Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

Bonus: Don’t Call it a Midlife Crisis—Chip Conley on the “Dan Buettner” Podcast Dec 14, 2025

Show notes

My friend Chip Conley joins the “Dan Buettner Podcast” to explain why the old idea of a “midlife crisis” holds us back and how reframing this stage can open the door to purpose, curiosity, and stronger connection in life after 50.

Resources & links related to this episode:

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry (Amazon, Bookshop)
I read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (Amazon, Bookshop)
I read "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen (Amazon, Bookshop)

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.

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More Happier: “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner [Revisited] Dec 13, 2025

Show notes

As part of our Happier Podcast Book Club, we revisit our conversation with Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast about her compelling bestselling memoir “Crying in H Mart.”

Resources & links related to this episode:

Crying in H Mart

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 privacy information.

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Ep. 564: Revealing…the Annual Challenge for 2026! Plus a Report on Read 25 in 2025 Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

We report on our experience with the “Design Your Year” exercise of the annual challenge: Read 25 in ’25. We also reveal the annual challenge for 2026—join us.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Move 26 in 2026
Visit the Happiness Project shop
The science-backed trick that soothes an itch better than scratching
Elizabeth: is coming into the end of War and Peace (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift (Amazon, Bookshop)

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 privacy information.

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A Little Happier: Have You Ever Felt Like an Employee of Your Former Self? Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Do You Feel Like an Employee of Your Former Self? Renowned novelist Ian McEwan makes a funny observation about book tours that’s applicable to many familiar situations.

Resources & links related to this episode:

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 privacy information.

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More Happier: Your Guide to Stress-Free Holiday Hosting [Revisited] Dec 06, 2025

Show notes

Make entertaining easier. These simple hacks take the stress out of hosting and help you focus on what really matters: enjoying the people you’re with.

Resources & links related to this episode:

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 privacy information.

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Ep. 563: Need a One-Word Theme for Next Year? We Review and Reveal Our Words Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

We talk about why choosing a one-word theme for the year can be such a creative, constructive, and satisfying exercise. We review our words for 2025 and reveal our words for 2026. Plus we share an original and fun reason to have a party.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Amazing scene in Mad Men
Work through my new Gift Idea Generator worksheet
Elizabeth is reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: Couples by John Updike (Amazon, Bookshop)

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 privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Little Happier: Do You Suffer from “Paris Syndrome?” Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

The gap between expectations and reality determines whether we feel happy or disappointed. From empty-nest parents hoping for daily texts to tourists experiencing "Paris syndrome," our expectations shape our emotions. Sometimes adjusting expectations—rather than changing reality—is the key to happiness.

Resources & links related to this episode:

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 privacy information.

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Bonus: Hacks to Make the Holidays Happier [Revisited] Nov 30, 2025

Show notes

We revisit our long list of hacks to make the holidays a happier time.

Resources & links related to this episode:

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 privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Happier: Do You Specifically Recollect Yourself at Different Ages? Nov 29, 2025

Show notes

We discuss a know-yourself-better question related to how we conceive of ourselves at different ages. Plus we talk about a way to find excellent book recommendations.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Join the The Happiness Project: Revisited course
Since You Asked advice podcast
Shop the biggest journal sale of the year!
Substack Live with Sari Botton
"Oldster Magazine" on Substack
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis (Amazon, Bookshop)
All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers by Larry McMurtry (Amazon, Bookshop)
The Secret History by Donna Tartt (Amazon, Bookshop)

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 privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 562: Do You Hesitate to Raise Your Hand to Make Something Happen? Plus a Medication Hack Nov 26, 2025

Show notes

We talk about why it’s such a happiness-booster to raise your hand to organize an event or undertaking—to realize that if you don’t do it, no one will. We also share a hack for making it easier to take medication, and why it’s a good idea to “suffer fools gladly.”

Resources & links related to this episode: