I Feel Happy

Don't you want to be happy? Everyone wants to be happy. If you're ever feeling down in the dumps or stuck with a case of the blues, just read one of the umpteen books telling you how to be happy. And you know what? You might just wind up happy.

If you think that being rich, having the perfect partner, raising kids or hitting various milestones makes you happy, you're wrong. You'd also be wrong to think that poverty and personal disasters are the roads to misery. It's all about your outlook, and The Myths of Happiness shows you how changing your outlook can put a broad smile on your face.

There's also the tried-and-true method of pretending you're happy and letting your brain do the rest. Hardwiring Happiness trains you in a surprisingly detailed method of absorbing the good to alleviate the bad. With practice, I'm sure you'll be happy in no time.

Or you could just try everything at once. In The Happiness Project, a reasonably happy Gretchen Rubin decides she wants to be even happier. She sets out on a comprehensive 12-month program, obsessively following every piece of advice she can find. You're bound to pick up a tip or two along the way, and the author's meticulous enthusiasm is thoroughly entertaining.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling happier already.