We talk about why the familiar advice “use it or lose it” has an additional useful meaning. We also share many imaginative ideas for one-word themes from listeners, as well as some further thoughts on our own one-word themes (“Bounce” and “Door.”) Plus we discuss an easy way to make everyday life more festive.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Habits for Happiness course
• Design Your Year
• Elizabeth is reading: Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: The English Understand Wool by Helen Dewitt (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From circus performers to doctors to writers to social workers, we can experience a "call"—an irresistible pull toward certain work that can feel both like a gift and a burden. While a calling provides clarity and fulfillment, it can also leave little room for choice, demanding sacrifice and persistence regardless of success.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We review the list of “24 things that please me” that Gretchen created as one item in her “24 for 24” list. We discuss why those things are pleasing—and why making this kind of list can help us feel more gratitude, optimism, and happiness.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Read 25 in 25

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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As part of the “Design Your Year” tools, we reveal our “25 for ‘25” lists of the twenty-five things we want to accomplish in 2025. Some are fun, some are demanding; some quick, some complicated; some new, some repeats.

Resources and Links related to this episode:

• Design Your Year
• 25 for 2025 list resources
• Happier in Hollywood free newsletter: [email protected]
• Happier app: the-happier-app.com
• Elizabeth is reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen: Same!

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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A concept from Japanese culture reframes what seems like pure misfortune—the loss of a beloved engagement ring—into an act of invisible grace and protection.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We share a preview of the new 2025 “Habits for Happiness” course. Each month, course participants will be able to ask questions about designing, tracking, and sticking with their habits for the year. These will become exclusive call in episodes for our participants, but this first episode is available here to everyone. 

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Habits for Happiness Course 2025 - Get personalized support from Gretchen and her team to make 2025 the year you finally make your habits stick with this new course. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We discuss how to make hosting more fun and less work by reflecting and making notes after each gathering; we include specific tips from our own experiences as well as creative suggestions from listeners. We also answer frequently asked questions about the "Read 25 in 25" challenge to help us all make reading a daily habit in the new year. Plus, we share terrific holiday hosting hacks from listeners. 

Resources and links related to this episode:

• "Habits for Happiness" course
• Read25in25
• Design Your Year
• Rolling cart
• Elizabeth is rereading: Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York Maitre D' by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: North Woods by Daniel Mason (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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The Fleetwood Mac song “Songbird” illustrates the truth that with a great artwork, its power often lies not in expressing a single emotion, but in speaking to various, and sometimes even seemingly opposite, human experiences.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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As a holiday gift to listeners, I’m reading aloud “The Snow Queen,” one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairy tales. Last week was Part One; this week is Part Two.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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As part of “Design Your Year,” each year we announce an annual challenge based on the year—a habit that will help us and listeners to be come happier. We review our experience with last year’s “Write 24 in ‘24” challenge and reveal the challenge for 2025. Plus we discuss some of the tools and strategies we’ll use to help ourselves stick to this excellent challenge.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• "Habits for Happiness" course
• #Write24in24
• #Read25in25
• One-Sentence Journal
• bookshop.org
• Happier™ app
• 2025 "War and Peace" Slow Read
• Four Tendencies Quiz
• Don't Break the Chain tracker
• "What's Your Neglected Sense?" 
• Elizabeth is rereading: Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York Maitre D' by Michael Cecchi-Azzolina (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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From the Ship of Theseus to the Grand Shrine of Ise, from the Tin Woodman to our own constantly renewing bodies, humans have long wrestled with a profound question: When something is replaced piece by piece, is it still the same thing?

