The Science of Happiness

Have you ever known you were dreaming while you were asleep? Our guests try practices to help induce lucid dreams, and we hear what they can teach us about consciousness.

Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc5xfwp4

Practice:

1. Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky.
2. First, focus on your breathing. Take a few slow inhales and even slower exhales. As you breathe in and out, relax your shoulders, your hands, and your face.
3. On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is. 
4.  Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light?
5. Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in.
6. On the final deep breaths in and out, reflect on how doing this practice has made you feel.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why we Should Look up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6
Six Ways to Incorporate Awe into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3j5hdtj7
How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/py6b729h
How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/2fmpdpkj
Why is Nature so Good For Your Mental Health? ​​https://tinyurl.com/23zavth3

Tell us about your experiences with wildlife! Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Safe encounters with wildlife can deepen our appreciation for nature, and for other people. Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” shares his transformational experiences with the animals of the ocean.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/murmd98b

Episode Summary
Venturing into nature and experiencing wildlife can be transformative. Safe interactions with wildlife encourage us to be more in relation with nature, and each other. In this episode, we hear from Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” and how his interactions with sea creatures have changed his life. We also hear from environmental researcher Liz Lev about the effect on our well-being that being in wild spaces provides.

How To Do This Practice:
The next time you want to explore the outdoors, find the “wildest” space you can think of. Explore the “wild spaces” in your neighborhood or city, and reflect on your experiences with wildlife. 

Today’s guests:
Craig Foster is the director of My Octopus Teacher, and the co-founder of Sea Change Project. 

Liz Lev is an environmental researcher and research associate at Harder+Company who that specializes in the intersections of environmental and climate justice issues, mental health, and urban planning.

• Learn more about Craig’s work:https://tinyurl.com/tyctr6fu
• Follow Sea Change Project on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2pzdx73z
• Watch My Octopus Teacher: https://tinyurl.com/e87edt4b
• Follow My Octopus Teacher on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/mryx4zum
• Learn more about Liz’s research: https://tinyurl.com/y2afdxpr 
• Read about Liz’s research on wild spaces: https://tinyurl.com/msjsz32t

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one:

Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher (Encore): https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585
How Exploring New Places Can Make You Feel Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4ufn2tpn
Why We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2t
How Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5

Happiness Break Related Episodes:

Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9
How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kws

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on "Spreading Love Through the Media".

Tell us about your experiences with wildlife! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Just a few moments of tuning into nature can make you feel more inspired, connected, and less lonely. Let us guide you through a five-minute noticing nature practice — you don't even have to leave your neighborhood.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find somewhere where you can focus on the natural environment, like your backyard.
2. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
3. Notice your belly and chest rise and fall as you breathe. Note the physical sensations of your breath.
4. If you closed your eyes, open them. Let your breath fall into its natural rhythm.
5. Look around you and let your eyes wander slowly through your surroundings: the plants, animals, and bugs.
6.  Let yourself be curious about anything that catches your eye and moves you. Rest your awareness there. Pause to appreciate it, and let it hold your attention for a few moments.
7. Turn your awareness to your emotions. How are you feeling? When something you see evokes an emotion, take a mental photo of it. What about it captivated you? What did it make you feel?
8.  Write that down in just a few words or sentences, or make a mental note of it. Let your gaze wander again whenever you’re ready, repeating these steps. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the GGSC and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these Happiness Breaks:

Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kws

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness 

Walk Outside with Inside Out’s Pete Docter: https://tinyurl.com/23vpuj8j

Why We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2t

How Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5

Tell us about your nature experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Exploring novel places and having diverse experiences is important to our well-being and can make us feel happier. This week, Ike Sriskandarajah, a producer for This American Life, takes us with him as he explores new parts of New York City.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/seystc6c

Episode summary: 

Shaking yourself out of your normal routine can be hard–but studies show it’s worth it. Creating space for variety, novelty, and awe in our lives is essential for our well-being. Exploring new and diverse environments in our daily life can lead to better stress resilience and can make us feel better. In this episode, investigative journalist Ike Sriskandarajah, shares his experience exploring new places with his family in New York City. Then, we hear from Aaron Heller, a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology, who studies how exposure to novel places can make us happier. 

Practice: 

Break out of your usual daily routine–take a route to work you have never taken before, or visit a park you’ve never gone to. Explore a place you have never been to.

Today’s guests: Ike Sriskandarajah is an investigative journalist and Producer at This American Life.

Aaron Heller is a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology.

• Learn more about Ike’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4auuk7pd
• Learn about Ike’s work at Reveal: https://tinyurl.com/serhuyt5
• Follow Ike on X: https://tinyurl.com/ycxz6xbr
• Connect with Ike on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/ydwztavw
• Learn more about Aaron’s research: https://tinyurl.com/yxrpm944
• Follow Aaron on X: https://tinyurl.com/rr3ac6jw
• Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/36trsaux

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How Awe Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/bddavvbv
•  Can You Find Wonder in the Ordinary? https://tinyurl.com/4j8h4dzk

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9
• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Tell us about your experience exploring new places! 

Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod, or e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Connect to yourself and the land you stand on in under 10 minutes with this grounding practice led by Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3at8hrsu

How to Do This Practice:
 

1. If possible, go outside and find some natural ground, like grass or dirt. If you're wearing shoes or socks, take them off and place the soles of your feet directly on the ground. 
2. Bring your attention to the earth beneath you. Allow it to hold you, paying attention to how it feels — soft, firm, reliable. Imagine you're starting to grow roots from the tip of your toes, digging deep into the earth.
3. Visualize energy and wellness flowing through your roots to your toes, into the soles of your feet, your thighs and knees, then base of the spine and upwards into your chest, expanding the whole center of your chest. Take a full, deep breath and contemplate the  openness you feel in your chest.
4. Look up towards the sky and open your eyes, allowing all of your senses to awaken to the sounds, smells, colors, and life around you. Feel their presence.

Today’s Happiness Break host:
Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science scholar of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent. She also works at the United Nations to advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and the Earth.
Learn more about Dr. Celidwen’s work: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/

More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center:

• Listen to Dr. Yuria Celidwen on The Science of Happiness episode about listening to your elders: https://tinyurl.com/yr2ydk43
• Does Nature Make You More Mindful? https://tinyurl.com/4wcreu9z
• Why You Need More Nature in Your Life: ​​https://tinyurl.com/ye282e5d
• Being Around Nature Helps You Love Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/57d5ntxm
• How Modern Life Became Disconnected From Nature: https://tinyurl.com/yc6u73f9
• Listen to The Science of Happiness episode featuring podcast host Krista Tippett, on Being Grounded in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/8t7rr4yy

Tell us about your grounding practice experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Everyday activities, such as cleaning and gardening, can be sources of joy and opportunities for mindfulness. This week, our guest shares his experience practicing mindful sweeping on the temple stairs in Kyoto, Japan with Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3r6ju2wh

The Science of Happiness is now Instagram, and we'd love for you to follow us! You can find us at @ScienceofHappinessPod. We're going to go behind the scenes of our episodes, and share how to do the practices we talk about on the show. The first 100 followers will be included in a raffle to win a signed copy of host Dacher Keltner's newest book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.

Episode summary:
Many of us see yard work as a chore. But what if we shift our perspective and instead see it  as an opportunity to practice mindfulness? This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest  shares his experience of sweeping the steps of a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and the mindfulness and mental processes involved in the practice. Then, we hear from Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk and author, about the practice of cleaning as a form of mindfulness.

Practice:
The next time you’re tending to your garden, picking up trash on your sidewalk, watering the plants, or doing other chores, spend a few minutes practicing mindfulness by slowing down and really being present with the activity and your own body's movements while you do it. 

Today’s guests:

Matt Heron is a Canadian who has been living and working in Japan for five years. 

Shoukei Matsumoto is a Buddhist monk and cleaning enthusiast in Kyoto, Japan. He is the author of “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind,” which has been translated into 18 languages, including English 

• Follow Shoukei on instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4e2jk7xt
• Follow Shoukei on Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/48xkr9ew
• Learn more about Interbeing: https://www.interbeing.co.jp/en
• Read “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind” : https://tinyurl.com/7u3zhvcz

More episodes like this one:

How to Make Work More Satisfying: https://tinyurl.com/3fa925yf
Why We Should Seek Beauty in the Everyday Life: https://tinyurl.com/26dskv38

Related Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness) 

Contemplating Our Interdependence With Nature, With Dekila Chungyalpa: https://tinyurl.com/erz2f5de
Happiness Break: How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/ynxeeb7a

This episode is supported by Tianren Culture, whose vision is “One Wisdom, One Health.” Tianren Culture is a next-generation social platform that acts as a catalyst to foster positive global values and lifestyles.

Tell us about your mindful gardening experiences! Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Last week on The Science of Happiness, we discussed the scientifically proven health benefits of the ancient Chinese practice of qigong with Harvard psychologist Peter Wayne. This week, we practice a standing meditation, with qigong master Sherry Zhang. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3t5wdexe

How to Do This Practice:

1. Take a moment to stand upright with your feet together and take a few deep breaths.
2. Have your eyes looking forward.
3. Soften your knee.
4. Gently shift your weight onto your left leg and step your right foot aside.
5. Face your palms inward, with your fingers relaxed and pointing down. 
6. With your chin slightly in, relax both shoulders, and tuck in your tailbone.
7. Ground your feet and relax your knees, armpits, and fingers.
8. Take a deep breath and exhale. 
9. Spend a few moments focused on your natural breathing and relaxed body.
10. Now, bring your right foot back, so both feet are together.
11. Lengthen your spine. 
12. Take a moment to observe how your body feels, until your breathing slows. 
13. Next, bring your hands together and rub them together vigorously, creating heat in between your palms.
14. Now "wash" your face with your hands.
15. "Wash" the side of your ears, to the back of your ears, the back of your neck.
16. Now relax both hands at the front of your chest.
17. Repeat this practice for one to five minutes.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Sherry Zhang is the founder of Tai Chi Solutions and a Master Teacher of Qigong. She is faculty at Pacific College of Health and Sciences in New York City. 

• Learn more about Sherry’s work:https://www.taichisolution.org/
• Follow Sherry on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taichisolution/
• Follow Sherry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/taichisolution
• Follow Sherry on Linked-In: https://tinyurl.com/ywca6nd5
• Follow Sherry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrytaichi/
• Follow Tai Chi Solutions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taichisolution/

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these ones:

Walk Your Way to Calm (Guided Meditation), with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/4w37zwpy
A Walking Meditation With Dan Harris of 10% Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4dv4ckzc

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about movement-based practices: 

How Qigong Can Calm Your Mind and Body: https://tinyurl.com/2ywsck4e
Episode 5: Walk Outside with Inside Out’s Pete Docter: https://tinyurl.com/2nfc94zb

We love hearing from you! Tell us what movement based practice you’ve tried!

Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Share this Happiness Break!

Studies show qigong can strengthen your body and mind, and reduce cortisol levels. We explore this Chinese meditative movement practice that dates back over 4,000 years.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2ywsck4e

Episode summary: Finding calm in your day to day life can be stressful, especially in a world that seems to be moving at such a rapid pace. Your life can change in an instant– and it can be really difficult to get yourself on your feet again. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, Ace Boral, an Oakland-based chef, joins us to try Qigong. Ace talks about his health struggles over the past four years, and how incorporating Qigong into his life over the past few weeks has helped him find mental clarity, emotional balance, and confidence in himself. Then we hear from Harvard psychologist Peter Wayne who has practiced and studied the benefits of Xigong. 

Today’s guests: Ace Boral is an Oakland-based chef.

Peter Wayne is an Associate Professor of Medicine, and serves as the Director for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

• Learn more about Peter’s work: https://tinyurl.com/342xndna

More episodes like this one:

• Moving Through Space, with Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/3u844n4d
• The Science of Synchronized Movement: https://tinyurl.com/n4bcrb5j

Tell us about your experiences with Qigong. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Here's a favorite of ours: visualize your best possible self and tap into your inherent enough-ness with this guided meditation by Justin Michael Williams.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ytakaaep

How to Do This Practice:

1. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and visualize your ideal future self, the person of your dreams you’ve always wanted to be. Try noticing as many details as you can: What color are you wearing, how do you feel, what are you doing, is anyone with you?
2. Answer this question in your mind with 1-3 words: As you look at this future version of you, what energy do you need to cultivate more of in your life now, today, to become closer to being that person you see in your vision? 
3. Breathe in deeply, and as you do imagine yourself breathing in that energy. As you exhale, imagine that energy spreading throughout your body and energy field.
4. Open your eyes. ​​Remember, you have what you need to become that which you want to become. We are enough to start stepping into the life of our dreams.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Justin Michael Williams works at the intersection of social justice, mindfulness, and personal growth — with a touch of music that brings it all to life.

• Learn More About Justin’s work: https://www.justinmichaelwilliams.com/
• Listen to Justin’s debut album: https://www.justinmichaelwilliams.com/music
• Order Justin’s book, Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide For the Rest of Us:https://tinyurl.com/2p8xu6hx
• Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wejustwill
• Follow Justin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wejustwill/

More episodes like this one

How to Find Your Best Possible Self
https://tinyurl.com/6t3uws8d

Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships,  With Dacher Keltner
https://tinyurl.com/5cx6cd5z

Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Purpose, With Dacher
https://tinyurl.com/39apt7tb

We love hearing from you! Tell us what brings you feelings of awe. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! 

She's the world's leading animal behaviorist and an autism advocacy leader. Guest Temple Grandin shares what kind of support systems led her to success, and we hear about how community, and lack thereof, affects our health and ability to succeed.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y82vw4dv

Episode summary:
Having strong relationships is vital to our well-being. We tend to be happier and healthier when we’re involved with community. Today’s guest is the world-famous scientist Temple Grandin. She was born with autism, which led her to be socially isolated from her peers. Join us on this episode of The Science of Happiness to hear about how Grandin credits her support networks for her success and making her into the person she is today. We’ll also look at the science behind the health repercussions of not having strong social networks. Feeling socially disconnected can lead to a higher risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer and more.

Today’s guests:
Temple Grandin is a leading scientist, prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behaviors. Today, she teaches courses at Colorado State University. Her latest book is Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions.
Temple’s Website: https://www.templegrandin.com
Follow Temple on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtemplegrandin?lang=en
Check out Temple’s Latest Book: https://tinyurl.com/3tftxpck

Tegan Cruwyis is a clinical psychologist at The National Australian University who studies social connection and how loneliness and chronic isolation are literally toxic.
Learn more about Cruwyis and her work: https://tinyurl.com/3etuvket
Follow Cruwyis on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/yc5ujhaj

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient https://tinyurl.com/34ntce8u
What is Social Connection? https://tinyurl.com/nk8crbbz
Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness? https://tinyurl.com/4wxc66tn
Why are We so Wired to Connect? https://tinyurl.com/uttppd3p

Tell us about your experiences with building social connections. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcript to come.

Experiencing awe can help us slow down and connect to the world around us. So how can we harness the power of this feeling? Host Dacher Keltner leads us in a colorful meditation to bring about awe. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3e9cyky5

Practice:

1. Please find a space, either inside or outside, where you can take a moment and pause and look slowly at a scene in front of you. 
2. Settle into a pattern of deep breathing and ease. Really focusing on how that pattern of inhalation and exhalation relaxes your body and slows your heart rate down.
3. Now cast your gaze over the space around you. Take in what you see in the scene in front of you.
4. You may shift your attention to colors present in the things around you or step back and get a sense of the scene in a more holistic way.
5. Notice the variations and differences in the various colors in your visual field. 
6. What feelings do the colors evoke in you? 
7. Now, gently close and then open your eyes and notice how you feel. 

Today’s guests:
Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

More episodes like this one:

How Awe Brings Us Together

https://tinyurl.com/bdhy4sj5

How Music Evokes Awe

https://tinyurl.com/mpkww4j9

Happiness Break: Awe for Others, With Dacher

https://tinyurl.com/3ptwh66j

Feeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, with Dacher Keltner

https://tinyurl.com/4r7rjaxf

We love hearing from you! Tell us what brings you feelings of awe. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break!
Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Rate us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Hearing birdsong can help us feel less anxious, recover from stress faster, and even reduce muscle tension ... but can it help us fall asleep? Drew Ackerman of Sleep With Me podcast listens to recordings of birdsongs to see if it'll help with insomnia.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n7sxjtb

Episode summary:

Drew Ackerman, aka Scooter of Sleep With Me Podcast, has always struggled to get to sleep. Even as an anxious kid, worries would keep his mind churning as the night wore on. For our show, he tried a science-backed practice for easing stress: listening to the twitter of birds. He discovered the recordings reminded him of easeful summer afternoons, transporting him to another time and place. The research bears this out: different sounds affect us in different ways. For many, birdsong lowers our body’s stress responses. And for Drew, that helped him get a little sleepier.

