Introduction: the dreams of another age
Part one. Adopting a miserable lifestyle. Lesson 1. Avoid all exercise
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, but it
Lesson 7. Can't afford it? Get it anyway?
Lesson 8. Give 100 to your work
Lesson 9. Be well informed
Lesson 10. Set VAPID Goals
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
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. Bone with people's potential, not their reality
Lesson 28. Demand loyalty
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 37. Avoid solitude
Lesson 38. Choose fashion over style
Lesson 39. Pursue happiness relentlessly
Lesson 40. Improve yourself
Ending the misery project: life on the top floor
References and additional reading.