We discuss how paying attention to the books, movies, or TV shows someone loves can provide profound insights into their character and inner life. Our happiness hack shares surprising research that shows we're actually terrible at choosing our own most flattering photos; strangers select better images of us than we do ourselves. Plus we talk to Rich Benjamin about his compelling new memoir, Talk to Me , in which he explores the history and secrets that have haunted his family. Resources & Li...
Mar 26, 2025•40 min•Ep. 527
Sometimes, the title of a movie manages to become shorthand for entire life situations—think "The Matrix," "Gaslight," and “The Devil Wears Prada.” Also, this collection illustrates my deep appreciation for the pleasure of examples. Resources & links related to this episode: More Happier episode My “ 24 for 24 ” list Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happi...
Mar 24, 2025•4 min
First in a new discussion series on happiness: Friendship Roundtable. Joining me is a longtime friend, Laurie Santos, and a new friend, Reshma Saujani. We talk about how our friendships have changed over time, how to handle conflict, and how to make new friends in adulthood. Yale professor Laurie Santos is host of “The Happiness Lab” podcast. Reshma Saujani is founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First and host of the “My So-Called Midlife” podcast. Resources & Links Related to this episode: F...
Mar 22, 2025•40 min
We explore the powerful “Rule of More” that we can make our lives happier—or less happy. We share an easy yet highly effective hack for prompting the entire family to help clear clutter. Plus we share listeners’ excellent Secrets of Adulthood. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Pre-order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood Join me on book tour starting April 1, 2025 "Read 25 in 25" Here are my favorite products to get organized Elizabeth is reading: Say Everything: A Memoir by Ione Sky...
Mar 19, 2025•34 min•Ep. 526
In my version of a traditional teaching story, a village is terrorized by a crocodile. This story explores the dangers of dismissing threats to others while hoping that we’ll be spared. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 priva...
Mar 17, 2025•8 min
In a conversation with the brilliant and hilarious Ramit Sethi, we talk about “money for couples.” We discuss issues such as the four money types, how to handle conflict within a relationship, when to start talking about money when dating, red flags, and more. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Become a Super-Fan ! Money for Couples by Ramit Sethi ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, ...
Mar 15, 2025•39 min
We explore the big question of whether to get a dog, sharing results from our listener poll, research on how pets boost happiness, and hilarious "worst-case scenarios.” We share a hack for getting tasks done more quickly and pleasantly. Plus we feature a rich collection of listener insights on restaurant plate-rotating secrets, balance-building while tooth-brushing, how grief can lead to new friendships, and more. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Pre-order your copy of Secrets of A...
Mar 12, 2025•34 min•Ep. 525
Through my "Operation Knicks Knowledge" experiment, I've discovered that basketball rules evolve constantly—and one particular change reveals a profound truth about human nature. We manage what we monitor, and we encourage what we reward. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 Appl...
Mar 10, 2025•4 min
In honor of our tenth anniversary, we revisit a fan-favorite episode: The one where Elizabeth talks about giving a Ped Egg to her mother-in-law. Many listeners cited this segment as one of the all-time funniest discussions on the show. We also discuss Gretchen’s travel hack, the “Bowl of Requirement,” and our favorite wedding readings. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Collection of Wedding Readings Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about...
Mar 08, 2025•40 min
We explore a helpful approach for handling important tasks that can’t be dealt with at present, by stashing them in the metaphorical "messy closet" without guilt. Our happiness hack offers expert advice for managing social situations with difficult people. We also feature a special interview with legendary author Judy Blume about fostering a love of reading, her experiences with book banning, and insights from owning an indie bookstore. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Pre-order yo...
Mar 05, 2025•32 min•Ep. 524
During my family’s trip to Normandy, reading the D-Day guide for soldiers gave me the “America feeling.” Its plain words, aimed at soldiers headed to France, captured my dream for America. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 p...
Mar 03, 2025•6 min
We share what's making us happier: Survivor Fantasy League and teachers herding middle schoolers on the subway. We discuss whether reading is having a cultural moment (we think so) and explore the differences between club soda, sparkling water, and seltzer. Resources & Links Related to this episode: Take the Habits for Happiness quiz Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collecti...
Mar 01, 2025•25 min
We explore the powerful practice of distilling your hard-earned observations into concise "Secrets of Adulthood,” such as "Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination" and "The more I write, the more I write." We also talk about the simple pleasure of physical magazines, and we tackle a complex Four Tendencies question about supporting an Obliger mother-in-law whose helpfulness contributed to her health problems. Resources and links related to this episode: A Little Happier: Th...
Feb 26, 2025•35 min•Ep. 523
Three distinct childhood memories—from an art-carnival creator, a food writer, and a horror master—illuminate how the “luna parks” of our childhoods can live in our imaginations for our entire lives. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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/lis...
Feb 24, 2025•6 min
For our 10th anniversary, we’re revisiting our very first episode of Happier. We discuss how the “one-minute rule” contributes to outer order and inner calm, the difference between a satisficer and a maximizer, and the one-coin loophole. Plus, for the first time, we give ourselves Demerits and Gold Stars. Resources & Links Related to this episode: One Minute Rule Are you a satisficer or a maximizer? Better than Before Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn ...
Feb 22, 2025•32 min
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the podcast, we highlight our favorite ideas, hacks, and moments from the last decade. Everything from the “one-minute rule” to “clear the decks” to “give yourself a derby name” to Elizabeth’s famous recommendation of the Ped Egg. Resources and links related to this episode: Pre-order my new book, Secrets of Adulthood Better Than Before , my book about habit change Follow the one-minute rule Observe the family “update” Identify your signature anything: color...