Practice:

1. Listen to a recording of birdsong that appeals to you.

Today’s guests:

Drew Ackerman You might know Drew as his alias, “Dearest Scooter,” the host of Sleep with Me podcast. Drew struggles with bedtime worries and has a history of insomnia himself, but he’s great at helping others sleep. Sleep with Me is one of the most listened-to sleep podcasts. On each episode, “Scooter” lulls listeners off to dreamland with meandering bedtime stories intended to lose your interest.

Listen to Sleep With Me Podcast: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me

• Follow Drew on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p8nrhnp

• Follow Drew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestscooter/

• Follow Drew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sleepwithmepodcast/

Emil Stobbe is a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany.

Jesper Alvarsson is a professor of Psychology at Södertörn University in Sweden.

Eleanor Ratcliffe is a professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey in the UK.

More episodes like this one:

The Science of a Good Night's Sleep (Sleep Tips, With Drew Ackerman) - https://tinyurl.com/3wrwzrxy

Why You Should Snap Pictures of Nature (Appreciating The Outdoors, With Tejal Rao) - https://tinyurl.com/erwdvwrw

Related Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness)

Restore Through Silence, With Tricia Hersey - https://tinyurl.com/4h8ww8ub

Feeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/43v74ryn

Tell us what sounds relax you! You can even send us a recording, we’d love to hear it. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Pilina is an indigenous Hawaiian word, or concept, that describes our deep interconnectedness. Harvard Clinical Psychology Fellow Jo Qina'au guides us through a contemplation of our profound interrelationships.

Link to Episode Transcript: https://shorturl.at/npAM9

How to Do This Practice:

Pilina comes from the indigenous Hawaiian language and culture. Pilina means connection, or interconnectedness.

1. Settle into a comfortable position and observe your breath.

2. Visualize someone to whom you feel meaningfully connected and acknowledge the feeling of Pilina, or deep interconnectedness, between you two.

3. Reflect on what it is that connects you, what impact that connection has had on your life, and what it may have had on theirs.

4. Notice how it feels to acknowledge these things.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with as many people as you wish.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jo Qina’au is an indigenous Hawaiian meditation teacher and a Clinical Psychology Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

• Learn more about Jo’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2wfcma5f

• Follow Jo on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3v8ubn6a

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these Happiness Breaks:

• 5 Minutes of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, With Jo Qina’au - https://tinyurl.com/4f3fd97f

• Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/4dzpatx7

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about connection:

• How to Feel Less Lonely and More Connected - https://tinyurl.com/36t6urte

• When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious - https://tinyurl.com/3778r4h9

We love hearing from you! Tell us who you feel Pilina with, and what it means to you to reflect on it. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Thinking about happy memories activates reward centers in our brains, and can help us feel more connected and accepted. Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye discovers the joy-bringing power of recalling her good childhood memories.

Link to Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2r63e6tn

Episode summary: Whether it’s news notifications or work emails, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the stresses of our time every moment of every day. But what if there was something we could do to rekindle the greatest joys of our pasts? How might that shift how we feel in the present moment? Simply reflecting on happy memories has been shown in a lab to reduce stress, activate the reward center in our brain, and uplift our mood. This week, Palestinian-American poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye reminisces on happy memories from her youth and finds the practice soothes her and sparks joyfulness. We also hear from neuroscientist Mauricio Delgado about how the practice changes the way we think and feel, and which types of happy memories serve us best.

Practice: For one week or more, spend 5-10 minutes each day writing in response to the following prompt:

Think about good memories you have from your past. Write a few paragraphs describing them and one event that you still remember to this date. Please provide as many details as possible, including who was there, so that another person reading what you wrote could understand how you felt at that time.

Today’s guests: Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian-American poet and author. Her new book of poetry, Grace Notes, will be available May 7.

Order Grace Notes: https://tinyurl.com/st3w6n8t

Check out Naomi’s children’s book about a child visiting her Palestinian grandmother, Sitti’s Secrets: https://tinyurl.com/5embjxuj

Follow Naomi on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/5hddcf8k

Mauricio Delgado is a psychology professor at Rutgers University who studies social and cognitive neuroscience.

Learn more about Mauricio’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4tt7bp2d

Follow Mauricio on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/27kvv6j7

More episodes like this one:

Why We Should Look Up at the Sky - https://tinyurl.com/4xs88sye

Why We Need Friends with Shared Interests - https://tinyurl.com/bdesh3he

Related Happiness Breaks:

A Meditation to Connect to Your Roots, With Yuria Celidwen - https://tinyurl.com/3ae3w3z3

Where Did You Come From? Guided Writing, With Lyla June - https://tinyurl.com/ytypxn5t

Tell us about your happiest childhood memories, and what they bring to you now. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

A walking meditation led by 10% Happier Host Dan Harris

How to Do This Practice:

1. Begin walking.
2. Bring your awareness to the present moment, noticing sights and sounds around you. When your mind wanders to worries or other thoughts, gently bring yourself back to what you notice around you.
3. See if you can notice the sensations in your leg as you take each step.
4. Continue walking this way as long as you wish.

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc2kpzmy

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dan Harris the host of 10% Happier, a podcast about mindfulness and other practices and thoughts that can support our well-being.

Check out Dan’s podcast, 10% Happier:  https://tinyurl.com/48cxcbjm\

Order his most recent book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book: https://tinyurl.com/44cmjuvd

Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/danbharris

Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like:

Moving Through Space, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/5n8dj5v6

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about walking and mind-body awareness.

How To Do Good For The Environment (And Yourself) (Walking, With Diana Gameros) - https://tinyurl.com/3zfhhpus

How To Focus Under Pressure (Mindful Body Scan, With Amy Schneider) - https://tinyurl.com/5fkdre2v

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experiences with mindful walking. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Finding ways to bend tasks toward your strengths and passions can make you happier, more productive and find more meaning in your life — no matter your job.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4ky325rs

Episode summary:

When the poet and former professor Susan Glass first retired, she stacked her days with so many volunteer gigs and passion projects, she felt like she was working harder than ever before. Now, she wants to prioritize living a life of meaning and enjoyment. Susan tried a lab-tested practice called Job Crafting, where you take stock of the tasks that fill your day, how much time and energy they require, what really lights you up, and what changes you can make to better align your efforts at work (or in your free time) with your genuine strengths and passions. Then we hear from researcher Maria Tims about how Job Crafting doesn’t just benefit your own well-being and help to guard against burnout, it can also boost your whole team’s productivity and morale.

Practice:

1. Create a “before” sketch: List all your regular tasks, and note each one as low, medium, or high in terms of the time and energy you actually devote to them.

2. Reflect on and write down what motivates you, what your strengths are, and what you’re passionate about.

3. Create a more ideal (but still realistic) "after" diagram, shifting draining tasks from “high” to “low” or “medium” if possible, and boosting energizing and enjoyable tasks where you can.

4. Create an action plan: What are some concrete changes that are in your power to make? Are there places where you need to ask for the support of a colleague or supervisor to make a change?

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/job_crafting

Today’s guests:

Susan Glass is a retired English professor and visually impaired, Bay Area-based poet. She’s the author of the poetry book “The Wild Language of Deer.”

Read Susan’s book: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me

Learn more about Susan’s life and work: https://tinyurl.com/j3pcjn6r

Maria Tims is a professor of Management and Organization at the University of Amsterdam School of Business and Economics.

Learn more about her work: https://tinyurl.com/mtp7tpy3

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Make Life More Meaningful (The Science of Happiness Podcast) https://tinyurl.com/39pth57f

How to Be More Engaged at Work: https://tinyurl.com/2s3t5x2c

How Oxytocin Can Make Your Job More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8458h

Four Keys to a Healthy Workplace Hierarchy: https://tinyurl.com/788m6tme

More Resources for Improving the Job You Have:

HBR - What Job Crafting Looks Like: https://tinyurl.com/453yamac

LSE - Can workers really craft their own happiness in the job? https://tinyurl.com/yjavhda9

TED - The Power of Personalising Our Work: https://tinyurl.com/4cvznn8v

Tell us about your experiences finding meaning in your day-to-day tasks. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Accepting difficult feelings like anger or irritation can help us keep our cool, feel better overall, and find calm on the other side.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/n6hm5yhz

How to Do This Practice:

1. Begin the practice by settling your mind and body. Notice your breath and any sensations that arise in your body,

2. Shift your attention away from your body, recalling an instance where you felt mildly irritated or frustrated. Give yourself a few moments to fully feel this emotion. 

3. Notice any physical sensations that arise. Then, release that memory, refocusing your attention on the body. 

4. Allow these sensations to shift and move, giving them the space to change and observing them with a sense of curiosity and kindness.

5. Consider shaking hands with the emotion the next time it arises in your daily life.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Eve Ekman is a contemplative social scientist and meditation teacher from San Francisco, California.

Learn more about Eve’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2vhuarh8

Find out about Eve’s Emotional trainings with Cultivating Emotional Balance: https://tinyurl.com/5n95m7yx

Explore Eve’s Project, The Atlas of Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/mt75ytm3

Follow Eve on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3txahape

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Regulate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them: https://tinyurl.com/4x29denx

What to Do When You Feel Stuck in Negative Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/mwczxfya

How to Turn Your Brain from Anger to Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/57upkcfa

How to Overcome Destructive Anger: https://tinyurl.com/49zu6whw

We love hearing from you! How do you manage your emotions? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

We learn techniques for working across the aisle without compromising our values from a Democratic politician in one of the most conservative states, Oklahoma.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/w2a9a42p

Episode summary:

Trying to have a conversation with someone who has an opposing view can be exhausting. This week, we explore what it means to have productive discussions when we disagree. Democratic Oklahoma State Senator Jo Anna Dossett recounts her experience bridging political divides with Republican senators in her state with  active listening and self-compassion. Later, we hear from political science professor Lilliana Mason about the blurred line between personal and political identities, and how connecting with individuals on an emotional and social level can lead to more fruitful discussions than just focusing on facts.

Today’s guests:

Jo Anna Dossett is an Oklahoma State Senator.

Learn about Jo Anna Dossett: https://tinyurl.com/muxw7yvz

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dossett4ok

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/293n98fc

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yc3mszhx

Lilliana Mason is a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Learn about Lilliana Mason’s work: https://tinyurl.com/w2hy6fhk

Follow Lilliana Mason on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/29sumyxb

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Eight Keys to Bridging Our Differences: https://tinyurl.com/45ntehyp

Four Lessons From Mediators for Bridging Differences: https://tinyurl.com/bdhf68te

What Will It Take to Bridge Our Differences? https://tinyurl.com/3sua8uz5

Six Techniques to Help You Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/ypsbycf4

15 Practices to Help Kids Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/mvw4s649

More Resources on Bridging Differences

TIME - How Americans Can Tackle Political Division Together: https://tinyurl.com/3phj6y7j

APA - Healing the political divide: https://tinyurl.com/38kzvm5k

BBC - Crossing Divides: What the research tells us: https://tinyurl.com/yahmwdth

Stanford - How to Bridge Political Divides: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ha55p

Tell us about your experiences and struggles bridging differences. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/d3mc7e6t

Beyond just feeling good, studies show experiencing other people's joy makes us more compassionate and satisfied with life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/kycnk4ca

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin this practice, focusing on your breath.
2. Visualize a person or situation that brings you a sense of joy or happiness. It might be a child laughing, the success of a friend, or even a dog wagging its tail.
3. Connect with their joy and happiness, wishing them well.
4. Expand your focus to larger groups of people, like a team winning a match, wishing them well.
5. Consider repeating this practice when you want to connect your sense of happiness with others.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Anushka Fernandopulle is a Buddhist meditation teacher and leadership coach. 

Learn More about Anushka: https://www.anushkaf.org/about/

Follow Anushka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anushka_dharma/

Follow Anushka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anushkaf

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Wishing Others’ Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle: https://tinyurl.com/jrkewjs8

What Is Sympathetic Joy and How Can You Feel More of It? https://tinyurl.com/yuzmykct

How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy: https://tinyurl.com/4csukyd5

Can Little Steps Lead to Big Joy? https://tinyurl.com/3e5yt3hp

Why Experiencing Joy and Pain in a Group Is So Powerful: https://tinyurl.com/3trjtzfm

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of appreciating others’ joy. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3bj4637f

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

When we remember the times someone had our back, it changes the way we view ourselves and the world. Our guest explores what happens when trying a practice to feel more supported.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc2kpzmy

Episode summary:

Ever since he was a young child, José Valladares has spent his life caring for others and has taken pride in supporting his family and community, For our show, he tried a practice where he recalled people in his life who he can turn to during a difficult moment — the people who support him. As he wrote about their admirable qualities and specific instances where they helped him, José felt a renewed sense of gratitude and energy to persist forward in helping others. Later, we hear from psychologist Angela Rowe about how feeling supported can impact our relationships and sense of personal empowerment.

Practice:

1. Make a list of the people who offer you comfort or security.
2. Write down six positive qualities that are common to some or all of these people.
3. Next, recall and visualize a specific situation when you felt distressed or worried, and one of these people comforted and helped you.
4. Write a brief description of that situation and how you felt during it.

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/feeling_supported

Today’s guests:

José Valladares is a software engineer in Utah originally from Honduras.

Angela Rowe is a psychology professor at the University of Bristol.

Learn more about Angela’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4nh752ad

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Who Takes Care of You? With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/bdezwwyd

How to Let Someone Love You (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/5xtzbzj2

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zkjpj

Just One Thing: Feel the Support: https://tinyurl.com/yrfnmwfv

Friend or Family? https://tinyurl.com/msbs2kuh

More Resources on Feeling Supported

NYT Times - Are You Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? https://tinyurl.com/yes746sv

The Atlantic - The Trait That ‘Super Friends’ Have in Common: https://tinyurl.com/bdheumdh

BBC - Why friendship makes us healthier: https://tinyurl.com/3596n4u7

TED - How to ask for help -- and get a "yes": https://tinyurl.com/2ybrmt7m

Stanford - Asking for help is hard, but people want to help more than we realize, Stanford scholar says’: https://tinyurl.com/4n4hraj5'

Who do you turn to for support in your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/b6779syt

Indigenous artist Lyla June leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3622n5s6

How to Do This Practice:

You will need writing utensils for this practice.

1. Find a comfortable place to start this writing practice, taking a few moments to ground yourself.

2. Write the prompt, “I come from a place where…” 

3. For the next 5 minutes (or more), write whatever comes to mind, allowing your thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or filters. Trying keeping your pen to the paper the whole time. 

4. Take some time afterward to read and reflect on what you wrote. 

5. Consider repeating this exercise every few weeks or months to reflect on your past and prospective future. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lyla June is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.

Learn about Lyla June’s work: [https://www.lylajune.com/>\
Watch Lyla June’s videos: [https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru>\
Follow Lyla June on Twitter: [https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6>\
Follow Lyla June on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Power of Expressing Your Deepest Emotions (The Science of Happiness Podcast): [https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67>\
How to Journal Through Your Struggles: [https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd>\
How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times: [https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw>\
How Creative Writing Can Increase Students’ Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/4xw8xuff

How was your experience with this freewriting exercise? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycukc4za

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Playfulness can improve your relationships, help you excel at work, and reduce stress. We explore a strategy shown to help you become more playful.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/b5xc78r3

Episode summary:

Patricia Mebrahtu used to have so much fun as a child. Now, as a medical assistant and mother of two young children, she found herself feeling burnt out and irritable. For our show, Patricia tried a practice to infuse more playfulness into her life. From singing karaoke with her family to playing in the rain, she tapped into her inner child. Through this practice, Patricia recognized the importance of taking time out for yourself, and that she can carve out opportunities to have fun and be playful, even as a busy adult. Later, we hear from psychologist René Proyer about the different types of playfulness, and how incorporating play can benefit our sense of wellbeing.

