Mindy Kaling Shares Her Secret to Happiness

The actress, writer, comedian, and creator and star of Fox's The Mindy Project reveals what keeps her laughing.


By Jason Kempin/Getty Images Entertainment

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Gretchen Rubin: What simple activity consistently makes you happier?

Mindy Kaling: Running. Please understand, I am by no means an athlete. I run a 12- or 13- minutes mile, which is about the pace of a real runner after a tragic leg accident. It's not impressive, but it's my quick trigger for a good mood. That's the great thing about endorphinsyou don't have to be in terrific shape to get them. The second is texting my parents. They're working adorably hard at mastering it, and when I send them a text with young people's abbreviations or emoticons, they respond immediately. I don't know why, but it makes me feel great to be in touch with them this way.

GR: What do you know about happiness know that you didn't at 18?

MK: I took off a semester in college to intern at Late Night With Conan O'Brien. It was the most glamorous job I'd ever had, and I told mysef that if I ever got a job as a comedy writer, all my dreams would come true. Six years later, I did get that job, working on The Office. I felt incredibly happy for about a week; then a whole new bunch of complaints set in. My 18-year-old self would have been disgusted. When I'm tempted to be snotty, reminding myself of that helpes me feel grateful instead. But it's also a little scary, because for me happiness doesn't come from career success alone.

GR: Do you have a happiness mantra?

MK: A friend's father once said to me, "The best revenge is living well." That's hard to hear if you're a vendetta-carrying hothead like I am. But whenever I feel slighted, I try to recall what he said, and that helps me let go of bad feelings. The time I waste on being mean could be better spend on thinking up a fun workout playlist or finding a cool recipe for my slow cooker. These are my ideas of "living well"you have to understand how awesome my slow cooker is.

GR: What have you seen people do that adds to their happiness?

MK: My friends Brent and Charlie feel incredible happiness from 5 A.M. to 7 A.M., when their kids wake up and they do their morning rituals. This sounds totally crazy to me, but I know their joy isn't fabricated.

GR: Do you ever work on being happier?

MK: Not consciously. Honestly, if I heard myself saying, "I've been actively working on my happiness," I'd think, What an L.A. weirdo! But as I've gotten older, I've implemented rules in my life that I don't change. Take work: I get in at 6 A.M. Then, when I wrap as an actor, I stay on as a writer, sometimes until after 10 P.M. So I need to get nine uninterrupted hours of sleep on one weekend day. I won't be able to do that when I have kids, so I'm taking advantage now. Making sure I get enough rest is a way I work on being happy.

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