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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As a holiday gift to listeners, I reading aloud “The Snow Queen,” one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairy tales. This week is Part One; next week is Part Two.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We each review our “24 for 24 lists” and report on what we did, what we didn’t do, and why. We also reflect on which items made us happier, which ones fizzled out, and which ones we’ll repeat next year.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Happiness Project Shop 
• Tips for making a "25 for '25" list
• Print your own "25 for '25" list
• One-Sentence Journal 
• Happier in Hollywood newsletter sign-up
• Habits for Happiness quiz: What's the next new habit that will make you happier?
• Four Tendencies quiz: Are you an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel?
•  Gift-Giving quiz: What kind of gift makes you happy?
• "5 Things Making Me Happy" newsletters  
• Ethan Mollick’s newsletter “One Useful Thing"
• Hard Fork podcast
• Muse Machine
• Gretchen is reading: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Willa Cather’s novel “O Pioneers!” a sister and brother never forget the beautiful afternoon when they saw a wild duck playing in the river.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We debate how to decide if a movie counts as a “holiday” movie. We also discuss how the holiday season seems to be morphing into one long celebration, with Halloween flowing directly into Christmas. Plus, we share what's making us happier: the anticipation of hosting a holiday gathering and the special joy of having a child home from college for a long visit.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• #TheHappinessProjectCollection
• Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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Choosing a one-word theme is one of the most fun and thought-provoking exercises within the “Design Your Year” set. Here, we review our themes for 2024 and reveal the themes we’ve chosen for 2025. We also share a hack for choosing a powerful theme, and include many of the themes chosen by listeners.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Habits for Happiness course 

Elizabeth is rereading: The Winner by Teddy Wayne (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: North Woods by Daniel Mason (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My reflections about artificial intelligence reminded me of the climactic scene in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, a masterpiece of children’s literature. That scene illuminates a profound truth about the human power of being loved, and also of offering love.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We revisit a conversation with TV writer and producer Mike Schur, who has created some of our favorite TV shows ever including "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," and "The Good Place." We also talk about Derby Names and how to spread birthday cheer through the whole year.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Don't Break the Chain Habit Tracker

"5 Things Making Me Happier" newsletter

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We share dozens of excellent hacks from listeners about how to make traveling more convenient and less stressful—plus we include some of our own travel-hack discoveries.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Black Friday Sale 

Life in Five Senses

Elizabeth is rereading: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Two teaching stories from very different contexts both illuminate a powerful truth: Our deepest source of resilience often comes from caring for others.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Inspired by a friend, we discuss the question of what we wanted to accomplish in college (a question we never asked ourselves at the time). We also explore some helpful advice for the Metropolitan Museum—which the Met is definitely not interested in receiving. Plus why face-to-face meetings still hold special value in the age of screens.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Super-Fans 
• Bookplates 
• Essays in Idleness by Kenkō (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We’re entering the season of gift-giving, so we suggest gift ideas in several categories: for rest and relaxation; for the home; for family members; for Gen Z children; and for readers.

Resources and links related to this episode:

“Abandon the Empty Nest. Instead, Try the Open Door.”

"Habits for Happiness" course 

Gift Giving Quiz

Cozy Gifts for Rest & Relaxation 

Gifts for Family

Gifts for Readers

Gifts for Gen Z

Gifts for the Home

Elizabeth is reading: The Woman in Cabin Ten by Ruth Ware (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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A friend’s wise observation gave me greater clarity as I considered a common challenge of parenthood: If and when we pressure a child to participate in an activity.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier App.

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For this episode of More Happier, we’re revisiting one of our Very Special Episodes - Hacks, Hacks, and More Hacks for Making Entertaining Easier and More Fun. With Thanksgiving coming up and the December holiday season just around the corner, we all usually find ourselves hosting more than usual. We gathered hacks from ourselves, our mother (who is great at entertaining), and listeners. So many great ideas! Cheers to a happy entertaining season. 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We share listeners’ examples of important lessons they’ve learned from other people’s mistakes, and also what features make Wednesday a particularly enjoyable day of their week. Plus we discuss a practical suggestion for staying connected with loved ones after living through a natural disaster.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• gretchenrubin.com/newsletter
• Sign-up to be a Super Fan
• Elizabeth is reading: The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA by Liza Mundy (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: Down the Garden Path by Beverly Nichols (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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During a visit to the Metropolitan Museum, a former museum guard showed me something interesting that I’d never noticed before, even though it was right in front of my eyes. Before, I didn’t see it; now I look for it every time.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Oxymoron alert: We talk about “new traditions” that have sprung up. We also talk about the interesting term of “house trust” and why we want it, and we discuss a gift idea that makes it easy to be creative and heartfelt—even if we have trouble putting your feelings into words.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Moment of Happiness Calendar
• Horace, The Odes of Horace  (Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We talk to prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout about her acclaimed new novel, “Tell Me Everything.” In it, Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, and other characters return in connected stories of murder, marriage, parents and children, and love. This novel is thought-provoking and compulsively readable.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
• Gift Giving Quiz: gretchenrubin.com/quiz 
• Little Happier episode
• Elizabeth is reading: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We’re often told “Don’t put words in people’s mouths” or “Don’t tell other people what they feel,” but as these examples from “Game of Thrones” and “Terms of Endearment” illustrate, sometimes the tender thing to do is to say, “I know you love me.”