Practice:

1. Each day for a week, incorporate one playful activity into your routine – it can be anything you find enjoyable and playful.

2. Every evening, write about the experience, and how it made you feel in the present moment.

Today’s guests:

Patricia Mebrahtu is a mother and medical assistant in California.

René Proyer is a psychologist from the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Learn about René’s work: http://tinyurl.com/4sa9vye9

Follow René on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/3x5986u6

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Can We Play? http://tinyurl.com/prhv22rf

What Playfulness Can Do for Your Relationship: http://tinyurl.com/n9b3h7e4

Tuesday Tip: Play with Some Friends: http://tinyurl.com/mu837nwr

More Resources on Being Playful:

BBC - Playtime: Is it time we took 'play' more seriously? http://tinyurl.com/4jmx89vn

NYT - Why We All Need to Have More Fun: http://tinyurl.com/335z4bdu

Washington Post - Why it’s good for grown-ups to go play: http://tinyurl.com/5w8shen

TED - The Importance of PLAY in adulthood and childhood: http://tinyurl.com/4hsn9um4

How do you incorporate play into your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/up29j8zk

We all have a playful side, and research shows acting on it can help us when we need to move through challenging emotions, manage conflict, and be more creative.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/4bxtn9ek

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. Focus on breathing deeply.

2. Think back to a moment of play during your childhood. Recall specific details like your age, what you were doing and who you were with. As you remember, notice how the memory is affecting you in the present moment.

3. Next, focus on a recent memory of play – maybe with your partner, friends, or family. Fully recall the moment, again bringing to mind specific details. Notice how this memory makes you feel.

4. Take note of how reflecting on play has affected your breathing. Did it affect the tight areas in your body? How about the relaxed and open ones?

5. As you refocus your attention on your breath, make a commitment to add play into your busy schedule going forward.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, *Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: *<https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What Happens When We Play (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/mrfm5pj5

Can We Play? http://tinyurl.com/prhv22rf

What Playfulness Can Do for Your Relationship: http://tinyurl.com/n9b3h7e4

For Black Children, Play Can Be Transformative: http://tinyurl.com/mwnfcu26

What memories of play came to your mind? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/ycydhyxz

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: http://tinyurl.com/ycydhyxz

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

When we devote a little time to the other people in our life, we actually feel like we have more of it. Our guest tried a practice to regain control of his time and schedule

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/mr3r6jfn

Episode summary:

Like many of us, our guest Bryant Terry felt like he never had enough time in his day. And while he was eager to reconnect with his family, his schedule was spiraling out of control. For our show, Bryant tried a practice proven to help you feel like you have more time, by specifically devoting some of your time to others. He set intentions to spend quality time with his children doing activities that they truly enjoy. By prioritizing those special moments with his family, Bryant felt more control over his schedule, recognizing that he has the power to make time for what truly matters to him. Later, we hear from professor Cassie Mogilner Holmes about why this practice works, and how being intentional with our time can reshape our relationship with it. 

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gift_of_time

Practice

1. Think of a person whom you care about. 

2. What might you be able to do for this person that entails nothing more than the giving of your time? 

3. Plan a gift of time for this person and give it, whether it means doing something with them (in person or virtually). 

4. Spend as much time as needed to do the favor well and do not take any shortcuts. You might even consider taking off your watch or putting your smartphone away. 

Today’s guests:

Bryant Terry is an award winning chef, author and artist. 

Learn about Bryant’s work: http://tinyurl.com/3wf3264h

Follow Bryant on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/2w68z8bc

Learn about his imprint, 4 Color Books: http://tinyurl.com/yuhrsrp8

Cassie Mogilner Holmes is a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at UCLA. 

Learn about Cassie’s work: http://tinyurl.com/rb5r97s5

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Feel Like You Have More Time: http://tinyurl.com/p6ykm7y2

Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter: http://tinyurl.com/34dvwnv4

Why You Never Seem to Have Enough Time: http://tinyurl.com/4t8vyhy3

Can Awe Buy You More Time and Happiness? http://tinyurl.com/m28d8wcx

How to Spend Your Time on What Matters Most: http://tinyurl.com/ycw527tj

More Resources on spending quality time with others:

BBC - How to feel more in control of your time: http://tinyurl.com/nhbt7btm

Stanford - Jennifer Aaker: How to Feel Like You Have More Time: http://tinyurl.com/n8cc6yfk

Harvard -You’ll Feel Less Rushed If You Give Time Away:  http://tinyurl.com/yc86ymve

How do you devote time to others? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/yjdesnze

When we treat ourselves with kindness and gratitude, research shows we feel more motivated and less self-critical. Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield leads in a practice where we gently turn inward.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yfbz28h2

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. Focus on taking deep breaths, relaxing your body.

2. As you recognize the different sensations in your body, consciously envelope yourself in kindness. Thank your body for providing and caring for you.

3. Redirect your loving kindness towards your heart and the varied emotions it carries.Thank your heart for all it does for you. Then, focus your kindness towards your mind and all the thoughts and worries it holds. Thank it for all that it does.

4. Next, turn towards your consciousness as a whole – your emotions, body, thoughts. Rest in a state of comfortable, loving-kindness.

5. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and reconnect with the world around you.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jack Kornfield is a meditation teacher and author who is one of the leading voices to share Buddhist teachings with a Western audiences.

Learn more about Jack’s work: http://tinyurl.com/2wfth7v2

Follow Jack on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/3zs2bjvx

Follow Jack on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/bd5r9k4a

Follow Jack on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/mryr839y

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Take Our Self-Compassion Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yysrf663

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain: http://tinyurl.com/2f78cywf

Is Gratitude Good for Your Health? http://tinyurl.com/yc86ve9d

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of gratitude and self-compassion. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We’re living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That’s where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Our guest tried a practice in Radical Acceptance, a Buddhist principle made popular by today's expert, psychologist Tara Brach. 

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/362m4n3b

Episode summary:

Sometimes, a setback in work or life can leave us feeling defeated and uninspired. Nadia Zafar is a neurobiology student who has been pursuing her PhD for the last 6 years. Recently, her lack of progress had her spiraling in thoughts of self-doubt and unworthiness. For our show, Nadia tried a practice rooted in radical acceptance, called RAIN. By actively recognizing emotions without judgment, investigating them further, and then nurturing those sensations, she started to approach her negative and anxious thoughts from a place of self-compassion instead of blame. Later, we speak with the creator of the RAIN practice, Tara Brach. She explains the elements of the practice that make it so effective, how approaching situations from a place of acceptance helps disrupt our reactive instincts — opening up more space for awareness and compassion for ourselves and others.

Practice:

When you come up against something challenging – you’re angry or frustrated or feeling any way about yourself, another person, or a situation – move through these steps. It might be helpful to sit somewhere you feel comfortable. Close your eyes for a few moments, and begin by taking a few deep, intentional breaths, to help settle the mind.

1. Recognize what’s happening. For example, “I am getting caught up in anger right now.”

2. Allow the emotion you recognize to be there: Accept that you are feeling the way you’re feeling. You may go a step further and forgive yourself for it, for example by saying to yourself, “Anger forgiven.”

3. Investigate what’s underneath whatever you’re feeling by directing a gentle curiosity towards it. For example, where there is anger, there is something we care deeply about.

4. Nurture: You might put your hand on your heart, remind yourself that many have struggled with the very thing you’re struggling with now, and send yourself a message of kindness and understanding.

Today’s guests:

Nadia Zafar is a 6th year neurobiology PhD student at the University of Toronto.

Tara Brach is a leading voice in the field of contemplative meditation practices.

Learn more about Tara and her work: https://www.tarabrach.com/

Read Tara’s book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha:  http://tinyurl.com/4csarvmf

Follow Tara on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3arhy4uh

Follow Tara on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/2drpvp6c

Follow Tara on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/y743bkru

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Radical Acceptance, With Tara Brach (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/msf5ccde

Can Self-Awareness Help You Be More Empathic? http://tinyurl.com/5yh8z2s2

How Does Mindfulness Help Cultivate Self-Compassion? http://tinyurl.com/yuhwmja4

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: http://tinyurl.com/2a3mm6pf

Want to Change Your Life? Try Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/2y2ryc6m

More Resources on Radical Acceptance:

Harvard - Greater self-acceptance improves emotional well-being: http://tinyurl.com/2ty58cbh

BBC - Why self-compassion – not self-esteem – leads to success: http://tinyurl.com/yj2zax8x

Ted - Dare to rewire your brain for self-compassion: http://tinyurl.com/yc2ru73p

Tell us about your experiences and struggles with accepting difficult situations. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/v6j42zu7

A meditation in meeting our most difficult emotions — like anger, disappointment, or fear — with mindfulness and gentle care.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/48jas955

How to Do This Practice:

When you come up against something challenging – you’re angry or frustrated or feeling any way about yourself, another person, or a situation, move through these steps. It might be helpful to sit somewhere you feel comfortable closing your eyes for a few moments, and begin by taking a few deep, intentional breaths, to help settle the mind.

1. Recognize what’s happening. For example, “I am getting caught up in anger right now.”

2. Allow the emotion you recognize to be there: Accept that you are feeling the way you’re feeling. You may go a step further and forgive yourself for it, for example by saying to yourself, “Anger forgiven.”

3. Investigate what’s underneath whatever you’re feeling by directing a gentle curiosity towards it. For example, where there is anger, there is something we care deeply about.

4. Nurture: Send yourself a message of kindness. You might put your hand on your heart, for example, and remind yourself that everyone experiences reactivity, and send yourself a message of kindness and understanding.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Tara Brach is a psychologist and leading voice in contemporary meditative practices and the author of numerous popular books on contemplative practice.

Read Tara’s seminal book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of the Buddha: http://tinyurl.com/4csarvmf

Learn more about Tara’s work: https://www.tarabrach.com/

Find classes taught by Dr. Neff: https://www.tarabrach.com/online-courses/

Follow Tara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarabrach/

Follow Tara on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarabrach

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Go Through Life with Love in Your Heart, A Q&A with Tara Brach: http://tinyurl.com/2ne65wed

The Mindfulness Skill That Is Crucial for Stress: http://tinyurl.com/3xmnekw2

How Self-Compassion Beats Rumination: http://tinyurl.com/yc7phxsc

Want to Change Your Life? Try Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/2y2ryc6m

Overcoming Objections to Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/yc2wvusr

Self-Compassion Could Help You Be More Tolerant of Others: http://tinyurl.com/3kwrm88h

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with the Light RAIN practice. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

What happens when we intentionally look for beautiful things in our day-to-day lives? We explore a lab-tested practice shown to help you feel happier.

Link to Transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yretvrkp

Episode summary:

When was the last time you witnessed a beautiful moment? Maybe it was a striking sunset, a kind exchange between strangers, or a hearty laugh between two friends. Beautiful moments surround us, and research suggests that taking the time to admire them can actually benefit our health and happiness. For our show, restorative justice advocate Darnell Washington looked for 9 beautiful things each day and reflected on them. In doing so, he recognized how admiring different types of beauty from nature to the goodness of others, can have a powerful impact on his own humanity. Later, we hear from the psychologist who created the practice, René T. Proyer, about how making it a point to notice different kinds of beauty benefits our happiness and reduces depression.

Practice:

1. Every night for at least one week, set about 15 minutes before going to bed to think about nine beautiful things that happened during the day, 3 each in the following categories.

2. Write down three beautiful things in human behavior (morally, positively valued behavior, ie good deeds).

3. Write down three things you experienced as beautiful in nature and/or the environment.

4. Write down three beautiful things in general that you noticed during the day  (referring to aesthetics, like art, music, architecture, etc).

5. Note why you found each of these nine things beautiful.

Today’s guests:

Darnell Washington is a formerly incarcerated restorative justice advocate from California.

Listen to Darnell’s Ted Talk: http://tinyurl.com/cujz79fk

René T. Proyer is a professor and researcher at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Learn about René’s work: http://tinyurl.com/4sa9vye9

Follow René on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/3x5986u6

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Finding Beauty in the Everyday (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/2w2ht55h

Why Seeing Beauty Matters, Even in the Midst of War: http://tinyurl.com/4zy436xk

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: http://tinyurl.com/d2vzpsaj

Finding Awe in the Ordinary: http://tinyurl.com/aavr2pkv

More Resources on Appreciating Beauty:

BBC - The neuroscience of beauty: What your brain finds beautiful – and how this shapes your thoughts: http://tinyurl.com/47s6zcre

TED - Nature. Beauty. Gratitude: http://tinyurl.com/upnrzthc

CNN - It’s the little things: Why animals, sunsets and coffee make us happy: http://tinyurl.com/yckephaf

We want to hear from you! What beautiful moment have you noticed recently? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rete us and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/yfsx9zwp

Research shows feeling connected with nature can lower our stress response. This visualization meditation can help you feel at ease, no matter where you are.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/2k6pdh7n

How to Do This Practice:

It is encouraged to try this practice outdoors

1. Begin the practice by focusing on your breath, and relaxing your body, noticing how it feels supported, particularly by the earth.

2. Allow yourself to let go of anything you are mentally or emotionally carrying, visualizing it going into the earth, letting the ground continue to support you.

3. Draw on imagery from nature to cultivate feelings of strength and sturdiness to support you. For example, imagine that your own body is rooting into the earth to become as unshakable as a tree,   imagine that you are as steady as a mountain, your breath is the breeze and your mind is as open and boundless as the sky.

4. End the practice by placing your hand on your heart, offering yourself kindness, well-being and joy.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Spring Washam is an author and meditation teacher based in Oakland, California.

Learn more about Spring’s work: http://tinyurl.com/3bbshnn7

Read Spring’s books here: http://tinyurl.com/4hkft4js

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: What To Do When You’re Struggling, With Spring Washam: http://tinyurl.com/mrx8t9st

What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: http://tinyurl.com/553xwm47

Why Is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health? http://tinyurl.com/ycx9ns4p

How Nature Helps Us Heal: http://tinyurl.com/2p93682j

Why You Need More Nature in Your Life: http://tinyurl.com/28z27wb2

We love hearing from you! How do you connect with nature? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

We explore how the science of behavior change can help us form new habits and be happier while doing it.Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/4e294mdt

Episode summary:

Many of us are heading into the new year with a resolution we want to live by — a new good habit we’d like to form. But actually sticking to those good habits isn’t always easy — one failure can have us losing the motivation to continue. For our show, we spoke with Cholpon Ramizova and Derick Gnonlonfoun, a couple who set out to create better food habits by cooking at home more and incorporating more vegetables into their meals. As they started to develop this new habit, the two realized that a mindful and kind attitude towards themselves was a key element to their success. Later, we hear from psychologists Katy Milkman and Kristin Neff, to learn about how failure can actually be beneficial when pursuing a goal, and how to cope with it.

Today’s guests:

Cholpon Ramizova and Derick Gnonlonfoun are a couple living in London.

Check out Derick’s artwork here: http://tinyurl.com/2kc9h478

Katy Milkman is a professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Co-Director of The Behavior Change for Good Initiative.

Learn more about Katy and her work: http://tinyurl.com/4ypvmvhf

Find more information on the Behavior Change for Good Initiative: http://tinyurl.com/mr94wh6f

Follow Katy on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/mr25etdp

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions That Feel Good: http://tinyurl.com/3bvs8zb5

Make Self-Compassion One of Your New Year’s Resolutions: http://tinyurl.com/yc2t42nt

Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions: http://tinyurl.com/y2pt9uz2

How to Learn From Your Failures: http://tinyurl.com/5h7uybux

More Resources on Forming Good Habits:

BBC - 4 simple, science-backed ways to build habits that stick: http://tinyurl.com/2p8dk6wt

Harvard -What Does It Really Take to Build a New Habit?  http://tinyurl.com/ndrfybyb

Stanford - Building Habits: The Key to Lasting Behavior Change: http://tinyurl.com/4utw95sj

TED - The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit: http://tinyurl.com/mum8kzvj

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/2pxdw8vr

 When we imagine our best possible selves in our relationships, we feel more motivated to achieve our goals and a greater sense of control over our lives. This week, Dacher leads a visualization exercise in preparation for the new year.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yj43srye

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to begin the practice. Take deep breaths.

2. Focus on the person you are in a romantic relationship with, or a dear friend. Bring an image of them to mind, like how they look and their mannerisms.

