What Happy Women Know
How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Change Women’s Lives for the Better
By Dr. Dan Baker and Dr. Cathy Greenberg with Ina Yalof (Rodale, $24.95)
Developing a sense of purpose, adventure and personal responsibility — along with avoiding the six “happiness traps,” including perfectionism and thinking you’re nothing without a man — are big parts of learning how to be truly happy, according to the authors.
1. Don’t play the comparison game with other people. You’ll either feel inadequate or arrogant, and neither one is good for your happiness.
2. Feeling angry and vengeful about past events leads to a life being squandered. Your first step to happiness is to forgive; let it go, move on and get your life back.
3. Performing acts of kindness such as volunteering makes you feel good, puts you in contact with others, distracts you from your own issues and provides a sense of purpose and connection.
4. “Happy women know that taking personal responsibility for what they have and haven’t done leads to a powerful and fulfilling way of life.”
5. “Happy women know that their worth is not determined by what they have or how they look but rather by successful relationships and emotional well-being.”
