What do you want most in life? Most peoplewould answer: "I just want to be happy." Sounds simple, but what does happiness look like? And is the life you lead now bringing you closer to happiness? Many of us have adopted lifestyles that don't support happiness. We lead lives that are too rushed, too stressed and too focused on things that don't matter. And our obsession with economic development is destroying the natural environment. We need to rethink our way of life because our unhealthy lifestyles are making us physically and mentally unwell. They're making us unhappier, not happier. The solutions -- doing things that support our wellbeing, finding opportunities to connect with others and supporting the environment we live in -- are intrinsically linked. The good news is that many simple, positive, healthy choices and activities promote wellbeing. Fiona Robards is a psychologist -- with four Masters degrees -- but the things that make her happy are simple: a walk with a friend, a movie, travelling, watching waves rise and fall, kindness. In What Makes You Happy? she looks at ten areas of our life, ranging from finances to relationships, personal style to having fun, and through a series of practical exercises and searching questions guides us down the path to finding our own simple solutions to everyday happiness, so that we can stress less and live calmer, richer lives.

When people find out she is a therapist, Niro Feliciano knows she isn't going anywhere anytime soon. At soccer games, at cocktail parties, in waiting rooms, people corner her and ask: Why am I so stressed? Is the way I feel normal? Why can't I just be happy? The truth is happiness is fleeting, and we are stressing ourselves out trying to achieve it. In This Book Won't Make You Happy, national media commentator and Psychology Today columnist Feliciano offers a path to something much more achievable and abundantly more satisfying: contentment. By incorporating eight simple postures rooted in cognitive behavioral science and mindfulness practices into our daily routines, we can move away from anxiety and toward balance and calm. Acceptance, gratitude, connection, a present-focused perspective, intentionality and priority, self-compassion, resilience, and faith: through these practices we will overcome obstacles that hold us back from living full, meaningful, contented lives. Anxiety, stress, and grief aren't going away anytime soon, and this book won't make you happy. But with wit and empathy, Feliciano leads you right past happy to calm. No matter how "happy" your life is--or isn't--you can reach a deeper, truer, and longer-lasting place of contentment.

Claire Kann's If It Makes You Happy is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl learning to embrace her cultural and sexuality identity. Winnie is living her best fat girl life and is on her way to the best place on earth. No, not Disneyland--her Granny’s diner, Goldeen’s, in the small town of Misty Haven. While there, she works in her fabulous 50’s inspired uniform, twirling around the diner floor and earning an obscene amount of tips. With her family and ungirlfriend at her side, she has everything she needs for one last perfect summer before starting college in the fall. ...until she becomes Misty Haven’s Summer Queen in a highly anticipated matchmaking tradition that she wants absolutely nothing to do with. Newly crowned, Winnie is forced to take center stage in photoshoots and a never-ending list of community royal engagements. Almost immediately, she discovers that she’s deathly afraid of it all: the spotlight, the obligations, and the way her Merry Haven Summer King, wears his heart, humor, and honesty on his sleeve. Stripped of Goldeen’s protective bubble, to salvage her summer Winnie must conquer her fears, defy expectations, and be the best Winnie she knows she can be—regardless of what anyone else thinks of her.

Happy or mad, busy or bored, young readers will relish all the ups and downs of childhood described here with bouncing verse and rollicking watercolors. What Makes Me Happy? will launch endlessly interesting conversations between children and grownups alike about the things that make each one of us happy, sad, mad or glad.

If feeling blue isn’t bad enough, it’s even worse without your best furry friend. This Makes Me Sad follows a young boy after he accidentally lets his dog, Kit, loose from the yard. Despite his parents’ attempt to find her, nothing can cheer up the boy. His favorite things, like a pretty sunset, going to the park, and his beloved teddy bear, just make him more sad. Even happy memories of Kit no longer feel good. With help from his family, the boy must learn to accept and express how he’s feeling inside. And by dealing with his feelings, he might just be able to do some good until Kit comes home. Easy-to-read text and evocative illustrations make this relatable second story in the Dealing with Feelings series a perfect practice in emotional maturity for kids, and it includes 2 sheets of colorful stickers!

Why is art magical? How can it make us happy? How Art Can Make You Happy offers the keys to unlocking a rich and rewarding source of joy in life. This easy, breezy handbook is full of insight that will help regular people begin a more inspiring and less stressful relationship with art. With tips on how to visit museums, how to talk about art at cocktail parties, and how to let art wake you up to the world around you, this little guide makes it possible for anyone to fall in love with art, whether for the first time or all over again.

First published as Whatever Makes You Happy, the hilarious and moving novel about mothers and their adult sons, now a Netflix original movie starring Felicity Huffman, Angela Bassett and Patricia Arquette which has now been viewed on over 27 million accounts worldwide Matt, Daniel and Paul were childhood friends. Now in their thirties, they've lost touch and have only one thing in common: their mothers. Little do they know that, having spent a cardless Mother's Day discussing how their emotionally dysfunctional offspring should be settling down, Carol, Gillian and Helen have decided to pay their wayward sons a visit. On the same day, they turn up on their sons' doorsteps, uninvited and unannounced. Their plan is to reestablish the mother-son bond by moving in for one week. Just a week. Surely that's not a lot to ask...

Each day presents an opportunity to find delight, whether in your surroundings, your work, your relationships, your insights, or your actions. This journal will guide you to look inside and outside yourself to discover and appreciate what makes you happiest. With prompts and exercises, the wise words of writers, musicians, philosophers, and leaders will help you reflect on what fills you with joy. You’ll measure your happiness at the outset and along the way; after a year’s worth of delight, your smile will be bigger than ever.

Evolutionary biologist Dr. Judith L. Hand explores, from a biological perspective, the root causes of war and explains why war is not an inescapable facet of human nature. Drawing upon diverse fields from biology to anthropology to psychology, the author outlines a coherent strategy to end war, setting such a campaign in its historical context and explaining why a great paradigm shift in conflict resolution, from economies based on war to economies based on ending war, could occur within a relatively short period of time.

This book reveals a remarkable paradox: what your brain wants is frequently not what your brain needs. In fact, much of what makes our brains "happy" leads to errors, biases, and distortions, which make getting out of our own way extremely difficult. Author David DiSalvo presents evidence from evolutionary and social psychology, cognitive science, neurology, and even marketing and economics. And he interviews many of the top thinkers in psychology and neuroscience today. From this research-based platform, DiSalvo draws out insights that we can use to identify our brains’ foibles and turn our awareness into edifying action. Ultimately, he argues, the research does not serve up ready-made answers, but provides us with actionable clues for overcoming the plight of our advanced brains and, consequently, living more fulfilled lives.