The Secret to Thinking Your Way Out of Anxiety
To live with uncertainty, see it as opportunity instead.
How to Build a Life
A column about pointing yourself toward happiness
How to Deal With Disappointment
Not getting what you want is an unavoidable part of life. The way you choose to handle it is what you can control.
Why You Might Need an Adventure
In a rut? Try shaking things up.
Are You a Platonist or an Aristotelian?
Your answer may determine how happy you can be.
Why Humility Is the Key to Well-Being
The great wisdom of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot is that it teaches us to count our blessings.
Get Off the Family Plan
For true satisfaction in life, you should feel you’ve fully earned your success.
Enhance Your Mood With Schopenhauer’s Playlist
Philosophers, theologians, and scientists agree: A great melody is good for you.
How to Stop Self-Obsessing and Be Happier
Some introspection is healthy and necessary, but too much can trap you in a cycle of misery.
The Right Way to Say the Unsayable
How to speak truth without fear—but avoid alienating everyone you know
What John Stuart Mill Knew About Happiness
The great philosopher of liberty and liberalism had the ultimate advice for how to approach your “hoped-for heaven” in this earthly life.
How to Be Manifestly Happier
Some people attribute mystical powers to positive thinking, but you can harness a practical version to gain real benefits.
How to Influence People—And Make Friends
The key to persuasion is not beating people over the head with your better ideas—it’s listening sincerely to what they have to say.
The Ultimate Happiness Diet
What we eat clearly has a bearing on our well-being. But the best recipe for success centers on how we eat.
A Compliment That Really Means Something
Beware of pro forma praise—and recognize true acts of kindness instead.
The Best Therapy for Our Anxiety Epidemic
Solutions to the mental-health crisis striking young people in particular are within reach.
Inoculate Yourself Against Social Contagion
Immersion in a collective experience can be wonderful, but it can also come at a cost.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Five Principles of Personal Freedom
The Russian writer’s work might not be everyone’s idea of lightness and joy. But look within and you shall find.
Why You Should Trust Your Gut
Careful, deliberate reasoning can get you only so far in good decision making. You also need to know how to listen to your feelings.
Why You Should Want to Be Alone
Used well, a dose of solitude can do you a world of good.
Declare Your Independence—From Misery
America’s Founders knew that the pursuit of happiness involved personal liberation.
The Tchaikovsky Cure for Worry
If you have anxiety, or simply want a greater sense of well-being, getting creative is just about the best thing you can do.
An Emersonian Guide to Taking Control of Your Life
The great American thinker never pretended that true independence of mind was easy, but he made a thrilling case for its rewards.
How to Take—And Give—Criticism Well
Being able to accept a bad review and use it constructively is not just an essential life skill; it will also make you happier.
You’re Not Perfect
And that’s great news.
Why It’s Nice to Know You
Being understood yourself starts with taking the trouble to understand others.
What Monastic Mystics Got Right About Life
If this path to happiness worked for Saint Thomas Aquinas, it can work for you.
How to Be Your Best Despite the Passing Years
There is no age or time of life that isn’t still an opportunity for personal progress.
What You Need to Know About Making a Good Impression
We evolved to form snap judgments about who’s friend and who’s foe, but we need to be more evolved now.
Why a Bit of Restraint Can Do You a Lot of Good
An uninhibited quest for authenticity sounds great. But if that just means acting out, you’re unlikely to be so happy.
How to Find Your Faith
The key to transcendence starts with a practice, not your feelings.
How to Be Less Busy and More Happy
If you feel too rushed even to read this, then your life could use a change.
Jung’s Five Pillars of a Good Life
The great Swiss psychoanalyst left us a surprisingly practical guide to being happier.
The One Big Thing You Can Do for Your Kids
The research shows that you probably have less effect on your kids than you think—with one major exception: Your love will make them happy.
How Not to Be Bored When You Have to Wait
Sick of standing in line? Instead of looking at your phone, read on.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Do the Silent Treatment
It can ruin your relationships.
Don’t Let Your Disgust Be Manipulated
Knowing how this most visceral emotion can be abused by bad actors is your best defense.
Five Teachings of the Dalai Lama I Try to Live By
Tibetan Buddhist wisdom you can use
Overwhelmed? Just Say ‘No.’
The science of how to stop saying yes to everything—and be happier
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Grumbling about something can feel as if it offers relief, but it spreads misery. Here’s how to break the habit and make everyone happier.