Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

More Happier: Bonus: I Read “The Snow Queen” to You, Pt. 2 Dec 21, 2024

Show notes

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.

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. 513: Revealed: Our Annual Challenge for 2025! Plus We Review 2024’s #Write24in24 Challenge Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

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: 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.

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.

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

Little Happier: When Everything Changes, What Remains? The Mystery of Persistent Identity Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

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: 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: Bonus: I Read “The Snow Queen” to You, Pt. 1 Dec 14, 2024

Show notes

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: 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. 512: We Review Our “24 for ‘24” Lists to See What We Accomplished—or Not Dec 11, 2024

Show notes

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: 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.

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.

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

Little Happier: A Beautiful Image from Nature Can Be a Solace in Hard Times Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

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: 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: What Makes a Holiday Movie? Plus Holiday Creep & the Joy of a Long Vacation Dec 07, 2024

Show notes

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: 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. 511: Choose a One-Word Theme: We Review Our 2024 Themes and Reveal Our 2025 Themes Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

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: 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

Little Happier: What Do Humans Possess that Artificial Intelligence Doesn’t Possess? Dec 02, 2024

Show notes

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: 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: How to be Perfect with TV Producer Mike Schur Nov 30, 2024

Show notes

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: 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