3. Imagine your life in the future, and how you would like to be the best version of yourself in your relationship with them. Picture yourself interacting with them — what is happening? What are you doing and saying? What is the tone of the interaction?

4. Repeat this exercise by focusing on friendships and familial relationships. Take note of any common actions across all relationships that you would like to take. Set an intention about how you will interact within your relationships in the new year.

5. When you’re done, reground yourself in the present moment, focusing on the sensations in your body. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the UC, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Find Your Best Possible Self (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/265b34pj

How Thinking About the Future Makes Life More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/24mex4by

10 Pillars of a Strong Relationship:https://tinyurl.com/3zffc8x4

For the New Year, Try Imagining Your Best Possible Life: https://tinyurl.com/4carr6kv

We love hearing from you! How do you plan to be your best possible self in the new year? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Join our limited newsletter, The Science of Habits, to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year's resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

We explore how contemplating our heritage can make us feel more belonging, gratitude, and confidence in what we're capable of achieving.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5djerhbj

Episode summary:

Oral historian Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz knows the profound impact the past can have on the present. For our show, Mi’Jan tried a lab-tested writing practice that took the historical facts she knew about her own family further – by way of her imagination. She journaled about her great-great grandmother Emma, the last enslaved person in her family, and her late father, Njoroge , imagining what they might say to her today.We also hear from psychologist  Susan Moore about how learning about your ancestors can help you feel a sense of self-knowledge, gratitude and belonging.

Practice:

1. Imagine an ancestor in your family lineage. It can be someone you have known or someone from centuries ago.

2. Spend the next 5-15 minutes writing about them. If you don’t know the details, imagine how their life would have been. Write down anything that comes to mind such as their way of life, their profession or what they looked like.

3. Next imagine what they would tell you if they were alive today. What specific insights, advice or feedback would they give you? Write down your reflections.

Today’s guests:

Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz is an artist, documentarian and oral historian.

Learn more about Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz’s work: http://tinyurl.com/5e8t9ha7

Follow Mi’Jan on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/mr3yp3kz

Susan Moore is a psychology professor at the Swinburne University of Technology.

Follow Susan on Twitter:http://tinyurl.com/mr3vsr2k

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Teens Today Are Different from Past Generations: http://tinyurl.com/y5ffwavr

Don’t Be So Quick to Stereotype Generations: http://tinyurl.com/mrxx7xfj

How Collective Trauma Can Hurt the Next Generation: http://tinyurl.com/2vunsm2z

Find Purpose by Connecting Across Generations: http://tinyurl.com/h4yyjesh

More Resources on Connecting with Ancestors:

NPR- 8 listeners share the powerful ways they keep in touch with their ancestors: http://tinyurl.com/48kjmenk

Harvard - How Family History Can Inspire Accountable Reparations and Foster Ancestral Healing: http://tinyurl.com/ta24x773

TED - How to be a good ancestor: http://tinyurl.com/54zvkzsv

How do you connect with your family history? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/yv69erdh

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

When we practice forgiveness, studies show we can have healthier relationships, higher self-esteem, and less anxiety and depression.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mt9uwad8

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to begin the practice. Soften your gaze and take a few slow, deep breaths.

2. Imagine there is a light made of compassion, love and understanding all around you.

3. As the light comforts you, think of a person you would like to seek forgiveness from. Take note of any emotions that arise. Imagine sincerely apologizing to them.

4. Visualize a bridge connecting you and the individual. Know that while forgiveness is not always immediately accepted, you've taken the first step towards healing.

5. Turn your forgiveness towards yourself, breathing in love and compassion.

6. End this practice by reconnecting with your body and refocusing your gaze, remembering that the journey of forgiveness is ongoing.

.Today’s Happiness Break host:

Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher based in Florida.

To get Shelly Tygielski and Justin Michael Williams’ book How We Ended Racism: go to howweendedracism.com or your favorite book seller.

Learn more about Shelly’s work: https://tinyurl.com/26xkdnku

Follow Shelly on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4k4bx3nn

Follow Shelly on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdfsb9pt

Follow Shelly on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2edu2fzu

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Eight Keys to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hbz3a

The New Science of Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/5f2c7sfb

How to Overcome Barriers to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/22zteuyj

The Power of Forgiveness at Work: https://tinyurl.com/mrx5hzvh

How to Build a More Forgiving Community: https://tinyurl.com/5frja2h2

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with forgiveness. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

When we're more curious, we are more likely to be happier and have stronger relationships. Try deepening your curiosity with these science-backed practices from author Scott Shigeoka.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/276u4yxu

Episode summary:

As a cardiologist and immigrant in the United States, Stephanie Hsiao has always placed an emphasis on advancing her skills in order to succeed. So when she received the diagnosis that her son was neurodiverse, Stephanie went immediately into action mode to help her son — but she felt like she was missing something. For our show, Stephanie tried a practice to cultivate “deep curiosity,” and found that a curious outlook helped her to check her assumptions about parenting and discover her son’s strengths and interests. Later, we hear from curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka about the difference between shallow and deep curiosity, and how it can help us forge stronger connections with others.

Practice:

1. Before engaging in curiosity: Slow down, focus on your breathing. Set an intention to focus on curiosity and maybe visualize yourself being curious.

2. While in conversation: Be open to being wrong, continuously check your assumptions, and actively turn towards those who are seeking your attention.

3. Going forward: Make commitments to yourself and with others to engage in difficult, but open-minded interactions.

Today’s guests:

Stephanie Hsiao is a mother and cardiologist based in San Francisco, California.

Scott Shigeoka is an author and storyteller who focuses on themes of curiosity and well-being.

Order Scott Shigeoka’s book Seek: How Curiosity can Transform Your Life and Save the World: https://tinyurl.com/4jrxbupj

Learn More About Scott’s work: https://tinyurl.com/y5xyxky7

Follow Scott on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3acu6jhm

Follow Scott on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/3m3k3bm9

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Six Surprising Benefits of Curiosity: https://tinyurl.com/7kcr32su

How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations: https://tinyurl.com/y2f2e9ce

Why Curious People Have Better Relationships: https://tinyurl.com/2xw5y9yr

Does Curiosity Have a Dark Side? https://tinyurl.com/5n88wzyd

How Curiosity Can Help Us Overcome Disconnection: https://tinyurl.com/9kaas6nz

More Resources on Curiosity:

BBC - Curiosity: The neglected trait that drives success: https://tinyurl.com/38bubaak

Harvard - A Curious Mind: https://tinyurl.com/324hyzv4

TED - How Curiosity Will Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/muswe2y5

Tell us about your experience with being curious. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/m6aezjce

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility." To learn more, go to https://tinyurl.com/2dj6hw29

Chef and author Bryant Terry leads us through a visualization to connect with our ancestors by appreciating our families' traditional foods.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year’s resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc6d69py

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to start this practice, focusing on your breath.

2. Think of a meal or dish that is linked to your culture. Reflect on what it looks and tastes like, as well as when you would eat this dish.

3. Recall whoever would normally make this dish for you, and any stories that might have told you about it.

4. Refocusing your attention on the dish, consider all the different ingredients that went into it, tracing them back to where they came from.

5. Reflect on how generations of your family have been nourished from these sources, all leading up to you.

6. Complete the practice by grounding yourself in your body, and thanking your ancestors for what they have provided.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Bryant Terry is a meditator, chef and food justice activist based in San Francisco.

Learn about Bryant Terry: https://tinyurl.com/juvz7sb2

Read Bryant’s books: https://tinyurl.com/59nxrn8e

Follow Bryant on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ycyb8dwc

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: A Meditation to Connect to Your Roots, with Yuria Celidwen (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/3mrd6247

Episode 81: Are You Listening to Your Elders? (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/2wjbjj3e

Do Rituals Help Us to Savor Food? https://tinyurl.com/52xpj7fn

Find Purpose by Connecting Across Generations: https://tinyurl.com/h4yyjesh

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your favorite cultural dish. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year’s resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/255mcn3b

Episode summary:

This week, we’re focusing on doing good for others, and we’ve turned to someone who cheers people up for a living. Dana Merwin is a professional clown and performer based in San Francisco. For our show, she tried a practice where she performed three acts of kindness a day for the people in her life. She reflects on how simple, kind gestures can pave the way for deep and valuable connections, and that being kind to others ultimately makes us feel good as well. We also hear from psychologist David Cregg about how doing good things for others improves our sense of social connection, purpose in life, and can even help us live longer and healthier lives.

Practice:

1. Write down or think about three acts of kindness you could perform the next day.

2. Do three kind acts for people in your life.

3. At the end of the day, reflect on how these experiences make you feel.

Today’s guests:

Dana Merwin is a progressional clown and performer based in San Francisco.

Learn about Dana’s Work: https://tinyurl.com/bd6ew95a

Follow Dana on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/dspstzrk

David Cregg is a clinical psychologist at South Texas Veterans Health Care System whose research specializes in positive psychology.

Follow David on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/ajay6n6a

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Do You Underestimate the Impact of Being Kind? https://tinyurl.com/583hwar9

Just One Thing: Be Kind to Yourself by Being Kind to Others: https://tinyurl.com/4dsf7bn2

Do We Have an Instinctive Urge to Be Kind? https://tinyurl.com/y5fabnj3

Can Helping Others Help You Find Meaning in Life? https://tinyurl.com/yc4zhw9w

Three Strategies for Bringing More Kindness into Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/22cx7w9f

More Resources on Doing Good Things For Others:

BBC - What we do and don't know about kindness: https://tinyurl.com/na6jvr9e

Harvard: Lending a helping hand: https://tinyurl.com/yckf4759

UCL: 10 benefits of helping others: https://tinyurl.com/4wn5syhh

Mayo Health Clinic: The art of kindness: https://tinyurl.com/5ah5dahc

What kind action have you done for others recently? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/873v67ah

Renew your sense of gratitude by remembering acts of kindness, with social scientist and meditation teacher Eve Ekman.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/kjkzpdk8

How to Do This Practice:

1. Begin the practice by focusing on your breath and settling your mind and body. Notice any physical sensations that arise.

2. Shift your attention away from your body, recalling a time in the last week where you received kindness. Think about the details of the event, and notice how you react to this kindness.

3. Next, focus on a recent experience where you extended kindness. As you relive this event in your mind, allow yourself to be filled with the feeling of kindness.

4. Reconnect with the physical sensations in your body, acknowledging that it is full of gratitude.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Eve Ekman is a contemplative social scientist and meditation teacher from San Francisco, California.

Learn more about Eve’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2vhuarh8

Find out about Eve’s Emotional trainings with Cultivating Emotional Balance: https://tinyurl.com/5n95m7yx

Explore Eve’s Project, The Atlas of Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/mt75ytm3

Follow Eve on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3txahape

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/2f78cywf

Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal: https://tinyurl.com/4uyu9pud

Why Gratitude Is Good: https://tinyurl.com/5n88p589

How Gratitude Motivates Us to Become Better People: https://tinyurl.com/3jzr7jfm

Three Surprising Ways That Gratitude Works at Work: https://tinyurl.com/4f5m9hde

We love hearing from you! How do you express gratitude? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

This week we revisit our science-backed tips for a good night's sleep with sleep scientist Eti Ben Simon and host of the Sleep with Me podcast Drew Ackerman.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p8t47eh

Episode summary:

A good night’s sleep can be hard to come by, and beating yourself up over not sleeping enough will only make it worse. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, the host of Sleep With Me podcast Drew Ackerman joins us to try science-backed tips for finding your natural sleep rhythm. Drew, also known as “Dearest Scooter,” talks about his history with insomnia and sleep anxiety, sleep hygiene, and his philosophy on bringing more self-compassion into his approach to trying to fall asleep. Then we hear from sleep scientist Eti Ben Simon about how sleep affects your social life.

Practice:

1. Avoid alcohol and caffeine after 2 p.m. to unmask your true biological sleep needs.

2. Keep lights dim in the evening and limit access to LED lights after 9 p.m.

3. Go to sleep as soon as you feel tired (even if you're in the middle of something). This will help you figure out the earliest window it is physiologically possible for you to fall asleep.

4. Do not use an alarm clock to wake up.

Today’s guests:

Drew Ackerman is the host of one of the most listened-to sleep podcasts, Sleep with Me. 

Listen to Sleep With Me Podcast: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me

Follow Drew on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p8nrhnp

Follow Drew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestscooter/

Follow Drew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sleepwithmepodcast/

Eti Ben Simon is a sleep scientist and postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, where she works at Matthew Walkers’ Center for Human Sleep Science.

Learn more about Eti and her work: https://www.sleepingeti.com/

Follow Eti on Twitter: https://twitter.com/etoosh

Follow Eti on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/328aa5yr

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Surprising Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p832bh5

How Mindfulness Improves Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p8rhkhj

Your Sleep Tonight Changes How You React to Stress Tomorrow: https://tinyurl.com/2p8zvbjz

More Resources for A Good Night’s Sleep:

Matthew Walker’s 11 Tips for Improving Sleep Quality: https://tinyurl.com/2kadu7va

TED - Sleeping with Science: https://tinyurl.com/23mmbdy3

Harvard Health - 8 Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p8um9z7

BBC - Why Do We Sleep? https://tinyurl.com/2p8z9v2d

Tell us about your experiences and struggles with falling asleep. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Take a break from ruminating with Lama Rod Owens as he leads you in a meditation to cultivate a sky-like mind.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5fn7sw7t

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin this practice.

2. Turn your attention to the rise and fall of your thoughts and feelings within your mind.

3. Imagine that your mind is a vast open sky and that your thoughts are like clouds passing through.

4. Recognize that these thoughts are just experiences that come and go, and that they do not constitute the whole sky or your whole being. Allow yourself to trust the bright openness of your mind, without worrying about it becoming stormy.

5. When you are ready, reground yourself in the present moment by noticing how your body, and how it is held by your seat.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist teacher, author and activist passionate about creating engaging and inclusive healing spaces.

Learn about Lama Rod Owens’ work: https://tinyurl.com/wd2huac5

Read Lama Rod Owens’ latest book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors: https://tinyurl.com/4pj8wb7x

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/527378v9

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/mwa2vwrh

Follow Lama Rod Owens on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/h33pyjye

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times: https://tinyurl.com/6apdf52p

How to Gain Freedom from Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/hp8s5wv6

How to Focus a Wandering Mind: https://tinyurl.com/y7jhkewv

How to Enjoy Being Alone with Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/3ej6acx6

We love hearing from you! Have you tried quieting your mind? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

For time immemorial, humans have connected deeply through singing with one another. We explore the science behind this, plus how group singing benefits other aspects of our health. 

Link to Episode Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdzkmezu

Episode summary:

When was the last time you sang with another person? This week, we’re digging into the science of singing — and more specifically, the science of singing with others, with author Casper ter Kuile. Casper started hosting signing groups in his home as a way to feel connected to others and build a community after moving to a new city. He found that singing is a powerful mode of communication that’s entirely different from talking, by letting people have fun together before even learning what the other does for work. We also hear from psychologist Arla Good, about how group singing can act as a tool for social bonding through a mood-boosting oxytocin response.

Today’s guests:

Casper ter Kuile is an author and speaker who focuses on themes of community building, rituals and spirituality. 

Read Casper’s book, The Power of Ritual: https://tinyurl.com/5653xymp

Learn about Casper’s latest project, The Nearness: https://tinyurl.com/yc76wjvj

Follow Casper on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/muueecw2

Follow Casper on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/mr2jsufk

Arla Good is a psychologist at Toronto Metropolitan University whose research specializes in the benefits of group singing on well-being.

Learn more about Arla and her work: https://tinyurl.com/3fxwsffs

Learn about Arla’s work with the SingWell Project: https://tinyurl.com/4acdhdc6

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Music Helps Us Be More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/4mj6vs44

Four Ways Music Strengthens Social Bonds: https://tinyurl.com/y257y25p

How Music Bonds Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/np3z3cn

Five Ways Music Can Make You Healthier: https://tinyurl.com/4ckbtc2e

Where Music and Empathy Converge in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/23tehxms

More Resources on Group Singing:

BBC -The world's most accessible stress reliever: https://tinyurl.com/37atkk78

Washington Post - Singing is good for you. Singing with others may be even better: https://tinyurl.com/mv3a525d

Oxford - Choir singing improves health, happiness – and is the perfect icebreaker: https://tinyurl.com/3z78634n

Ted - Choral Connections: The Surprising Benefits of Singing Together: https://tinyurl.com/y5yu236z

Have you ever sung with a group? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/yzazbec4

Having a curious approach to life can improve our mood, creativity and relationships. Scott Shigeoka leads a visualization exercise to help you approach someone you might disagree with with an open and curious mind.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4dfsxr2x

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to begin the practice, focusing on your breath.

