Happier at Home summary

Is your home full of stuff that you keep around simply because it might come in handy one day? If you want a happy home, you might want to change that.

To create a home that offers happiness and comfort, you should surround yourself with possessions that you truly know and cherish. Examine every object in every closet and every drawer and ask yourself: How often do I use this, and how much do I like it? If you don’t use or like it, get rid of it.

Having a happy relationship with your loved ones means being happy yourself.

Indeed, achieving a happy marriage is mostly a matter of understanding that nobody but you is responsible for your happiness. So, if you want a peaceful and relaxed marriage, try to be peaceful and relaxed yourself. Over time, partners will influence each other, copying each other’s language and habits. For example, if you quit smoking, your partner is 67 percent more likely to follow suit.

As you’ve learned, the less cluttered your home is, the happier you’ll be. But it’s also true that your general happiness can generate domestic happiness. So what else can you do to increase your personal feelings of joy?

You can start by protecting yourself against unhappy people; such individuals can drain all the happiness out of you.

Family is something that you can never have too much of. And although your relationship with your spouse and children is what matters most, that doesn’t mean you have to abandon the family you grew up with.

Your parents and siblings are part of who you are, and connecting with them more often can improve your overall happiness. The author, for example, started working on a children’s book with her sister. Despite all the time and effort they had to devote to the project, they enjoyed the extra time they spent in each other’s company, and the project ultimately brought them closer together.

Snails may be slimy and generally pretty gross, but they do have one thing going for them: they get to bring their homes with them wherever they go. With the right perspective, you can do the same.

If you truly know yourself, you can feel at home no matter where you are.