By Gretchen Rubin

Every Wednesday is Tip Day, or Quiz Day.
This Wednesday, back by popular demand: Quiz -- are you a moderator or abstainer?

One of the great mysteries of happiness is: why don't we do the things that we know will make us happy? Why do we skip exercising? Why do we eat two doughnuts for breakfast? Why do we buy that thing we don't really need? Etc.

Often, I know I'll be happier if I don't indulge in something. For example, I won't be happy if I eat five cookies -- and I'm the kind of person who can't eat just one cookie.

A piece of advice I often see is, “Be moderate. Don’t have ice cream every night, but if you try to deny yourself altogether, you’ll fall off the wagon. Allow yourself to have the occasional treat, it will help you stick to your plan.”

I’ve... More...