having the Power of No. When you grasp that, you’ll know what’s best for you and the people around you. You’ll also understand yourself better. It’s packed with practical tips for ridding your life to say “no” to things that harm you, to rules that don’t fit, to people who drain your energy, and to beliefs that don’t match who you really are.
Author — Ingrid Fetell Lee
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Have you ever thought about why we love watching sunsets or seeing cherry blossoms bloom? And why does everyone seem to adore baby animals and get happy at the sight of confetti or colorful balloons?
Sometimes, we’re told that our surroundings don’t really affect our inner joy. People often say we should find peace by looking inside ourselves through things like mindfulness or meditation and ignoring what’s outside. But what if the world around us actually has a huge impact on our happiness?
In her book “Joyful,” Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the regular things around us can affect our mood a lot. She uses ideas from brain science and psychology to explain why certain places make us feel stressed while others make us feel good. Most importantly, she shows us how we can use our surroundings to live happier and healthier lives full of joy.
10. 10% Happier
Author — Dan Harris
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Lots of people say meditation can make you happier. They talk about how it’s really made a difference in their lives and recommend it to everyone.
But even with all the talk about meditation, some people still don’t really get it. That’s where Dan Harris’s book “10% Happier” comes in. It’s not like the stuff you might read online. Harris talks about meditation in a way that’s different and might help you understand it better.
Author — Shawn Achor
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Happiness isn’t about thinking we’re fine just the way we are; it’s about feeling we can make changes.
Most people believe success gives you happiness. You know, get a great job, lose weight, and then you’ll be happy. But it turns out, that being happy actually helps us succeed—it’s the other way around. Research shows that happy people are better at their jobs, more creative, and handle problems better. They’re also healthier and less stressed, enjoying better social lives.
Shawn Achor, in “The Happiness Advantage,” talks about how we can change our brains to be more positive and optimistic. His ideas include training our brains to see possibilities, having a good support system, and spreading positivity to others around us. This book is full of fascinating ideas and shows how making small changes in how we think can bring big benefits to every aspect of life.
12. Ikigai
Author — Héctor García, Francesc Miralles
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“Ikigai” teaches us that having a purpose, eating well, and redefining retirement can help to live a longer and happier life.
This book shows how the Japanese follow the concept of ikigai for a happy life centered on purpose and health. What’s fascinating is that many of the oldest people in the world never actually retired. Instead, they focused on healthy habits, strong relationships, and a fulfilling career. The book guides you on how to begin doing the same by asking a few simple questions.
13. Thrive
Author — Arianna Huffington
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Arianna Huffington, who owns The Huffington Post, is an amazing woman, especially considering what she’s faced. In her book “Thrive,” she talks about her own tough times that pushed her to make a big change in her life. She talks about how chasing money and power might give us happiness for a while, but it’s not enough. We need a different way to measure success.
Sometimes, to be happier, it’s good to deal with problems in a positive way. No matter where you are in life, there are probably some issues bothering you. This book might give you a fresh way to look at those problems and help you do really well. Her book guides us toward a big change in how we think and live.
14. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
Author — Richard Carlson
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This book can stop you from stressing about the small stuff, like emails, rushing around, or annoying co-workers, and help you find calm in a busy world.
Why read it? Well, this book was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 100 weeks! “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” book might change how you see things. It’ll teach you to let go of stuff that seems important but isn’t really. The author left a great legacy in this book that can still help people today.
Author — Russ Harris
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Dr. Russ Harris knows a lot about managing stress and teaches mindfulness to coaches, psychologists, doctors, and other health professionals.
In his book “The Happiness Trap,” he introduces something called ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). This program uses mindfulness to lower stress, beat fears, and find fulfillment.
Harris talks about how our ideas about happiness might not be accurate and can actually make us more stressed, anxious, or sad. He even says some psychology methods might be making things worse.
The book’s main idea is in its title—The Happiness Trap. It says that trying too hard to be happy can make us suffer more. This book is for everyone—whether you’re feeling unsure, dealing with sickness, or working in a tough job. It teaches you how to find real happiness from within.
16. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Author — Mark Manson
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Mark Manson doesn’t buy into the idea that positive thinking is all it takes to be happy. He’s more like, “Let’s face it, things can be tough, and we have to deal with it.” In his popular blog and book, he doesn’t complicate things. He tells it straight—no fluff, just truth, even if it means saying things others won’t.
He says we’re all flawed and not everyone can be a superstar. He suggests accepting our limits and facing our fears and mistakes. Once we do that, we can find qualities like courage, honesty, and forgiveness.
Manson also talks about focusing on what really matters because we can’t care about everything. He points out that while money is cool, caring about what we do with our lives is way more important because real wealth comes from our experiences.
His book is like a wake-up call, blunt and honest, using funny stories and strong language to shake up a generation and help them live down-to-earth.
17. If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?
Author — Raj Raghunathan
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After finishing his MBA, Raj Raghunathan met up with his classmates and noticed something odd. Even though they were all doing well in their careers, their success didn’t seem to match their happiness. The more successful they were at work, the less happy and more stressed they seemed to be.
He wondered why some of the smartest and most successful people weren’t happy. So, he dove into research, studying business people, parents, lawyers, and artists, trying to understand what makes people happy.
In “If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?” Raghunathan shares what he found. He talks about how money doesn’t always bring happiness and how being generous actually leads to more success in the long run. He also says that being okay with uncertainty, instead of trying to control everything, is key to being happy.
This book gives you a fresh way to look at your job, goals, and relationships, whether you’re already successful or just starting out. It’s a guide to finding happiness beyond just success.
The Bottom Line
Books on happiness come in many different views, each with its own special way of helping you out. They make you think and offer smart advice for dealing with tough times. Exploring these ideas could help you to a happier and more satisfying life.
These books aren’t just for experts—they’re great for beginners too. They’re packed with useful tips and different ways of thinking that anyone can use to find happiness.
So, why not make a promise to read some of these books? See how they could change your life for the better!
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