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We revisit a conversation with bestselling author Susan Cain, renowned author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking and Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. We also talk about why we should be the one to make the plan, and a listener suggests a hack for making it easier to use online recipes.

Links:

• The Quiet Life: A Journal by Susan Cain 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We explore ways to make each day of the week special by recognizing small pleasures. We discuss a practical hotel checkout tip to avoid forgetting items. Also, we examine the value of allowing yourself to go into “shock” when facing big assignments or feedback, and how this pause can lead to clearer thinking and better responses. Plus we ask, “What lesson have you learned the hard way?”

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Four Tendencies Personality Quiz: Are you an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel?
• Happiness Hacks Card Deck
• Elizabeth is reading: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (Amazon, Bookshop) 
• Gretchen is reading: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A passage from “A Wrinkle in Time,” a masterpiece of children’s literature, holds a subtle but important lesson about human nature and the transformative power of love.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss a useful lesson in communication drawn from “Real Housewives” drama. We also talk about why it’s such a relief to get up-to-date on photo albums, and we compare our views on the “Previously, on XYZ…” segments at the beginning of TV shows.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Gift Giving Quiz
• What's Your Gift-Appreciation Profile
• Quotation: George Orwell, “Charles Dickens"

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss a challenge to wear three items of clothing we are not currently using--and explore ways to overcome common obstacles. We also share creative happiness hacks for welcoming overnight guests, and examine how people who tend to be rigid can adjust their rules to reduce stress in changing circumstances.

Resources and links related to this episode:

New products

Four Tendencies quiz

Elizabeth is reading: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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At Giverny, artist Claude Monet spent a lot of time, energy, and money to create the circumstances that he knew would feed his creativity. He made the pond and planted the water lilies that inspired some of his greatest masterpieces.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and to mark the event, Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos of the Happiness Lab podcast has assembled the “Titans of Happiness”: a crew of hosts and happiness experts from the top wellness podcasts. I was thrilled to join this panel with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a clinical psychologist and host of the podcast Therapy for Black Girls, Dan Harris, host and author of the 10% Happier podcast, and Laurie Santos--and all of us were a little starstruck by another extra special guest… ELMO! We talk hacks for building relationships with others, Elmo's viral moment, and self compassion. Here’s part 2.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We discuss a listener’s suggestion for scheduling a “sour hour” of complaints and grievances. We also share some useful information about how to relieve the pain of muscle knots, as well as some ideas for avoiding avoidance.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Muscle knots 

Vote Forward

Happier app 

Elizabeth is reading: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A brief discussion about this question posed to the AI assistant Claude—“What’s going on in your head?”—has haunted me ever since I first heard it.

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Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and to mark the event, Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos of the Happiness Lab podcast has assembled the “Titans of Happiness”: a crew of hosts and happiness experts from the top wellness podcasts. I was thrilled to join this panel with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a clinical psychologist and host of the podcast Therapy for Black Girls, Dan Harris, host and author of the 10% Happier podcast, and Laurie Santos--and all of us were a little starstruck by another extra special guest… ELMO! We talk hacks for building relationships with others, Elmo's viral moment, and self compassion. Here’s part 1.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

@LizCraft on Instagram

@LizCraft on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss an unexpected way to boost creativity (both ideas and production) that has worked for both of us. We also share a listener’s suggestion about an easy way to gamify clutter-clearing (an approach that also reduces decision-fatigue), and we talk about why identifying our quirks can contribute to our happiness.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/503

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A change in the standing operating procedure of the CIA demonstrates a basic truth about human nature.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of Get Organized Week, we’re sharing some of our favorite tips to clear clutter from our daily lives.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why going to a reunion can give us such a big happiness boost. We also discuss research about the “dinner-party problem,” and what to do about it, and we explore a question about attitudes towards parenting.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/502

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We often assume that someone is a certain “kind” of person instead of realizing how circumstances may be influencing their behavior—a mistake I made when judging the actions of stars Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder in a drugstore.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss a new mantra to reframe a all-too-common annoyance, and the value of a new parasocial friend. Also, we discuss Orange Theory and hiking in Fryman Canyon.