Feb 19, 2025•41 min•Ep. 522
The inscription on an ancient Greek grave marker illustrates the purpose of preserving art across millennia. A grandmother's words about holding her beloved grandchild, both in life and death, bridge more than two thousand years. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 Podcas...
Feb 17, 2025•4 min
We review the great debate among listeners about whether our ungrammatical jokes about “More Happier” are fun—or annoying. We also discuss whether, as creative people, we expect our friends and family to read, watch, or listen to what we create. Plus we explore a silly question about whether we’d start to eat an item before we’d pay for it. Resources and links related to this episode: 5 Things Making Me Happy Newsletter The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Heads in...
Feb 15, 2025•29 min
For this Very Special Episode, we answer questions from listeners about our relationships, happiness, watercolor, celebrities, our reading habits, and more. Resources and links related to this episode: Bookshop Quiz: Fall In Love With Your Next Novel Happier in Hollywood Substack Simon Haisell's slow read of War and Peace Five-Senses Journal Dabble Writer Elizabeth is reading : Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Gretchen is reading: The Many Lives of Anne Frank by Ruth Frankl...
Feb 12, 2025•42 min•Ep. 521
Three distinct voices—Leonard Woolf, Gerald Heard, and Thomas Merton—point to the same truth world: The value of right action lies not in the results we achieve for others, but in the rightness of the action itself, and its significance for ourselves. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 pa...
Feb 10, 2025•6 min
We talk about the unexpected lessons Elizabeth learned during her family’s emergency evacuation from their home, from the practical (“know your zone”) to the emotional (dogs can provide comfort in displacement). We discuss how information networks proved crucial, the reality of evacuation traffic, and how different people react in crisis. We also explore how to maintain productivity during disruption and the importance of advance preparation, including the value of a well-planned "go bag" and a ...
Feb 08, 2025•30 min
For this Very Special Episode, we answer questions from listeners about relationships, happiness, habits, reading, writing, and working together as sisters. Resources and links related to this episode: Super-Fan Sign-Up Elizabeth is reading : Colored Television by Danzy Senna ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Gretchen is reading: A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, produc...
Feb 05, 2025•39 min•Ep. 520
Through two brilliant tourism campaigns—Nebraska's "Honestly, it's not for everyone" and Oslo's “Is it even a city?”--we discover the surprising power of embracing what others might see as flaws. These campaigns reveal a liberating truth: What some see as drawbacks, others may view as advantages. It's a reminder that we're often at our most appealing when we tell truth. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products fr...
Feb 03, 2025•4 min
We’re bringing you my conversation with David Duchovny on his podcast, Fail Better. We talk action-led thoughts and aphorisms — anything in pursuit of leaving a conversation feeling happy. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com 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 p...
Feb 01, 2025•49 min
We explore how advice meant for college freshmen—from practical packing tips to strategies for making friends—can benefit all of us. (Special guest: Gretchen’s daughter, currently a college freshman.) We also offer suggestions for a Rebel who struggles with late-night snacking, and share hacks for being a considerate houseguest and for getting more pleasure of reading. Resources and links related to this episode: Happier in Hollywood Substack newsletter Happiness Project shop "Five Things" newsl...
Jan 29, 2025•40 min•Ep. 519
Through two seemingly unrelated pursuits—following the Knicks and visiting the Met—we discover a surprising truth. When we're casual observers, things appears fixed and permanent, like basketball's rules or a museum's "permanent" collection. But as we look closer and learn more, we discover that what seemed unchanging is actually in constant flux. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Projec...
Jan 27, 2025•4 min
For the Happier Podcast Book Club we’re revisiting our conversation with our friend and bestselling author Kate Bowler about her moving, funny, thought-provoking new memoir, “No Cure for Being Human.” In this wide-ranging chat we discuss her writing process, work as a “calling” vs “career” and why we can be more honest in writing than we can out loud. Resources and links related to this episode: # Read25in25 Elizabeth is listening to: Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer ( Amazon , Booksho...
Jan 25, 2025•40 min
We discuss why and how we might try to make one new friend in 2025—a huge happiness booster. We also explore two creative happiness hacks that make it easier to stick to a habit of walking. Plus we tackle a fascinating Four Tendencies question about managing a Questioner spouse's barrage of daily questions, and we delve into how people differ in remembering their past experiences, comparing "snapshot" versus "movie" memory styles. Resources and links related to this episode: “The Paradox of Purp...
Jan 22, 2025•35 min•Ep. 518
Andy Warhol's observation of stars Edie Sedgwick and Judy Garland reveals a surprising truth about why some people are drawn to those surrounded by constant drama. What seems like a flaw—perpetual chaos and drama—can actually be an attraction, offering others an escape from their own problems by becoming absorbed in someone else's compelling crisis. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Proj...
Jan 20, 2025•5 min
For Quality Screen Time, we find examples of movies that perfectly represent a concept (think “Groundhog Day.”) We also talk about the characteristic ways that people approach their meals, and the benefit of using a paper planner. Resources and links related to this episode: The Happier app Legend Planner Newsletter sign -up Happier in Hollywood newsletter Zurau Aphorisms by Franz Kafka ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com ; happiercast.c...
Jan 18, 2025•21 min
