NYT Bestselling Author Gretchen Rubin Visits CGU

Bestselling author Gretchen Rubin celebrated the appearance of her new book, The Four Tendencies, on the New York Times bestseller list during her latest book tour, which brought her to CGU for the launch of the 2017-18 season of the university’s Claremont Distinguished Speaker Series.

Author of The Happiness Project and other titles, Rubin explores personality types and human behavior in The Four Tendencies. She was in Southern California for a string of appearances at bookstores and other venues.

“Many people like to refer to themselves as ‘students of human nature,’ but Gretchen Rubin truly is one,” School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation Interim Dean Michelle Bligh said in her introductory remarks. “She is the real deal.”

Along with offering several details about the author’s life—Rubin is a Yale Law School grad who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor—Bligh also pointed out how Rubin’s focus on happiness and human behavior strongly aligns with CGU’s pioneering work in the field of positive psychology.

Interest in positive psychology is growing, Bligh explained. “[You see that interest] the research taking place on our campus, and you find it in the success of Gretchen’s books.”

On the CGU Facebook page, Rubin later posted, “Thank you for having me! Great photos.”

You can watch Rubin’s guest lecture on YouTube.