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Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss why you might want to transform an acquaintance into a friend as well as specific ways to deepen that relationship. We also discuss an important happiness lesson modeled for us by our parents, and suggest a hack to make emails more efficient (and shorter).

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Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/501

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A sweet story about a dog named Sparkle reveals many truths about the nature of love, sacrifice, independence, and marriage.

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Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re bringing you my conversation with Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael on their podcast, The Deep Dive. We discuss my tips on how to combat anxiety and use all five senses to get more happiness in our lives. 

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In celebration of our 500th original weekly episode (without one break!), we share our Podcast Manifesto and use it to reminisce and reflect on this big milestone. In work and in life, it’s easy to focus on the “To-do”; today we stop for a “Ta-da!”

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/500

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Art historian Kenneth Clark describes his experience of an intense spiritual awakening—a “flood of grace”—and what resulted from it.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about how deadlines can boost our happiness, and how a TV show can spark a useful conversation with a teenager about values. Plus we debate a challenging question about how to navigate life’s challenges.

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Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why it’s a good idea to spare ourselves the work of having unnecessary opinions. We also share listeners’ many imaginative suggestions for ways that they help themselves stay calm, as well as a listener’s idea for getting more enjoyment out of familiar experiences. Plus we debate the question of whether we want to get maximum value out of an experience, or just enjoy what we want.

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/499

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A funny yet accurate observation about Alnwick Castle’s famous Poison Garden inspires a question about human nature.

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Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A common happiness stumbling block: interviewing for a job. We're bringing you some helpful tips for acing your next job interview. Hint: prepare! 

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Follow on social media:

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why it’s advisable (if possible) to avoid being the bringer of bad news. We also discuss why it’s a good idea to RSVP “yes” or “no” quickly--and stick to that decision. Plus we share many helpful suggestions from listeners about effective ways they’ve created accountability for themselves, and used pairing, to achieve important aims.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/498

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Scarlett Thomas’s brilliant novel PopCo, a protagonist wants to set herself apart from her colleagues, but she’s stumped by a conundrum she can’t solve.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about the happiness that comes from getting a gift we don’t expect, and we discuss some quality screen time. We also consider the question: Does every family need a holiday-tradition-enforcer?

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inspired by college move-in day, we talk about why it’s helpful to forecast our own foibles. We also weigh in on the hot debate around the correct way to load a dishwasher, and we introduce a new podcast segment—along with a big life change.

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/497

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A grim but hopeful episode from World War II’s Battle of Britain sheds a light on Winston Churchill’s character.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the school year approaches, we’re re-sharing some of our best back-to-school tips and suggestions. 

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@LizCraft on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss research suggesting that during the first three weeks with strangers in

a new environment (such as a cruise or college), we have a special window for

making friends. We also talk about why setting an alarm can alleviate restlessness

and anxiety, and we address a question from an Obliger about how to deal with

the fact that members of her family don’t do their share.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/496

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charles Darwin’s “Sand Walk” at Down House is a good example of how we can shape our surroundings and our schedule to help ourselves create habits that contribute to a happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative life.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We continue to reflect on the insights and hacks we learned from our hiking trip in England—how and why this adventure helped to make us happier, healthier, and more creative.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why and how it’s useful to use the annual Labor Day Holiday as a catalyst to reflect on our work--both paid and unpaid. We also share a fun know-yourself-better tool, and make a suggestion about finding the right gym. Plus we reveal a fact that will make listeners very happy (and relieved). 

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Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/495

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a demanding backpacking trip, I saw an illustration of the principle sometimes call “Chesterton’s Fence”: Don’t take down a fence unless you know why it was put there in the first place. If you don’t know why a fence was placed there, you won’t understand the consequences of taking it down.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re bringing you our Happier Podcast Book Club conversation with actors Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. We discuss their book “The Office BFFs,” their experiences during the making of the iconic TV comedy “The Office,” being best friends, making it in Hollywood, hosting the “Office Ladies” podcast, and more.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss ways that we can shape our space to shape our behavior. We also share many suggestions from listeners for creative ways to use the five senses to preserve memories of loved ones who have died, to give a thoughtful gift, and even to make errands more fun. Plus, questions about the “empty nest” stage of life.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/494

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A moving story about a champion dog reminds me to strive, in my own life, to show the same kind of pure and boundless love that dogs show.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

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For this episode of More Happier, for your weekend listening, we’re bringing you Gretchen’s recent conversation on Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. Gretchen spoke with Jonathan earlier this year about New Year’s resolutions; now they are sitting down together again to discuss how things are going halfway through the year. Gretchen finds out how Jonathan has been relating to social media, and Jonathan learns how Gretchen is managing to get better sleep. Plus they talk about Gretchen's observations from the Habits for Happiness Quiz.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

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Krista Tippett, informed by decades of inquiry through her super-project, On Being, sits with Kelly to consider what’s in flux, what needs will never abate and what we might rediscover in new forms. In this moment when everything is broken open, when institutions are received with less reverence and more skepticism, where should we point our minds and hearts? What practices serve us best? This is a conversation to share with every thinking friend in your life and use as fodder for your own search for a spiritual home.

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Ep. 493: We talk about the hiking trip we took in Northumberland and the Lake District in partnership with Wilderness England. We share hacks we learned (sometimes the hard way), insights, and funny stories.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

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Some animals—in particular, racehorses—are happier and calmer when they have an animal companion, such as a goat, dog, pony, or pig. Just as some people have emotional-support animals, animals have emotional-support animals.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

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During our recent hiking trip in Northumberland and the Lake District, we made daily voice memos to record our adventures as events unfolded. Listen in.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 492: In this “Ask Us Anything” episode, we answer listeners’ questions about the podcast, writing, reading, dogs, our personal lives, and more.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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When my friend worried about being displaced in the affection of her husband’s family after the appearance of a new daughter-in-law, her mother-in-law knew just what to say to reassure and comfort her.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

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We discuss some of our favorite moments from our favorite TV shows. We also compare what we see people doing out in public in Los Angeles and New York City; people are delightfully unselfconscious. Plus we talk about the calm of non-school summer mornings and “quiet airports.”

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 491: We share listeners’ suggestions and resources for identifying our personal styles. We also discuss an easy hack for clearing out shelf space in a responsible way, and we talk to entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk about his imaginative new picture book.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Artist Scott Polach found an imaginative way to help an audience appreciate the extraordinary beauty of an ordinary sunset.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We’re bringing you our conversation with Kevin Hart, one of the funniest podcast interviews we've ever done. Plus we talk about ways to enhance holiday decorating and how to save someone’s life (or your own). 

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We discuss dozens of hacks from listeners about how to create a habit of regular exercise, plus we share many of our own personal favorite hacks for exercising.

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Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/490

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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The eightieth anniversary of D-Day reminded me of how, during my family’s trip to Normandy, reading the 1944 D-Day guide for soldiers gave me the “America feeling.”

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We talk about a highlight from my recent trip to Japan, and about the (wonderful) experience of traveling with a young-adult child. We also discuss how we’re reading novels as part of our preparation for our upcoming sisterly hiking adventure in England.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 489: In this “Ask Us Anything” episode, we answer listeners’ questions about our families, our relationship as sisters, our dogs, the Four Tendencies, good habits, and more.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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When we’re searching for the right words to say in a difficult conversation, one of these sixteen phrases is likely to help. 

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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A fascinating deep dive into this framework and how to help make parenting happier with expert Dr Becky Kennedy. This episode originally aired on Good Inside with Dr. Becky. 