2. Imagine that you are going to interact with a friend during a moment of conflict. Visualize the meeting, like the space around you and how you greet each other.

3. Picture yourself showing a curious and loving perspective. Take note of what you would say, the tone of your voice, your body language, and in particular the types of questions you ask to impact the conversation.

4. Pay attention to how you would feel if your friend was receiving your curiosity well, compared to if they weren’t.

5. Visualize yourself thanking your friend for their friendship and curiosity before leaving the meeting.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Scott Shigeoka is an author and storyteller who focuses on themes of curiosity and well-being.

Order Scott Shigeoka’s book Seek: How Curiosity can Transform Your Life and Save the World: https://tinyurl.com/4jrxbupj

Learn More About Scott’s work: https://tinyurl.com/y5xyxky7

Follow Scott on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3acu6jhm

Follow Scott on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/3m3k3bm9

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why Curious People Have Better Relationships: https://tinyurl.com/2xw5y9yr

How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations: https://tinyurl.com/y2f2e9ce

Six Surprising Benefits of Curiosity: https://tinyurl.com/7kcr32su

How Curiosity Can Help Us Overcome Disconnection: https://tinyurl.com/9kaas6nz

What Curiosity Looks Like in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/22rj6nbh

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of handling a difficult interaction. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Simple actions like consciously placing a hand on your heart or hugging yourself can lower your cortisol levels, heart rate, and help you feel less stressed. Our guest tries a practice in self-soothing touch.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2zbykwh6

Episode summary:

While reading this, you might be fiddling with your fingers or have a hand resting on your face -– these are examples of self-touch. This week, we are examining the benefits of offering ourselves soothing touches with comedian Calvin Cato. Calvin leads a busy, stressful life. He tried the self-soothing touch practice as a way to better connect with himself. He found that physically caring for himself allowed him to reground his emotions and regulate his stress. To his surprise, the physical sensations also triggered fond childhood memories with his father. Later, we hear from self-compassion and mindfulness expert Aljoscha Dreisoerner about why we evolved to crave touch and how self-touch can be as effective as getting a hug from someone else.

Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. What works for one person might not work for another. Here are some options you can choose from:

• Place one or both hands on your heart or stomach.

• Placing your right hand on your heart and the left on your belly while focusing on the rising and falling of the breath.

• Stroke your arms or cheeks.

• Place your right hand under your left arm, by the side of the heart. Place your left hand on the top of your right arm.

1. Try the practice you choose for at least twenty seconds. While doing the practice, focus on taking a few deep breaths, drawing attention to the pressure and warmth of your hands.

2. Repeat as many times as you would like.

Today’s guests:

Calvin Cato is a comedian and writer based in New York City.

Learn more about Calvin: https://tinyurl.com/3hcmcf8y

Read Calvin’s personal essay in Queendom: https://tinyurl.com/42u5h23w

Follow Calvin on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p5pkmkb

Follow Calvin on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/z5h47asz

Aljoscha Dreisoerner is a Post Doctorate at The University of Vienna interested in self-compassion and mindfulness.

Learn about Aljoscha’s work: https://tinyurl.com/bdfa48n7

Follow Aljoscha on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/94txhhrj

Follow Aljoscha on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yc4wbmfh

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why Physical Touch Matters for Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/m2ea524m

Hands On Research: The Science of Touch: https://tinyurl.com/bdfbk36d

Four Ways Hugs Are Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/3x39apr8

How Touch Shapes Emotion: https://tinyurl.com/3ukuut3b

More Resources on self soothing touch:

CBC - Self-soothing strategies to help break a chain of anxious thoughts quickly: https://tinyurl.com/3ksh2u6e

TED - Bonus: Self-soothing exercises with Dr. Kristin Neff: https://tinyurl.com/mvrwa596

Business Insider - It's possible to be literally starved for touch — here are the symptoms of the condition: https://tinyurl.com/bdc42rh7

Have you tried giving yourself a hug recently? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/ytt84cex

When we mindfully tense and then release our muscles, our bodies are telling our brains to relax. Try this practice that's proven to help with depression, anxiety, and stress. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/477t6uhv

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable space to complete this practice, ideally lying down.

2. Soften your gaze and turn your attention towards your feet. When inhaling, tense your feet as much as you can for no more than 10 seconds. Then exhale and release your feet and toes, noticing the feelings of relaxation as you untense. 

3. Repeat this process of tensing and releasing different parts of your body, working upwards from your legs to your torso, all the way to your upper body, arms and face. Remember to inhale when you are tensing your body, and exhale when you release. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jo Qina’au is meditation guide and clinical psychology fellow from Harvard University. 

Learn more about Jo Qina’au’s work: https://tinyurl.com/bdfyw3ar

Follow Jo on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yc846waw

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Use Your Body to Relax Your Mind (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/mueeubr7

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/3f79nsav

Why You Should Take a Relaxing Lunch Break: https://tinyurl.com/2p8axdba

Four Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times: https://tinyurl.com/6apdf52p

We love hearing from you! What was your experience like with this progressive muscle relaxation exercise? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Want to destress your mind? Start with your body. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a practice where you methodically tense and release your muscles to help unwind.  Studies show it can reduce anxiety, help you get better sleep and lower depression levels.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y6stdy3b

Episode summary:

As a war correspondent and an Afghani refugee, Nelufar Hedayat is acutely aware of how stress feels in her body. For our show, Nelufar tried Progressive Muscle Relaxation: But what the practice’s title doesn’t mention is that you methodically tense your muscles,  before releasing them.. At first, it triggered feelings of distress for her. But after recently being diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, Nelufar was able to reframe her relationship to the exercise. By separating the sensation of tensing from stress, she completed the practice feeling empowered and euphoric. Later, we hear from psychologist Loren Toussaint about the importance of intentionally engaging our body’s relaxation response. We also learn how Progressive Muscle Relaxation compares to other well-known relaxation techniques, like deep breathing and visualization.

Practice:

Listen to next week’s Happiness Break on October 5th for a short guided version of this practice.

Try following these steps for Progressive Muscle Relaxation from Kaiser Permanente: https://tinyurl.com/4k668ehv

Today’s guests:

Nelufar Hedayat is an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker who has reported on numerous conflict zones. Her new podcast Ritually explores the role of wellness and spiritual practices in contemporary society.

Listen to Ritually: https://tinyurl.com/mtzvf2kp

Follow Nelufar on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/42ytnytw

Follow Nelufar on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/y6abuvtp

Follow Nelufar on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/mr2weemp

Loren Toussaint is a professor of psychology at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

Learn more about Loren and his work: https://tinyurl.com/4ea2jx9x

Follow Loren on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/mry2yb4s

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways to Calm Your Mind in Stressful Times: https://tinyurl.com/6apdf52p

How Resting More Can Boost Your Productivity: https://tinyurl.com/23h6rnvw

How a Body Scan Can Help With Strong Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/59tyjbhr

How Tuning In to Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/y2jhfmpe

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/3f79nsav

More Resources for A Good Night’s Sleep

University of Toledo- Progressive Muscle Relaxation: https://tinyurl.com/2kadu7va

Mayo Clinic - Relaxation techniques: Try these steps to reduce stress:  https://tinyurl.com/2tfrnnew

BBC - Can’t stop your brain racing at 3am? Try these suggestions from a GP: https://tinyurl.com/yvz45x5w

PTSD UK - How Progressive Muscle Relaxation can help people with PTSD: https://tinyurl.com/4b89auzw

Tell us about your experience with the progressive muscle relaxation practice! Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/ckd6yb46

Take a moment to ground yourself with this meditation that helps bring awareness to the relationship between ourselves and the earth beneath us.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p8vub46 (English)

También tenemos esta meditación en Español.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to start the practice, ensuring that your feet feel grounded.

2. Focus on your breath, and how the air moves from your chest out through your nose.

3. Notice how the bottoms of your feet are connected to the earth, and how your body is supported and sustained by the earth beneath you.

4. If any distractions arise, refocus your attention on your breathing and the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.

5. Complete this practice by expressing a sense of gratitude for the earth and our ability to reground ourselves within it.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Diana Parra is professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is also a registered mindfulness and yoga teacher who focuses on sharing these practices with the Latino immigrant community in St Louis.

Learn more about Diana Parra’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4acc7nsv

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/3f79nsav

Can Mindfulness Help When You’re Depressed? https://tinyurl.com/yc7heja3

Does Mindfulness Make You More Compassionate? https://tinyurl.com/4beawh8b

How to Practice Mindfulness Throughout Your Work Day: https://tinyurl.com/y8ftbcrz

How Mindfulness Improves Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2tunpkjb

We love hearing from you! Did this practice help you feel more grounded? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Tómate un momento para conectarte con esta meditación que ayuda a tomar conciencia de la relación entre nosotros y la tierra.

Enlace a la transcripción: https://tinyurl.com/umu6wx33

We also have this meditation in English — It's on our podcast feed wherever you're listening right now.

Dr. Omar Guzman reflects on how a practice to cultivate more respect shaped the way he interacts with his patients. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2fwen962

Episode Summary:

As an ER doctor in an overworked healthcare system, Omar Guzman isn’t always able to build the relationships with patients the way he’d like to. For our show, Omar tried a practice called the 7 Elements of Respect. By contemplating his own motivations and biases, practicing deep listening and prioritizing relationship-building, Omar was able to develop a meaningful connection with a patient and was reminded of why he decided to pursue medicine. Later, we hear from Diane Johnson, the creator of this practice, to learn more about the multifaceted aspects of respect, and how developing empathic relationships can shape and strengthen our sense of community.

Practice:

1. Acknowledge the conflict and affirm your commitment to understanding and moving forward.

2. Ensure that you are staying honest and true to yourself.

3. Hear new perspectives by practicing deep listening.

4. Recognize the importance of emphatically interacting with others.

5. Let go of any pretenses or sense of ego by practicing humility.

6. Notice how these actions affect your internal motivations.

7. Practice building relationships and connections with others.

Today’s guests:

Omar Guzman is an ER doctor in Visalia, California.

Diane Johnson has a PhD in Organizational Behavior and is a consultant focused on leadership, change management and organizational development. She is the creator of the 7 Elements of Respect.

Learn more about Diane and her work: https://www.mmapeu.com/

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways to Help Your Coworkers Feel Respected: https://tinyurl.com/2p8uvhnb
How Do We Ensure That Students of Color Feel Respected?: https://tinyurl.com/5n8534ek

What Middle Schoolers Can Teach Us About Respect: https://tinyurl.com/4ua4va6s

Five Ways to Have More Constructive Disagreements: https://tinyurl.com/tt26uy84

More Resources on Cultivating Respect:

MIT - Creating a Culture of Respect: https://tinyurl.com/44kzr95s

NYT - How to Be More Empathetic: https://tinyurl.com/nf675dkk

BBC - Deep Listening: Finding common ground with opponents: https://tinyurl.com/yjby4zjx

How do you cultivate respect in your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/mszb2wfx

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility." To learn more, go to https://tinyurl.com/2dj6hw29

Take a few minutes to reflect on someone who inspires you, and how you can embody the values you admire in them.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4x2whvzb

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to do this practice and settle into a relaxed pattern of breath.

2. Think of someone who’s character has moved and inspired you. Focus on a specific time when they did something that inspired you.

3. Notice the feelings that arise in your body when you reflect on that person’s moral beauty.

4. Reflect on why that aspect of moral beauty is so significant and meaningful to you.

5. Think of how you can strive to incorporate it into your own life.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, *Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: *<https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Find Your Purpose in Life: https://tinyurl.com/28mjx65c

Living with a Purpose Changes Everything: https://tinyurl.com/yeyv2xhu

Seven Ways to Find Your Purpose in Life: https://tinyurl.com/4ekymbet

Five Ways to Foster Purpose in Adolescents: https://tinyurl.com/25e5bvv3

How Purpose Changes Across Your Lifetime: https://tinyurl.com/yhek7ktr

We love hearing from you! Who inspires you? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Rapper Rexx Life Raj shared his deepest pain in his latest album, and discovered it was one big compassion practice for his fans dealing with their own grief.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4xzncasd

Episode summary:

After losing both of his parents in the same year, Rapper Rexx Life Raj channeled his grief into his latest album. On tour, he found himself communing with fans who were struggling with grief of their own. For our show, Raj tried a meditation to cultivate more compassion, and discovered that his life was full of compassion practices – like connecting with his fans who were suffering. We also hear from researcher Hooria Jazaieri about the relationship between vulnerability and compassion, why compassion is so critical to our relationships, and the many ways we can cultivate more of it.

Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place and take a few moments to focus on your breath.

2. Think of a loved one. Allow the feelings of warmth and love to fill your heart. Wish those individuals well.

3. Think of a time when your loved one was suffering. Notice how your sensations shift. Sincerely wish that they may be free of suffering.

4. You can try this practice with different types of people in your life, including loved ones, friends, and even those you don’t get along with.

Learn more about the Compassion Meditation practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/compassion_meditation

Today’s guests:

Rexx Life Raj is a rapper and musician from the Bay area.

Listen to his latest album, The Blue Hour: https://tinyurl.com/3rpfv9r9

Listen to Raj Life Raj’s Music: https://www.rexxliferaj.com/

Follow Raj on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RexxLifeRaj

Follow Raj on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rexxliferaj/

Hooria Jazaieri is an Assistant Professor at Santa Clara University. Her research focuses on personal reputation and emotions like compassion and awe.

Learn more about Hooria and her work: https://tinyurl.com/2ndpkke9

Follow Hooria on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HooriaJazaieri

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Can Compassion Change the World: https://tinyurl.com/3ac2meyc

Does Mindfulness Make You More Compassionate? https://tinyurl.com/4beawh8b

When Empathy Hurts, Compassion Can Heal: https://tinyurl.com/yc4pyjcv

Compassionate Mind, Healthy Body: https://tinyurl.com/mruc6m95

Do Your Struggles Expand Your Compassion for Others? https://tinyurl.com/yc4pyjcv

More Resources on Compassion:

The Atlantic - What’s Missing From Empathy: https://tinyurl.com/4b6s2v3y

TED - Compassion and the true meaning of empathy: https://tinyurl.com/2kkhf3p5

Washington Post - Compassion fatigue hits not only professional caregivers. Other people get it, too: https://tinyurl.com/5325ewjt

Harvard - Connect with Empathy, But Lead with Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/5n8amcuh

What has your experience been like practicing compassion for others? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Episode image based on photo by Marco Alexander

Take a few minutes to develop your sense of awe for the circle of life in this meditation with Dacher Keltner.

LINK TO EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://tinyurl.com/2tv3whj2

All sentient beings are impermanent, and out of our reflections on this we find appreciation. We find poignancy. A little sadness, but also out of that sadness and poignancy, a sense of deep appreciation for the people we love.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place. Focus on taking a few deep breaths, relaxing your body from head to toe.

2. Think of an older relative who you are close to. Picture them in your mind.

3. Imagine how they entered the world years ago as a newborn.

4. Continue to imagine this individual growing up — through adolescence into adulthood, developing the qualities that you admire.

5. Now imagine them later in life, into seniority.

6. Reflect on the progression of the individual’s life, from the beginning to the final stages in this natural progression of the life cycle for humans.

7. Recognize that they'll pass or maybe they have passed, and that's part of this cycle

8. Take note of how you feel.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, *Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: *<https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What I Learned About Resilience in the Midst of Grief: https://tinyurl.com/2uw7uvxd

How to Face Grief in Yourself and Others: https://tinyurl.com/yckknp9r

Death and Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/mwcn752j

How to Bring More Meaning to Dying: [https://tinyurl.com/vnbkwf52>\
Learning to Live in a World Without a Loved One: https://tinyurl.com/2v4avfvv

How do you find awe in impermanence? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Humor can help us with stress, anxiety and feeling more connected to others. But is humor connected to mindfulness? And how can we find more of it?

