Podcast Episodes

Little Happier: Something Brilliant Came Out of My Mouth—Something I Didn’t Know I Knew

Looking at a ‘zine made by some friends decades ago made me realize an important truth—a truth I didn’t know that I knew.

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

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Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

“Bonus: Commencement Address Given by Gretchen Rubin: Five Essential Paradoxes for a Happy Life”

In this bonus episode, listen to the commencement address I gave at my daughter’s Eleanor’s high-school graduation. To help the new graduates make sense of their experiences—both what they’ve experie…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Ep. 438: Act Like a Teenager, Pick Up Your Food in Person, and “Ask Us Anything” About Writing

Episode 438

We talk about how we can boost our happiness by acting like teenagers (the good aspects of being a

teenager). We also share a suggestion from a listener about how to cut down on using meal-delivery

app…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Little Happier: Journalist Connie Chung Influenced a Generation—Without Realizing It

In the New York Times, Connie Wang wrote about why so many families had named their daughters “Connie”: In the journalist Connie Chung, they saw the qualities and opportunities they wanted for their …

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

More Happier: More Strength and Stamina, a New Metaphor for “Empty Nest,” and an Easy Way to Keep a Journal

Episode 40

We talk about why and how we’re redoubling our efforts to work on our strength and stamina. We also try to figure out a better metaphor for the “empty nest,” and talk about a fun, easy way to keep a …

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Ep. 437: To Make a Good Connection, Talk More; Learn the Lesson of the Enron Corpus; and a Collection of Positive Trends

Episode 437

We talk about the fact that despite the widespread “reticence bias,” research suggests that we appear more likeable and interesting to a stranger when we talk more than half the time. We also discuss…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Little Happier: The IKEA Effect, or How We Value Things According to What They Cost Us

As IKEA, instant cake mixes, and meal-kit delivery services demonstrate, we often value things according to how much they cost us—whether that’s in time, money, energy, or imagination.

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Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Ep. 436: We Use Halfway Day to Report on How We’re Doing on Our Aims for 2023: the “Happier Trifecta”

Episode 436

We use Halfway Day as a catalyst to reflect on how we’re doing with our aims for

2023. Each year, we choose a one-word theme, make a list of “23 in 2023” things

we want to accomplish, and give ourselve…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

Little Happier: It Might Be Boring to Read About the “Land of Happy,” But It’s Probably a Nice Place to Live

People sometimes assume that happiness is boring—but as philosopher Simone Weil points out, while that may be true in literature, it’s not true in real life. 

Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Fo…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago

More Happier: Two Pleasures of Summer, Breaking in My Feet (Not My Shoes), and Benefits of Going “On Pause”

Episode 39

We each explain a reason why summer is making us happier, why it’s important to break in our feet as well as our shoes, and why going “on pause” might be better than “stopping.” We also discuss the n…

Published on 2 years, 5 months ago