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 488: July 2 is Halfway Day, and we use that date to remind us to reflect on our “24 for 24” list and to decide how to tackle the (many) unfinished items. Plus we discuss #Write24in24 and our one-word themes for 2024.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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A problem created by the advanced technology of a towering skyscraper is successfully addressed with a very simple, low-tech solution. In the end, the forces of nature always remain at work.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We talk about our upcoming adventure, a hiking trip in England. Plus we discuss a big writing announcement, and debate the question of whether and why we might want to push ourselves to take an interest in some lighthearted subject.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 487: Book Club: We Talk to Writer Anne Lamott About Love, Family, and Forgiveness

For the Happier Podcast Book Club, we talk to renowned writer Anne Lamott about her beautiful new collection of essays, “Somehow: Thoughts on Love,” as well as her other works, such as “Bird by Bird” and “Operating Instructions,” and life in general.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Mathew Knowles, the father and musical manager of Beyoncé and Solange, gave great advice about preparing for an important performance.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Ep. 486: As we do each year, we talk about how and why to design our summer. We also discuss whether we prefer comfort or adventure, as well as how to tell the differences among colds, allergies, and Covid. Plus we explore a listener’s question about feeling burned out by the friendship duties she usually enjoys.

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Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/486

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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A casual conversation during brunch caused my friend to reevaluate her attitude toward skiing.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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We talk about a major milestone we just reached: one thousand episodes! Plus we discuss what suggestions for watching, reading, and listening we’ve gotten from our children, and Elizabeth mentions a TV show she’s looking forward to watching.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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Episode 485: We share many useful hacks from listeners about how to make summertime activities easier and more fun. We also have a candid, hilarious conversation with legendary TV talk-show host Kelly Ripa. Plus, a whimsical smartphone tool.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/485

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A producer observed that Bob Dylan isn’t a singer the way that Stevie Wonder is a singer. They both belong to a group of top musicians, however, because there’s not merely one way to be a singer.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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Last year, I gave the commencement address for my daughter’s high-school graduation. This is the commencement address I did not give. For the actual occasion, I explored transcendent, timeless themes; here are the concrete, useful suggestions that didn’t make it into the actual commencement address.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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We discuss why it can be useful to write down bad feelings on a piece of paper,

then shred, toss, or burn it. We also mention a hack from a listener that makes it

easier to stay in touch with far-flung friends and family, and listeners share their

stories about how they’ve trained (or plan to train) for a tough transition.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/484

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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In the documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” dozens of top musicians pay tribute to Harry Belafonte in the most fitting way—by spontaneously serenading him with his signature “Day-O.”

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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We talk about our three-word descriptions of our personal aesthetic, and what fictional universes we’d like to visit. We also discuss why it’s so energizing to have a new identity.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep. 483. We discuss many listener suggestions of hacks that makes summertime more fun and less work. We also tackle a question from a listener who has a co-worker who won’t stop borrowing her supplies

Get in touch: [email protected]

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/483

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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My husband had just the right words to reassure a friend who’d made an embarrassing mistake.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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For this episode of More Happier, for your weekend listening, we’re bringing you our conversation with Drew Barrymore, one of our favorite interviews from the very first year of Happier. Plus we talk about having an end-of-year ritual, procrastinating about holiday decorations, and the joy of temporary tattoos. 

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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Ep. 482: We discuss why you might decide to train for a tough transition—perhaps for an entire year. We also revisit a listener’s response from years ago that listeners continue to comment on; it’s an idea that has deeply resonated with people. Plus we suggest an excellent hack for storing collections of stuffed animals.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/482

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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Warren Buffett is a spectacularly successful investor, and he’s also a master communicator. Lines from his “Letters to Shareholders” are easy to understand and enjoy, and are therefore more compelling and persuasive.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Because listeners asked for another “Clear the Decks” episode--where we suggest  quick, manageable, tasks to accomplish while listening--this episode features a list of short tasks to help us prepare for summer. Follow along, and by the end of the episode, we’ll all have accomplished a lot.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ep. 481. We talk about why it’s helpful to try to avoid avoidance, and why “planned maintenance” is more effective than “unplanned maintenance.” Plus we share a hack for making cooking easier and faster, as well as many suggestions from listeners of excellent books about how things work.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/481

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to happiness and human nature, the words and metaphors we choose have a surprisingly large influence over our actions.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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Listen to a bonus episode featuring an excerpt from Gretchen Rubin's latest bestselling book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. This excerpt comes from the chapter Tasting: The Taste of the Tea and the Cake, or Why Ketchup is Magic.