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p9dkds7

Episode summary:

For Emmy- nominated comedian Josh Johnson, humor has always come naturally. But over time, Josh has found it difficult to  reignite his passion for comedy outside of his career. For our show, Josh wrote down three funny things he experienced every day for a week. He noticed that funny moments often arise from a series of interconnected events, and that they aren’t always something we can prepare for. Instead, it’s the unexpected moments that often lead to a comedic sense of joy. Later, we hear from psychologist Sonja Heintz about the connection between various types of humor and mindfulness, and how engaging in mindful practices can spur more positive and benevolent types of humor. 

Practice:

1. Take 10 minutes a day for at least a week to write down 3 of the funniest moments you experienced throughout the day.

2. Write down why you think these funny moments happened. 

3. Remember to write down as much detail about the moment as possible. These funny moments do not have to be of major importance. 

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three_funny_things

Today’s guests:

Josh Johnson is an Emmy-nominated comedian and writer for The Daily Show. This interview was recorded before the Writer’s Guild and Screen Actors’ Guild strikes began. 

Learn more about Josh Johnson: https://www.joshjohnsoncomedy.com/

Follow Josh on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/33f4nkv2

Follow Josh on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3txe78kf

Sonja Heintz is a psychologist at the University of Plymouth who specializes in positive psychology. 

Learn more about Sonja and her work: https://tinyurl.com/mt4vs6cx

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why Laughing Is Good for You (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/4z3snujy

How Laughter Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/2cnapztk

Four Funny Ways Laughter Is Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/5x6d9jp3

How a Little Humor Can Improve Your Work Life: https://tinyurl.com/bdzz6thx

More Resources on Humor:

BBC - How comedy makes us better people: https://tinyurl.com/ytywxb94

Harvard - Humor, Laughter, and Those Aha Moments: https://tinyurl.com/ujjmzc75

Ted - The Superpower of Humour: https://tinyurl.com/53chw3nz

When Everything Is Heavy, a Touch of Humor Can Help: https://tinyurl.com/s6ydmyu4

What are three funny things that happened in your life recently? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Relieve stress, boost self-esteem, and increase focus through a simple body music practice. And do it with a friend to feel more compassion and a hit of oxytocin.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc8aer74

How to Do This Practice:

Try using these movements to create various rhythmic combinations with your body:

One: Clap your hands, slightly cupping with each clapping instead of hitting your full palms together.

Two: Tap your right hand to your left chest.

Three: Tap your left hand to tap your right chest.

Four: Tap your right thigh with your right hand.

Five: Tap your left thigh with your left hand. Then loop back to the top.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Keith Terry is a percussionist and body musician who uses a variety of surfaces to create interesting rhythms.

Learn more about Keith Terry: https://tinyurl.com/5av66v5f

Watch Keith Terry in action: https://tinyurl.com/299vuw4a

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Science of Synchronized Movement (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/mrys53k4

Five Ways Music Can Make You Healthier: https://tinyurl.com/4ckbtc2e

How Music Helps Us Be More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/4mj6vs44

Wired for Music: https://tinyurl.com/ye2xkjxz

Four Ways Music Strengthens Social Bonds: https://tinyurl.com/y257y25p

How was your experience creating body music? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2cyp46rp

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2cyp46rp

We’re living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That’s where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Just 20 minutes of improv theater can foster creativity and confidence, and help with anxiety, depression, and your ability to tolerate uncertainty.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4t9rjj58

Episode summary:

Deema Altaher was never one for the spotlight. So when her husband signed them up for improv classes, she had no idea what to expect. And yet after one class, Deema was hooked. From active listening games to “yes, and” prompts, she found that improv exercises shifted the way she connected with other people, and eased her nerves as she navigated all the uncomfortable parts of starting a new job. She was also inspired to “say yes” to new life opportunities. In fact, an emerging science shows that improv can benefit many people in terms of fostering greater comfort with new situations, inspiring creativity, lifting your mood, and even easing anxiety and depression. Professor Peter Felsman is a social scientist and improviser himself who has tested this spontaneous style of theater in the lab. Felsman explains how improv might cause these improvements, and others, like lessening social anxiety in children.

Try Improv On Your Own:

11 Easy Improv Games for Beginners - https://tinyurl.com/24xrre2y

Today’s guests:

Deema Altaher is an engineer who recently moved back to the United States from the United Arab Emirates.

Peter Felsman is a professor of social work at Northern Michigan University who specializes in the intersection between mindfulness, psychology and the arts.

Learn more about Peter Felsman’s work: https://tinyurl.com/5h47wsxs

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Seven Ways to Cope with Uncertainty: https://tinyurl.com/4zh3m36e

Embracing Discomfort Can Help You Grow: https://tinyurl.com/5ftvvce3

The Power of Performance: https://tinyurl.com/3mc78yzb

What Mel Brooks Can Teach Us about “Group Flow”: https://tinyurl.com/2rxmrzhn

More Resources on Improv

NPR - The rules of improv can make you funnier. They can also make you more confident: https://tinyurl.com/2wvpk53j

Harvard Gazette - For more than just laughs: https://tinyurl.com/2zzxacpu

TED - How Improv Comedy Improves Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/5a8vpt67

What helps you destress and cope with big changes? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/wnfb99cy

Mindful breathing exercises are a simple, effective, and fast way to shift our mindset and improve physical and mental well-being when practiced regularly.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mpt4rr5x

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to start the practice, maintain a good posture and close your eyes. 

2. Take a deep breath in for a count of four. Hold that breath, feeling it in your lungs and body for another count of four. Push the air outwards, exhaling for a count of six.

3. Repeat this exercise as many times as you would like.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the UC, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What Focusing on the Breath Does to Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3u8h53pw

Is the Way You Breathe Making You Anxious?: https://tinyurl.com/mryr2jup

A Five-Minute Breathing Exercise for Anxiety and Mood: https://tinyurl.com/3ve66u2k

How Four Deep Breaths Can Help Kids Calm Down: https://tinyurl.com/5xr2sb99

What does mindful breathing do for you? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/taub93tp

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us on Spotify and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/taub93tp

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day. 

War veteran and country music singer Sal Gonzalez tries the Taoist practice of Wu Wei to improve his relationship with anger.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yavaw23d

Episode summary:

For Iraq war veteran Sal Gonzalez, relying on anger had become second nature — and while this emotion was beneficial for him on the battlefield, Sal found it difficult to manage his anger when readjusting to civilian life. For our show Sal tried a 5 step practice of Wu Wei. Rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taoism, Wu Wei is focused on setting strategic intentions and accepting difficult situations, rather than resisting them. After trying the practice, Sal reflected that he doesn’t have to give up anger entirely, rather, he can be more intentional about choosing when to use it. We later hear from Dr. Doris Chang, the clinical psychologist who developed a 5 step methodology of practicing Wu Wei, to learn more about the impact of acceptance and non-action.

Practice:

1. Articulate: Identify your goals and values in life.

2. Self-Assess: Take note of your role and the role of others within a particular situation in order to clearly outline your options.

3. Accept: Begin by recognizing any circumstances of your life that cannot be changed. Instead of resisting or trying to control the situation, try to accept the situation.

4. Action, non-action: Based on your evaluation of the situation, determine whether it is more beneficial to act, or choose not to act.

5. Allow: Give yourself the opportunity to move with the situation, recognizing that it is easier to flow with a situation than against it.

Today’s guests:

Sal Gonzalez is a country music singer and an Iraq war veteran who was wounded in combat.

Listen to Sal’s music: https://salgmusic.com/

Follow Sal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salgmusic/

Follow Sal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialsalgmusic

Doris Chang is a clinical psychologist and professor at NYU. She developed a five step process of Wu Wei.

Learn more about Doris and her work: http://dorisfchang.com/about

Follow Doris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dorisfchang/

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What You Think About Your Emotions Matters: https://tinyurl.com/9akpm7u6

Just One Thing: Accept Difficulty: https://tinyurl.com/mrknbj8b

How to Deal with Feeling Bad About Your Feelings: https://tinyurl.com/2zf7njh4

How to Overcome Destructive Anger: https://tinyurl.com/49zu6whw

More Resources for A Good Night’s Sleep

Harvard Health - Go with the flow: engagement and concentration are key: https://tinyurl.com/bp66krnw

CNBC - A 2,000-year-old Chinese mindset can make you more successful—it ‘takes almost zero effort,’ says psychologist: https://tinyurl.com/mr3n4a8b

TED - Wuwei and Flow: https://tinyurl.com/3jmcjp68

Atlantic - How to Not Try: https://tinyurl.com/mr2nwufj

Have you tried to accept a difficult emotion in your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/mpnacwv7

Moving meditations can help reduce stress and boost self-awareness. Improve your ability to sense your body in space with this 7-minute proprioception meditation.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ynkdywbn

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place where you can move your arms freely. This practice can be completed sitting or standing. If you choose to stand, avoid locking your knees by bending them slightly.

2. Begin by taking deep breaths, drawing your attention to your body in the present moment.

3. Balance your posture by grounding evenly through your feet, leveling your pelvis, and straightening your back.

4. Focus your attention on your arms, starting from your shoulders down to your fingertips. Bring your palms to touch in front of your heart, inhale and lift them upwards to meet above your head. Exhale and bring them towards your heart.

5. Repeat this cycle 2-3 more times, focusing on noticing how your body moves through space.   

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the UC, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Finding Delight Through Your 5 Senses (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/3bszfww2

How to Gain Freedom from Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/hp8s5wv6

10 Steps to Savoring the Good Things in Life: https://tinyurl.com/y9636sku

Why Physical Touch Matters for Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/m2ea524m

How to Deal with Sensory Overload as a Sensitive Person: https://tinyurl.com/y7epvsmu

We love hearing from you! How did you find this moving meditation? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/525rtxt9

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/525rtxt9

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

We enjoy the world through our five senses, so why don't we do more to heighten them? We explore the techniques and science of the senses with Gretchen Rubin.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4s3wv9mv

Episode summary:

When Gretchen Rubin found out she was at greater risk of losing her eyesight, she started to recognize what she had been taking for granted and her appreciation for sight — and the rest of her senses — was reignited. Since then, Gretchen has been committed to discovering how our five senses shape and enhance our experiences of the world. Like how certain odors can trigger good memories and how our sense of touch stimulates the vagus nerve, which has a calming effect on our brains and bodies. We explore techniques to enhance each of our senses, and the science behind how they contribute to our well-being.

Today’s guest:

Gretchen Rubin is an acclaimed journalist and author.

Read Gretchen’s latest book book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World: https://gretchenrubin.com/books/life-in-five-senses/

Follow Gretchen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretchenrubin/

Follow Gretchen on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GretchenRubin

Follow Gretchen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gretchenrubin

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Finding Presence Through Your Senses, With Dacher Keltner (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/y63mphep

How to Gain Freedom from Your Thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/hp8s5wv6

10 Steps to Savoring the Good Things in Life: https://tinyurl.com/y9636sku

Why Physical Touch Matters for Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/m2ea524m

How to Deal with Sensory Overload as a Sensitive Person: https://tinyurl.com/y7epvsmu

More Resources on Your 5 Senses:

Scientific American - Making Sense of the World, Several Senses at a Time: https://tinyurl.com/34djh4p4

BBC - Hacking our senses to boost learning power: https://tinyurl.com/y7e8f89c

TED - How your sense of smell helps you savor flavor: https://tinyurl.com/2yx5n5pm

Washington Post - Why music causes memories to flood back: https://tinyurl.com/2s47stkk

We want to hear from you! How does your favorite sense enhance your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Treating yourself with kindness reduces anxiety and improves coping skills. Spring Washam encourages us to be more self-compassionate through a short guided meditation.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8t9st

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position and begin to focus on your breath.

2. This is a practice to use when you are struggling in some way. Allow your attention to turn toward your suffering and notice how you feel, and where those emotions are held in your body. Close your eyes and imagine that you are literally breathing in compassion and care for yourself.

3. Hold your left hand in your right, or place your hands on your heart, holding yourself with care.

4. Continue to direct compassionate energy to yourself using the mantra “May I care about this suffering. May I care about these difficulties.”

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Spring Washam is a meditation teacher whose practices draw on themes of loving-kindness, well-being and compassion.

Learn More About Spring’s work: https://www.springwasham.com/about/

Listen to Spring’s podcast, The Spirit Underground: https://tinyurl.com/y87mxrw2

Follow Spring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/?hl=en

Follow Spring on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teacher.springwasham

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Feel Better About Yourself (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/3jh5rheb

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass

How Self-Compassion Can Help You Through a Breakup: https://tinyurl.com/222scejz

Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination? https://tinyurl.com/mrfmvyj

The Three Components of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/mwa2zddp

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience practicing self compassion. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yrv47mh7

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us on Spotify and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/yrv47mh7

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Self-compassion reduces our feelings of shame and self-doubt. We explore a practice to help quiet our inner critic with kindness.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ytek6jxk

Episode summary:

What does your inner critic sound like? For René Brooks, it’s the adults who misunderstood her ADHD symptoms as a child, before she was diagnosed later in life. For our show, René tried a self-compassionate writing exercise that helped her re-examine how she treats herself in difficult situations. She highlights why self-compassion is so important for marginalized communities in particular, and how as a Black woman, she puts double the pressure on herself to achieve and has come to use shame and self-judgment to motivate herself. The practice helps her to disrupt that tendency by noticing the way she speaks to herself and learning to take a more compassionate tone, instead. Later, we hear from psychologist Serena Chen, who expands on how cultivating self-compassion can help us embrace our true selves, which can lead to greater life satisfaction, increased well-being and closer social relationships.

Practice:

1. Think of something that makes you feel guilty, ashamed or insecure.

2. Notice how you feel and write down your emotions.

3. Imagine someone who loves you unconditionally and write a letter to yourself from their perspective, using the tone they would use with you, and expressing acceptance and understanding. Acknowledge that no one is perfect and there are likely many people struggling with the very same thing you are.

4. In a compassionate way, ask yourself whether there are things that you could do to improve or better cope with this negative aspect. Focus on how constructive changes could make you feel happier, healthier, or more fulfilled, and avoid judging yourself.

5. Try to complete the practice on a weekly or monthly basis.

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassionate_letter

Today’s guests:

René Brooks is the creator of the blog Black Girl, Lost Keys. She draws on her personal experiences to coach and assist adults with ADHD.

Visit René’s Blog: https://blackgirllostkeys.com/

Follow René on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p9caj5v

Follow René on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3a96882u

Follow René on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackgirllostkeys/

Serena Chen is the Chair of the Psychology department at UC Berkeley. Her research is focused on self-compassion, wellbeing and social interaction.

Learn more about Serena and her work: https://tinyurl.com/mry3vx3v

Follow Serena on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/3btm3jn8

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/4tfp7d73

Why Self-Compassion Trumps Self-Esteem: https://tinyurl.com/5a6phdx3

Why Is Self-Compassion So Hard for Some People? https://tinyurl.com/2x4v3r72

The Three Components of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/mwa2zddp

Want to Change your Life? Try Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2y2ryc6m

More Resources on Self-Compassion

Happiness Break: How to Be Your Own Best Friend, with Kristin Neff:  https://tinyurl.com/3fj4yfrn

TED - Dare to rewire your brain for self-compassion: https://tinyurl.com/yc2ru73p

Harvard Health - The power of self-compassion: https://tinyurl.com/yc7usmx5

BBC - Why self-compassion – not self-esteem – leads to success: https://tinyurl.com/yj2zax8x

How have you tried practicing self-compassion? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod to tell us about it.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Rate and follow us on Spotify, and share this episode with a friend: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Cultivate a sense of compassion for yourself and others by trying a meditation rooted in loving kindness, called "Metta."

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/jrkewjs8

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to start this meditation.

2. Start taking deep breaths, focusing your attention on what you feel around your heart and chest.

3. Turn your attention to someone who immediately brings a smile to your face. Try to sincerely wish that person well. Some phrases you can mention include, “May you be peaceful and happy. May you be strong and healthy. May you be safe from harm. May you live with ease.”

4. Think of someone you don’t know as well, and repeat step three. After that, you can try directing well wishes towards someone you struggle with, if you would like.

5. Slowly begin to shift your attention away from others and direct those well wishes towards yourself.

6. Complete this practice by sending out goodwill for everyone around you, including yourself, using the word “we.”

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Anushka Fernandopulle is a Buddhist meditation teacher and leadership coach.

