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 Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin...
17 Jul 20233min
“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 experien...
15 Jul 202318min
Ep. 438: Act Like a Teenager, Pick Up Your Food in Person, and “Ask Us Anything” About Writing
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 ap...
12 Jul 202333min
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 o...
10 Jul 20233min
More Happier: More Strength and Stamina, a New Metaphor for “Empty Nest,” and an Easy Way to Keep a Journal
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 j...
8 Jul 202322min
Ep. 437: To Make a Good Connection, Talk More; Learn the Lesson of the Enron Corpus; and a Collection of Positive Trends
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 ...
5 Jul 202329min
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. Get in touch: p...
3 Jul 20234min
Ep. 436: We Use Halfway Day to Report on How We’re Doing on Our Aims for 2023: the “Happier Trifecta”
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 ourselv...
28 Jun 202336min