Audio excerpt courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio from LIFE IN FIVE SENSES by Gretchen Rubin; Read by the author. © 2023 by Gretchen Rubin ℗ 2023, Penguin Random House, LLC

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In this Very Special Episode, we share hilarious and insightful “proverbs of the

professions”—the collective wisdom of people in particular roles or professions

about how to manage the dilemmas of life. We include proverbs that come from

parents, poker players, doctors, ski instructors, and many more.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/480

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Hacks for Facing Life’s Challenges: Proverbs of the Professions:

https://gretchenrubin.com/articles/hacks-for-facing-lifes-challenges-proverbs-of-the-professions/

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Three amusing examples—from the worlds of pickpockets, farmers, and archeologists—illustrate the point that we must beware of unintended consequences.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about yet another lesson from the Real Housewives: the power of a personal style. We also share a lovely marriage proposal story that involves stationery products, as well as a quick hack for reducing email spam.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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We explore an imaginative, manageable way to write your autobiography, and we

share a suggestion from a listener about using cards to help someone make it

through a tough time. Plus listeners respond to the question from the

veterinarian who didn’t want to lie about her profession, but also didn’t want to

tell the truth.

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/479

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I keep a list of quotations, images, and memories that make me happy or make me laugh. Whenever I’m feeling low, I conjure up one of those items to give myself a quick mental boost.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why it’s so enjoyable to read a book that sheds a light on how

things work. We also share a hack for making driving more pleasant, as well as an

easy and fun hack for sparking creativity. Plus we ask: Does your sleep feel heavy

or light?

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/478

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A corporation president found an unconventional way to make a multi-million dollar decision—a solution that could be employed by any child in grade school.

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Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about Elizabeth’s first visit to Orangetheory, Gretchen’s experience of the eclipse, and a celebration of picture books in Kansas City.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why it’s a good idea to show ourselves (inspired by a

Hollywood headshot story). We also tackle a listener’s question about how to

recognize when we’ve become a mentor and the happiness stumbling block of

dreading plans, even when they will be a lot of fun. Plus a listener suggests a great

hack for using an Altoids tin.

Get in touch: [email protected]

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@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/477

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the memorial service for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the lyrics of “America the Beautiful” invoked the principle aim of her life, and one of the great dreams of the United States.

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Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about how we can boost happiness by paying attention to the textures in

our everyday lives. We also share an easy hack for improving video meetings and

share listeners’ creative ideas for #Write24in24. We also discuss a question from a listener who faces a tough challenge: for understandable reasons, she doesn’t

want to lie, and she also doesn’t want to share the truth.Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

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@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/476

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we’re unsuccessfully trying to get rid of our children’s old toys, or a sweetheart’s ragged t-shirts from college, and can’t figure out why it’s so hard to make progress, remember: all this junk is an expression of love.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

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@GretchenRubin on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore the difference between discouraging “treadmill days” and energizing “finish-line days.” We also discuss the creative challenge of planning a good family April Fool’s Day joke and coming up with clever t-shirt mottos. Plus, the satisfaction of attending a dance party.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

@LizCraft on Instagram

@LizCraft on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of National Card and Letter Writing Month, we suggest writing cards or

letters to boost happiness—perhaps as part of #Write24in24. We also share

listeners’ useful insights and resources from observing “No-Spend February,” and

we share a quick, easy, whimsical suggestion for staying in touch.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

@LizCraft on Instagram

@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/475

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What seems important when events are unfolding isn’t always what turns out to be most significant, when we look back.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about why it’s helpful to pay attention to how much time we spend

venting, versus not venting, to our family and friends. We also answer a listener’s

question about why SMART goals don’t work for Rebels, and share listeners’

creative responses to the “Habits for Happiness” quiz.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

@LizCraft on Instagram

@LizCraft on Threads

@GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get the resources and all links related to this episode here: http://happiercast.com/474

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest New York Times bestselling book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available wherever books are sold.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When an activity feels ordinary—such as texting while walking—it doesn’t feel dangerous, and that familiarity can mislead us.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok

@GretchenRubin on Instagram

@GretchenRubin on Threads

Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes

Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here.

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about two shows that we’re enjoying: the YouTube Channel “Financial Audit” and the Netflix documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop.” Plus we talk about how to get lots of tips for using outer order to find more inner calm.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Follow on social media:

@GretchenRubin on YouTube

@GretchenRubin on TikTok