Learn More about Anushka: https://www.anushkaf.org/about/

Follow Anushka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anushka_dharma/

Follow Anushka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anushkaf

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Greater Happiness in 5 Minutes a Day: https://tinyurl.com/2p896av4

Are You Getting Enough Positivity in Your Diet? https://tinyurl.com/59d56w5d

Feeling Connected Makes Us Kind: https://tinyurl.com/dbv86969

You Need More Than a Book to Learn Loving-Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/5aatw6hw

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of practicing loving-kindness. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2kfcdj8e

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

How can we feel more moments of joy? We explore the science of joy and how we can cultivate it in our everyday lives, with poet Ross Gay and psychologist Philip Watkins.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mu89jbyu

Episode summary:

Are joy and happiness the same thing? Can you feel joy even in moments of sorrow? This week, we’ve set out to explore the unique qualities of joy, why it's so beneficial for us to experience, and how we can find more of it. We first hear from Ross Gay, an award-winning poet and author who dedicated his last book to the topic of joy, and how we usually find it through closeness with others. Later, we hear from psychologist Philip Watkins about what sets joy apart from other emotions, whether joy can be produced or must be happened upon, and practical steps we can take to amplify joy within our own lives.

Today’s guests:

Ross Gay is an award-winning American poet and author. His latest book explores the complexities of joy and its connection to feelings like gratitude and sorrow.

Learn more about Ross: https://www.rossgay.net/about

Read Ross’ book, Inciting Joy: https://www.rossgay.net/inciting-joy

Follow Ross on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RossGay18

Philip Watkins is a psychology professor at Eastern Washington University. He conducts research on different aspects of well-being including gratitude, happiness and joy.

Learn more about Philip and his work: https://tinyurl.com/3zwested

Find Philip on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philip.watkins.338/

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy: https://tinyurl.com/4csukyd5

How to Awaken Joy in Kids: https://tinyurl.com/5xr3t9vf

What is Sympathetic Joy and How Can You Feel More of It? https://tinyurl.com/yuzmykct

Joy and Grace: https://tinyurl.com/yaxp48xd

Why Experiencing Joy and Pain in a Group is so Powerful: https://tinyurl.com/3trjtzfm

More Resources on Joy:

Harvard Business Review - Making Joy a Priority at Work: https://tinyurl.com/3z8mejum

Harvard Health -  How can you find joy (or at least peace) during difficult times? https://tinyurl.com/2s35wffy

TED - Where joy hides and how to find it: https://tinyurl.com/3d2fbfbv

How do you define joy? When was the last time you felt it? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Rate and follow us on Spotify, and share this episode with a friend: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

When we feel cared for, our cortisol levels drop, we feel safe, and we handle stress better. Dacher leads a meditation to help us focus on the people who make us feel supported.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdezwwyd

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to start the practice. Focus on taking deep breaths.

2. Shift your attention to your body, relaxing your jaw, shoulders and face.

3. Begin to think about a friend who has supported you, or a friend who you feel grateful for.

4. Reflect on how they have supported you and how that makes you feel. Notice how those feelings manifest within your body.

5. Try shifting your attention to family members and/or mentors who have supported you in various ways.

6. Complete the practice by acknowledging the ways these individuals have contributed to your life.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the UC, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Just One Thing: Feel the Support: https://tinyurl.com/yrfnmwfv

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zkjpj

Why Your Friends Are More Important Than You Think: https://tinyurl.com/mw2mr5p7

How Friends Help You Regulate Your Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/bdetmjt3

We love hearing from you! How do you feel supported by the people in your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p8kj22u

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p8kj22u

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

A short break does more than just fuel our bodies, it strengthens our minds. Our overworked guest tries the Swedish practice of 'Fika' – taking short coffee breaks throughout the work day.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yuj69daf

Episode summary:

In the United States, we’re taught that it’s a good thing to work more, and work harder. But research shows that overworking isn’t just physically and mentally draining, it can also be deadly. One strategy to manage our work culture? Take more breaks. Our guest this week is Mike Heyliger, a music executive and self-described “workaholic.” He incorporated the Swedish tradition of fika – taking coffee and snack breaks throughout the day – into his own life, and found it not only helped him de-stress, it also shifted his mindset and enabled him to connect with others. Later, we look at the scientific benefits of taking microbreaks and hear from Anna Brones, co-author of Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break.

Practice:

1. Actively choose to take a break during your day. Typically, fika breaks happen twice. Once in the morning and once in the mid-afternoon.

2. Traditionally, fika breaks include a drink, like coffee, and a snack, but this is not required. Often, fika breaks are taken with others.

Today’s guests:

Mike Heyliger is a music executive and the creator of Detoxicity, a podcast on progressive masculinity.

Learn more about Mike’s Initiative, ‘Mindful Vinyl’: https://mindfulvinyl.org/about/

Listen to Mike’s Podcast, ‘Detoxicity’: https://tinyurl.com/vc72tjn2

Anna Brones is a Swedish-American writer and artist. She produces the newsletter and podcast, Creative Fuel. Anna is also the co-author of Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break.

Learn more about Anna and her work: https://www.annabrones.com/about

Listen to the Creative Fuel Podcast: https://www.creativefuelcollective.com/podcast

Read Anna’s book on Fika: https://tinyurl.com/yhdzaj2m

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Five Reasons to Take a Break from Screens: https://tinyurl.com/333tuvax

Why You Should Take More Time Off from Work: https://tinyurl.com/k5brkp46

Tuesday Tip: Take a Break: https://tinyurl.com/5986ste3

How to Avoid Burnout – or a Breakdown: https://tinyurl.com/bddw7cap

Why You Should Take a Relaxing Lunch Break: https://tinyurl.com/2p8axdba

More Resources on Fika:

NYT - In Sweden, the Fika Experience: ​​https://tinyurl.com/54wpw8p5

Insider - A daily habit from Sweden could make you more productive at work: https://tinyurl.com/4exjydrr

TED - Forget the Pecking Order at Work: https://tinyurl.com/yk68dmzy

BBC - The Swedish tradition that can make you happier at work: https://tinyurl.com/yx28x2v8

Have you tried incorporating fika in your life? Tell us how it went. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Share this episode with a friend: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Indigenous scholar Yuria Celidwen guides us in a meditation to strengthen our sense of belonging and connection to the earth.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/nhjmf57s

This Happiness Break is part of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. In it, we explore the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it’s helpful. Listen to the rest of the series, which was released in our feed April 22–May 18, 2023.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position wherever you are located.

2. Direct your attention to your feet and the surface below them. Try to cultivate a sense of belonging in that space under your feet.

3. Let your breath guide your attention back to your feet and upward to your heart and head.

4. Feel a sense of openness as you welcome the warmth of the sun into your heart.

5. Acknowledge the transformative power of the earth and your role within it.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous scholar whose work focuses on Indigenous contemplative traditions and advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples and lands. She is a senior fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley and has worked with numerous organizations including the United Nations.

Learn more about Yuria: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/

Find out more about Yuria’s work at the Othering and Belonging Institute: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/yuria-celidwen

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/d2vzpsaj

What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: https://tinyurl.com/553xwm47

How to Protect Kids from Nature-Deficit Disorder: https://tinyurl.com/4usewuzj

How Nature Helps Us Heal: https://tinyurl.com/2p93682j

Why is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health? https://tinyurl.com/bdetmjt3

Five Ways to Develop “Ecoliteracy”: https://tinyurl.com/2zuj6smv

Green With Empathy: https://tinyurl.com/42rk4m2m

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with this meditation. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

The Science of Happiness would like to extend a special thanks to *Eva Frye for their support of this series.*

Walking can increase our sense of connectedness with the earth and motivation to take climate action, which might be an important aspect of your well-being.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mu6yru2p

This is the third and final episode of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. We explore the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it’s helpful. We find the links between crisis, hope, happiness, and action.

Look for another climate-focused Happiness Break on May 18th.

Episode summary:

Musician and activist Diana Gameros tries leaving her car at home and walking instead of drive for three days. We hear what was challenging about her experience, and why in the end, she loved it. Incorporating small climate actions into our daily life can strengthen our relationship with the earth and inspire us to take better care of it. Later, climate scientist Patrick Gonzalez breaks down the actual climate impact of one person choosing not to drive for a day. (It’s more than you’d think.) Finally, we learn how to reimagine our relationship to the environment from Dr. Yuria Celidwen, an expert in Indigenous contemplative practices and sciences, and what we — and the planet — might gain from bridging Western and Indigenous worldviews.

Practice:

1. Avoid driving for one day out of the week. Instead, walk and take public transportation.

2. Try to avoid using your phone while getting around. Instead, observe the environment around you and how you engage with it. Notice as much as you can about your neighborhood. Pay attention to how you feel when you walk versus drive.

3. Think about how you can incorporate other small actions in your daily life to help the planet.

Today’s guests:

Diana Gameros is a musician and social activist. Her music is informed by themes like identity, language, culture and her experience as an immigrant.

Learn more about Diana: https://www.dianagameros.com/

Listen to Diana’s Music: https://open.spotify.com/album/0JdsjnFwzgkr0kPelaODF4

Follow Diana on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianagameros/

Follow Diana on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianagamerosmusic/

Patrick Gonzalez is a climate scientist and forest ecologist at UC Berkeley. His work inspired numerous policy changes focused on forestry protections around the world.

Learn more about Patrick and his work: http://www.patrickgonzalez.net/

Follow Patrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pgonzaleztweet?lang=en

Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous scholar whose work focuses on Indigenous contemplative traditions and advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples and lands.

Learn more about Yuria and her work:  https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/

More Resources on Climate Action:

Greater Good Mag - Can We Have More Productive Conversations About Climate Change? https://tinyurl.com/5n95sva3

WHO - Cycling and walking can help reduce physical inactivity and air pollution, save lives and mitigate climate change: https://tinyurl.com/3kzhytf5

TED - When Mother Earth Speaks, You Best Listen: https://tinyurl.com/yzmhch34

Time Magazine - In the Face of Climate Change, We Must Act So That We Can Feel Hopeful—Not the Other Way Around: https://tinyurl.com/98bbspap

What climate actions have you incorporated into your life? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Take ten minutes to renew your connection to the earth through this guided meditation on our interdependence with the ecosystem.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mt473u79

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to do this practice, relax into your body.

2. Wherever you are, start to acknowledge your surroundings, noticing the living and inanimate things around you.

3. Focus your attention on your breath, and how your breathing is interdependent on other life forms, and other life forms are dependent on your breath.

4. Contemplate the Earth’s compassion, and how it provides you with unconditional support.

5. Finish this practice by acknowledging your connection to the natural world.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dekila Chungyalpa is the founder and head of the Loka Initiative, which brings together faith leaders and culture keepers of indigenous traditions on environmental and climate issues.

Learn More About Dekila Chungyalpa’s work: https://centerhealthyminds.org/about/people/dekila-chungyalpa

Learn about the Loka Initiative: https://centerhealthyminds.org/programs/loka-initiative

Follow Dekila on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dchungyalpa/?hl=en

Follow Dekila on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dchungyalpa?lang=en

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: https://tinyurl.com/553xwm47

How Nature Helps Us Heal: https://tinyurl.com/2p93682j

Why Is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health? https://tinyurl.com/ycx9ns4p

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/d2vzpsaj

How Being in Nature Can Spur Personal Growth: https://tinyurl.com/2p822nyj

How Modern Life Became Disconnected from Nature: https://tinyurl.com/bdzzy6pc

Being Around Nature Helps You Love Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/34m7tfre

We love hearing from you! How do you connect with nature? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

This Happiness Break is part of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. In it, we explore the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it’s helpful. We find the links between crisis, hope, happiness, and action.

Look for the third and final episode May 11. Plus, we’ll share another climate-focused Happiness Break on May 18.

How can we build a sense of hope when the future feels uncertain? Poet Tomás Morín tries a writing practice to make him feel more hopeful and motivated to work toward his goals.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/9d73zav8

This is the second episode of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. We explore the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it’s helpful. We find the links between crisis, hope, happiness, and action.

Look for the third and final episode May 11. Plus, we’ll share climate-focused Happiness Breaks next week and May 18.

Episode summary:

In the first episode of Climate, Hope & Science, we explored the power of hope with Rebecca Solnitt. Hope can help us cope with uncertainty and sustain action, even when we don’t know what will happen. But what can we do when hope feels far away? This week, we learn about a practice shown in a lab to increase hopefulness and happiness. Poet and professor Tomá Morín got his first taste of climate anxiety as a kid, when he learned about the hole in the ozone layer, and he still feels the panic over the state of the environment today. Will writing about a past hope that was fulfilled — like the global effort to heal the ozone layer — help him overcome despair and cultivate hope? We hear about Tomás’ experience. Then, the scientist behind the practice explains how she created it and why it works.

Editor’s Note: In this episode, Tomás mentions recycling as a way to care for the environment. But in the last few years, we’ve learned that most things we toss in the recycling bin are never made into something new. If you’d like to learn more, here are a few places to start:
https://tinyurl.com/3y9u2y5w

https://tinyurl.com/yckstwer

Today’s Practice:

1. Find a quiet space and grab paper and something to write with.

2. Write about something you're currently hopeful for when it comes to climate change. Describe it as if it’s happening now in as much detail as possible. Don’t worry about spelling and grammar.

3. Next, write about a past hope you’ve held in the past regarding the environment that's been fulfilled and that brings you a sense of gratitude to think about now. Describe what happened, the gratitude you felt, how you and others contributed to it, and what you learned from the experience. If you like, take these prompts one by one. Don’t worry about writing well, just write as much as you can.

Today’s guests:

Tomás Morin is a poet who won an American Poetry Review Honickman First Book Prize for his collection of poems A Larger Country. He’s currently a professor at Rice University.

Check out Tomás’ work: https://www.tomasqmorin.com/About

Read Tomás’ latest book: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496226495/

Follow Tomas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomasqmorin/

Charlotte Van Oyen-Witvliet is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Hope Can Keep You Happier and Healthier: https://tinyurl.com/2n9k59xn

How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times: https://tinyurl.com/3b66kh5n

How to Overcome “Apocalypse Fatigue” Around Climate Change: https://tinyurl.com/yc47ph38

What to do With Dread and Anxiety Around Climate Change: https://tinyurl.com/3766a6sj

Tell us about your experience finding hope for the environment. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

In the first episode in our series Climate, Hope and Science, we explore how embracing uncertainty enables us to move beyond climate anxiety and despair to hope and action, with author and activist Rebecca Solnit.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y6yr2kz4

What does it take to be aware of what’s really happening, without falling into despair? How do we find hope? Do small, individual actions really matter? What happens to our minds and hearts when we connect with nature, and how can that actually protect the climate? We find the links between crisis, hope, happiness, and action.

Look for new episodes April 27 and March 11. Plus, we’ll share climate-focused Happiness Breaks in the weeks following those episodes.

Episode summary:

When you think about climate change, do you feel hope? On this episode of our special series, Climate, Hope and Science, we examine what it means to feel hopeful for the future of our planet. Renowned writer and activist Rebecca Solnit joins Dacher to share why she loves uncertainty, what gives her hope, and how hope empowers her. Later, we hear from climate scientist Patrick Gonzalez about why he believes climate hope is scientifically sound, and how much power we truly have to create meaningful change.

Today’s guests:

Rebecca Solnit is an award-winning author and activist whose works have explored numerous themes including technology, feminism, the environment and social change. Her latest book, which she co-edited, is It's Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility. https://www.nottoolateclimate.com/

Learn more about Rebecca: http://rebeccasolnit.net/biography/

Read Rebecca’s article “Ten ways to confront the climate crisis without loosing hope”: https://tinyurl.com/2p92e2h6

Follow Rebecca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaSolnit

Follow Rebecca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccasolnit/

Follow Rebecca on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.solnit

Patrick Gonzalez is a climate scientist and forest ecologist at UC Berkeley. His work inspired numerous policy changes focused on forestry protections around the world.

