How To Be Happy: Book Recommendations That Can Help

One of the keys to learning how to be happy is continuing to learn throughout life. It's important to educate yourself on the topic if you're interested in learning how to be happy. The following books are written on the topic of happiness or topics that relate to the level of happiness that you feel on a regular basis.

Reading through these books may help you improve how happy you are throughout your life.

You Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

This book is packed with wisdom to help you live a happy life. In one part of the book, the former First Lady describes that happiness is inward, not outward, as well as ways to change your mindset in order to be happier. Some of the other things that she discusses in the book include:

• Learning to learn
• Fear - the great enemy
• The uses of time
• The difficult art of maturity
• Readjustment is endless
• Learning to be useful
• The right to be an individual
• How to get the best out of people

The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

Since happiness is not just a result of our circumstances or situations, many people have to learn how to control their thoughts to find happiness. While the topic of being happy isn't the main focus of this book, the principles taught within it can be important for gaining control of your thoughts to find happiness.

Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman

This national bestseller sparked the revolution of the positive psychology movement. It goes into detail about the difference between happiness and pleasure, defining each of them. It also explains how happiness is based on things in your control, such as focusing on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. When reading the book, you will learn how to find your most important virtues, and then base your life on them on your way to finding true happiness.

How to Forgive When You Don't Feel Like It by June Hunt

While this book is not about happiness, it does address the important concept that you need to forgive to be truly happy. Forgiveness can be difficult; it can also rob you of being happy. When we wait until we feel like forgiving, we can wind up becoming more bitter and unhappy. Learning how to forgive is one of the keys to being truly happy in life and relationships.

Getting Back to Happy by Marc And Angel Chernoff

The subtitle of this book is "Change your thoughts, change your reality, and turn your trials into triumph." The authors of this book are big names in the personal development industry. It includes discussions on things like daily rituals, self-control, and mindfulness in order to learn how to control your levels of happiness.

How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris

The book, The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris, is designed to help you stop struggling and start living. It's a mindfulness-based program to help you reduce stress, overcome fear, and create the meaningful life that you desire. In this book, it is discussed that the ways most people try to find happiness end up leading us to be more unhappy. It then teaches how clarifying values and mindfulness techniques can help us find the happy life we desire. Diverging from the happiness trap belief can be essential in achieving real happiness.

Activating Happiness by Rachel Hershenberg, PhD

This book is a jump-start guide to helping you overcome low motivation, depression, and feeling stuck. Dr. Hershenberg walks you through the changes that you can make on a daily basis to overcome the low motivation and fatigue that you may experience with depression. It teaches solid strategies based on behavior and different forms of therapy that may help you overcome the cycle that you are in.

Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion by Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.

If you're struggling with depression, it's easy to feel like your happiness and your mood are out of your control. In this book, the author teaches seven steps that allow you to use self-compassion and mindfulness to take back control of your life. The book also seeks to provide you with the needed hope to make beneficial changes for life. It helps you take the necessary steps to move past depression into a life that you will find worth living.

Postpartum Happiness by Marissa Zwetow, LMFT

The subtitle of this book is “What to do when you love the kids but hate the job.”  Many parents struggle with making the transition into parenthood. Postpartum depression can lead a parent to feel isolated in this new role in their lives, making it a hard one to adjust to. This book lets you know that it is perfectly okay to struggle during this time and transition in your life. It provides hope and encouragement that you need as the parent to a newborn.

Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Fine by Derren Brown

This book goes against the common trends of many happiness books on the market. The author explores the changing meaning of the word “happiness” throughout the years. He explains why he believes the self-help theories and pushing positive thinking and mindfulness in order to find happiness is actually harmful and can lead to increased anxiety. If you're looking for a new twist on a happiness book, this may be the one for you.

1000+ Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently by Marc and Angel Chernoff

Another recommendation by Marc and Angel Chernoff, this book is packed with great information on how to be happier in your life. They incorporate the best information that they have learned throughout their years of study, including 10 mistakes that happy people make; 12 amazingly achievable things to do today; and 12 tough truths that help you grow. The book is loaded with great information to help you learn the keys to be happy and successful in life.

Seek help 

There are plenty of books that can help us become happier as individuals. However, sometimes just reading books isn't enough to help us make the changes we need to be happier.

Talking with the therapist can help you to learn where your unhappiness is coming from and what you can do to overcome it. Online therapy has been shown to be just as effective as in-person therapy and provides added convenience and more options than just the counselors in your area.

An online therapist can also guide you in recognizing cognitive distortions, identifying the underlying cause of negative thoughts, and learning ways to improve your happiness. This can help improve both your mental and physical health. A therapist can also suggest resources, such as books, to help you become happier.