Introduction: The Dreams of Another Age
The Ten-Million-Dollar Question
Let’s All Embrace the Dark Side
Part One: Adopting a Miserable Lifestyle
Lesson 2: Eat What You’re Told
Lesson 3: Don’t Waste Your Life in Bed
Lesson 4: Live Better Through Chemistry
Lesson 5: Maximize Your Screen Time
Lesson 6: If You Want It, Buy It
Lesson 7: Can’t Afford It? Get It Anyway!
Lesson 8: Give 100 Percent to Your Work
Part Two: How to Think Like an Unhappy Person
Lesson 11: Rehearse the Regrettable Past
Lesson 12: Blame Inward, Give Credit Outward
Lesson 13: Practice the “Three Bad Things” Exercise
Lesson 14: Construct Future Hells
Lesson 15: Value Hope Over Action
Lesson 16: Become a Toxic Optimist
Lesson 17: Filter for the Negative
Lesson 18: Cultivate Your Presence—Elsewhere
Lesson 19: Insist on Perfection
Lesson 20: Work Endlessly on Your Self-Esteem
Part Three: Hell Is Other People
Lesson 21: Become an Island unto Yourself
Lesson 22: Give Them What They Want
Lesson 23: Measure Up and Measure Down
Lesson 25: Hold High Expectations of Others
Lesson 26: Drop Your Boundaries
Lesson 27: Bond with People’s Potential, Not Their Reality
Lesson 29: React to Their Motives, Not Their Messages
Lesson 30: Cultivate and Treasure Toxic Relationships
Part Four: Living a Life Without Meaning
Lesson 31: Keep Your Eye on the Small Picture
Lesson 32: Let Your Impulses Be Your Guide
Lesson 33: Look Out for Number One
Lesson 34: Duty First, Life Later
Lesson 35: Live the Unlived Lives of Others
Lesson 36: Stay in Your Zone of Comfort
Lesson 38: Choose Fashion over Style
Lesson 39: Pursue Happiness Relentlessly
Conclusion: Ending the Misery Project: Life on the Top Floor