Learn more about Patrick and his work: http://www.patrickgonzalez.net/

Follow Patrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pgonzaleztweet?lang=en

Follow Patrick on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/mvn98ear

More Resources on Climate Hope:

Greater Good Mag - More Resources on Science Center https://tinyurl.com/ytna663b

University of Michigan - Climate crisis: 4 reasons for hope in 2023: https://tinyurl.com/5n7hhpu8

United Nations - 8 reasons not to give up hope - and take climate action: https://tinyurl.com/3wzrebyy

Australian Psychological Society - Coping with climate change distress: https://tinyurl.com/43jhkbjw

How do you feel when you think about climate change? Where do you derive hope? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Happiness Break: Sketching Serenity with Chris Murchison

A guided drawing meditation to help you break out of stale thought patterns and maybe even enter a state of flow. No talent required.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3fzm6ja5

How to Do This Practice:

1. Grab a piece of paper and something to draw with.

2. Find a comfortable place and start by taking some deep, mindful breaths

3. Take a few moments to take in your environment. What colors, shapes, and objects do you see?

4. Set a timer and for the next two minutes, draw something that caught your attention. Don’t worry about how it looks and try to stay in the moment.

5. Once time is up, spend a moment appreciating what you drew. Think about the impact of slowing down and doing something fun has had on your day.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Chris Murchison is a meditation teacher, artist and speaker. He currently works as an independent advisor for organizations interested in improving their work cultures.

Check out Chris’s GGSC profile: https://tinyurl.com/32htut6n

Learn more about Chris’s art and other work: https://chrismurchison.com/about

Follow Chris on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4auxk3ur

Follow Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/murchisonchris?lang=en

Add Chris on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/253x83ty

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Doing Something Creative Can Boost Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/4pcwxhsf

What is Creative Mortification and How Can You Overcome It: https://tinyurl.com/583kswfw

Does Art Heal? https://tinyurl.com/3ttybzpm

Everyday Art: https://tinyurl.com/mstemcsf

7 Ways to Foster Creativity: https://tinyurl.com/ycn5majv

How to Combat America’s Creativity Crisis: https://tinyurl.com/yckzm8se

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of drawing this week. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Is there such a thing as good stress? Our guest learns to welcome her stress by understanding how it can actually help her, plus tips and tricks to not feel too much of it.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n6s346x

Episode summary:

Like many of us, our guest Yana Leventon has dealt with a fair amount of stress in her life. But after living through the COVID-19 pandemic and grappling with the ongoing war in Ukraine (with relatives on both sides of the border) Yana’s stress levels reached a new high. This week’s episode is all about how we can reframe our relationship with stress. Yana spent one week trying a new practice each day. All 7 of the practices were aimed at managing different aspects of stress, from physically metabolizing her stress through exercise to visualization and breathing techniques. These exercises helped her regain a sense of clarity about what is truly not in her control, and agency over what is. She began to see stress as a normal and necessary part of life that can actually be beneficial in the right amount. Later, we hear from the psychologist who developed this stress management tool, Elissa Epel. She discusses the importance of developing a positive relationship with stress, and how we can use stress to feel a sense of empowerment.

Practice:

Day 1. Embrace Uncertainty: Releasing Embodied Stress

Day 2. Let Go of What You Can’t Control: Stress Inventory

Day 3. Find Excitement in Challenges: Stress Shield

Day 4. Metabolize Body Stress: Hormetic Stress

Day 5. Immerse Yourself in Nature: Sensory Absorption

Day 6. Experience Deep Rest: Breath for Restoration

Day 7. Create Bliss Bookends: Start and End Full of Joy

For more information on each of the daily practices, check out Elissa Epel’s book, The Stress Prescription.

Today’s guests:

Yana Leventon was a refugee in Austria and Italy before migrating to the United States from the former USSR when she was 10 years old.

Elissa Epel is a psychologist who specializes in stress, aging and well-being. She has developed self-care practices rooted in scientific research to improve how we cope with stress.

Learn more about Elisa and her work: https://www.elissaepel.com/

Read Elissa’s book, The Stress Prescription: https://tinyurl.com/yt66t3b3

Follow Elissa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dr_Epel

Follow Elissa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TelomereEffect

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Transform Stress into Courage and Connection: https://tinyurl.com/n49fzhf7

Seven Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship With Stress: https://tinyurl.com/mr3yy6b5

Is Stress Making You Withdraw from People? https://tinyurl.com/4kkesr7s

Could Stress Help You Find Your Purpose in Life? https://tinyurl.com/2ssz7mck

The Surprising Benefits of Stress: https://tinyurl.com/3uynfkf2

More Resources on Managing Stress:

National Institute for Mental Health - I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet: https://tinyurl.com/4hr3eawc

TED - How to make stress your friend: https://tinyurl.com/y5bsj3ks

Harvard Business Review - Turning Stress into an Asset: https://tinyurl.com/3fdzfx3v

Johns Hopkins - Sleepless Nights? Try Stress Relief Techniques: https://tinyurl.com/mw6jxbvz

Do you struggle with managing your stress levels? What’s your go-to stress management tool? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Finding a greater sense of purpose can help us achieve our goals and strengthen our relationships. Dacher leads a meditation to find purpose by imagining a better world.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3u7njv3a

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to do this practice. Once you feel ready, relax your shoulders and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing, and take a few slow, deep breaths.

2. Think about the world around you. If you could change one thing in society, what would it be?

3. Imagine this ideal world. Visualize it manifesting before you. Notice what you see and how you feel in as much detail as possible.

4. Is there anything that you can do to make this a reality? It can be anything, no matter how small. Think of some manageable steps you can take to get a little closer to what you’ve imagined.

5. Return your focus to your breathing to close out this practice.

6. If you have the time, jot down your thoughts and goals.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, *Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: *<https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)

Find the full practice at our Greater Good in Action website:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/magic_wand

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Find Purpose in Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/yc4dd5ff

Living with Purpose Changes Everything: https://tinyurl.com/m28uvsjn

The Purpose Challenge: https://tinyurl.com/53zykj8a

How Strong is Your Sense of Purpose in Life? https://tinyurl.com/2r3yr3hr

Purpose in Life Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/mrxys77h

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of finding purpose. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Why should you be nice? Our guest explores how small, daily acts of kindness can produce meaningful life changes.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdhedpvk

Episode summary:

When you’re kind to someone, the positive impact doesn’t stop with them. In fact, the effect of your kind action can ricochet back to you by improving your physical health and outlook on life. This week’s episode is all about how kindness has the power to strengthen our sense of self within a larger community. Our guest Aaron Harvey is an activist and UC Berkeley alumni who performed five random acts of kindness in one day. He found that practicing kindness allowed him to develop deeper relationships with those around him and shifted the way he views his role in society. Later, we hear from Oliver Scott Curry, the Research Director at Kindlab, to learn about why humans are evolutionarily designed to be kind and how practicing kindness can positively affect our physical and mental state of being.

How to Do This Practice:

1. Choose a day of the week to perform 5 random acts of kindness throughout that day.

2. These acts don’t have to be big or small or even for the same person. Just aim to perform a variety of acts of kindness. This could include helping a friend with a chore or providing a meal to a person in need.

3. After each act, write down what you did in at least one or two sentences and reflect on how it made you feel.

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/random_acts_of_kindness

Today’s guests:

Aaron Harvey is a UC Berkeley Underground Scholar alumnus and activist. After facing the possibility of life in prison, Aaron successfully proved his innocence due to a lack of evidence.

Learn more about Berkeley Underground Scholars: https://undergroundscholars.berkeley.edu/

Oliver Scott Curry is the Research Director for Kindlab at kindness.org. He uses scientific  research to better understand topics like kindness, human morality and cooperation.

Learn more about Oliver and his work: https://www.oliverscottcurry.com/

Learn more about Kindlab: https://kindness.org/kindlab

Follow Oliver on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oliver_S_Curry

Follow Oliver on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/yc29nn62

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Random Acts of Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/jxafbdm4

How to Start a Kindness Revolution: https://tinyurl.com/3fr68t6v

Three Strategies for Bringing More Kindness into Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/22cx7w9f

How Kindness Fits Into a Happy Life: https://tinyurl.com/h8mspz37

How to Be a Kindness Role Model for Your Kids: https://tinyurl.com/3cjkp785

Where Does Kindness Come From? https://tinyurl.com/hkv94anp

Is There an Altruism Gene? https://tinyurl.com/5n8r7eh5

More Resources on Kindness

MasterClass - How to Be Kind to Yourself: 5 Ways to Practice Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/ycx7uysu

The New York Times - The Unexpected Power of Random Acts of Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/ycxxd7af

TED Talk - Mark Kelly: How one act of kindness a day can change your life: https://tinyurl.com/u2n3t3s

Have you ever tried practicing random acts of kindness? Ever been the recipient of one? Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

What if you could tap into your inherent resilience at any time? Prentis Hemphill guides a meditation to turn good memories into a state of resilience.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yp25m3dp

How to Do This Resilience Practice:

Find a position that is comfortable for you, whether that is sitting, laying down or even standing. Don’t feel pressured to remain still for this practice. If you feel like you need to move or make sounds to stay present, feel free to.

1. Think of something that brings you a sense of resilience.

2. While in this memory, what are you doing with your body? What does your body feel like?

3. Try to intensify those feelings. Notice how that feels in your body and in the experience of that memory.

4. Take yourself back to how the memory was at the beginning of this practice, at a lower intensity. Notice how you’re able to make that change.

5. Thinking about the day ahead or the day that you’ve had, ask yourself how much space do you want the day to take up in this moment?

6. Once you’re ready, move from that comfortable position. See if you can take this experience with you throughout your day.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Prentis Hemphill is the founder of the Embodiment Institute, and a writer and therapist who prioritizes the body in their approach to healing.

Learn More About the Embodiment Institute: https://www.theembodimentinstitute.org/about

Check out Prentis’ website: https://prentishemphill.com

Follow Prentis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/prentishemphill

Follow Prentis on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4d99f4xs

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Hardwire Resilience into Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/26mff6hf

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/34ntce8u

Evidence Mounts that Mindfulness Breeds Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/2u6k6mkh

Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work: https://tinyurl.com/yrujmwxs

Three Ways to Boost Your Resiliency as a Parent: https://tinyurl.com/w6f3w3ak

How Tuning into Your Body can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/yv5yzper

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of this resilience meditation. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

We all overestimate how much we know. Our guest tries a practice in slowing down to ask more questions, and finds it leads to higher quality connections.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3mxt2f5e

Episode summary:

What happens when we pause and open up to ideas that we didn’t think of ourselves? This episode is about intellectual humility, the ability to surrender to the idea that we might not have all the information or may not be right. Our guest is Kelly Corrigan, a best-selling author and host of PBS talk show Tell Me More and podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Her teams look to her for direction, but she wanted to see what would happen if she paused more to ask them questions, and found it totally changed her approach to both her work and family life. We also explore science around the subtle ways we react differently to people we disagree with, and how intellectual humility can change that.

Try this practice: Cultivate Intellectual Humility

If you can, write out your answers.

1. When you encounter information or an opinion that contradicts your opinion or worldview, ask yourself questions like these:

2. Why do you disagree?

3. Are you making any assumptions? Might those assumptions be wrong?

4. How did you come to your opinion?

5. Think about the scenario from the perspective of a person who disagrees with you. Try to imagine how they came to believe what they believe:

6. What information might they be basing their opinion off of?

7. What values do you think they’re weighing in how they think about this topic?

8. Can you imagine how they came to hold those values?

3. Tap into your intellectual humility:

1. Identify places where, before, you didn’t acknowledge the limitations of what you know

2. Now that you’ve worked to see this issue from another person’s point of view, do you see more value in their perspective?

Today’s guests:

Kelly Corrigan is the author of five books. She’s also the host for PBS’s longform interview show, Tell Me More and Kelly Corrigan Wonders*.*

Check out Kelly’s website: https://www.kellycorrigan.com

Follow Kelly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/corrigankelly

Follow Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycorrigan/

Mark Leary is a psychologist and emeritus professor at Duke University.

Learn more about Mark and his work: https://sites.duke.edu/leary/

Check out Mark’s research on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/p8ayz8dn

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What Does Intellectual Humility Look Like? https://tinyurl.com/5n949h69

Five Reasons Intellectual Humility is Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/2ce3jrmc

Intellectual Humility Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/574k99fs

Three Reasons for Leaders to Cultivate Intellectual Humility: https://tinyurl.com/2s4ecda6

How to Know if You’re Actually Humble: https://tinyurl.com/y8js44v

More Resources on Intellectual Humility

Vox - Intellectual humility: The importance of knowing you might be wrong: https://tinyurl.com/2cryd336

Financial Times - Why Intellectual Humility Matters: https://tinyurl.com/5n84hsh7

Psych Central - How Humility Strengthens Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/2fj9a4wh

University of Notre Dame - To Make Better Decisions, Get More Comfortable Saying “I Don’t Know”  https://tinyurl.com/3npysxh8

Tell us about your thoughts on intellectual humility. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility." For more on the project, go to www.ggsc.berkeley.edu/IH.

Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/35b2fsu9

Practice:

1. Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky.

2. First, focus on your breathing. Take a few slow inhales and even slower exhales. As you breathe in and out, relax your shoulders, your hands, and your face.

3. On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is.

4. Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light?

5. Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in.

6. On the final deep breaths in and out, reflect on how doing this practice has made you feel.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life:  https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Why we Should Look up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6

Six Ways to Incorporate Awe into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3j5hdtj7

How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/py6b729h

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative:  https://tinyurl.com/2fmpdpkj

Why is Nature so Good For Your Mental Health? ​​https://tinyurl.com/23zavth3

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of looking up. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

She's the world's leading animal behaviorist and an Autism advocacy leader. Guest Temple Grandin shares what kind of support systems led her to success, and we hear about how community, and lack thereof, affects our health and ability to succeed.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3k88vaph

Episode summary:

Having strong relationships is vital to our well-being. We tend to be happier and healthier when we’re involved with community. Today’s guest is the world-famous scientist Temple Grandin. She was born with autism, which led her to be socially isolated from her peers. Join us on this episode of The Science of Happiness to hear about how Grandin credits her support networks for her success and making her into the person she is today. We’ll also look at the science behind the health repercussions of not having strong social networks.

Today’s guests:

Temple Grandin is a leading animal behaviorist, prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behaviors. Today, she teaches courses at Colorado State University. Her latest book is Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions.

Temple’s Website: https://www.templegrandin.com

Follow Temple on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtemplegrandin?lang=en

Check out Temple’s Latest Book: https://tinyurl.com/3tftxpck

Tegan Cruwyis is a clinical psychologist at The National Australian University who studies social connection and how loneliness and chronic isolation are literally toxic.

Learn more about Cruwyis and her work: https://tinyurl.com/3etuvket

Follow Cruwyis on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/yc5ujhaj

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient https://tinyurl.com/34ntce8u

What is Social Connection? https://tinyurl.com/nk8crbbz

Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness? https://tinyurl.com/4wxc66tn

Why are We so Wired to Connect? https://tinyurl.com/uttppd3p

More Resources for Improving Social Connections

Emotional Wellness Checklist https://tinyurl.com/4wxc66tn

How to Strengthen Social Relationships https://tinyurl.com/5fdv8ra9

The Science of Social Connection https://tinyurl.com/3tftxpck

Tell us about your experiences with building social connections. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Try this body-scan meditation to ground your mind in the present moment and in your body, guided by Spring Washam.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3ahsvry6

How to do this practice:

1. Find a comfortable seat where you can relax your body.

2. Beginning with the top of your head, relax any sense of tension, one body part at a time.

3. Slowly scan down to your face, neck, upper arms, hands, feeling their presence.

4. You might want to place your hands on your belly to feel your breath and let go.

5. End by placing your hand on your heart and offer your body some kindness.

Today’s Happiness Break Host:

Spring Washam has been a devoted Buddhist practitioner in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism for more than 25 years. She is a founding teacher of The East Bay Meditation Center and has spent more than a decade studying Shamanic indigenous healing practices. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground.

Learn more about Spring and her book: https://www.springwasham.com/

Follow Spring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/

Check out Spring’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/22njyd29

More Resources from the Greater Good Science Center:

Six Minutes to Connect with Your Body:  https://tinyurl.com/2337f85e

How a Body Scan Can Help with Strong Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/58wfsvnd

Krista Tippett on Being Grounded in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/59pkp324

Turning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/5av68v62

Your Anxiety Might Be Coming From Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/dwb9vvue

What Self-Compassion Feels Like in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/2p9rdepk

Seven Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship with Stress: https://tinyurl.com/m6mbv2np

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of embodiment meditation. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

We’re living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That’s where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.