Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

More Happier: Get Better at Socializing & Make the Most of “Halfway Day” Jun 27, 2026

Show notes

Why summer is the perfect time to revisit your goals for the year. Gretchen and Elizabeth share a hack for making socializing easier.

Build Your Social Muscles: The more you socialize, the less mental energy it costs [00:39]
Spotlight on a Tool: July 2nd is the halfway point of the year, so it’s a great time to revisit the goals and lists you made in January [18:24]
I've Been Meaning to Ask You: We talk about happiness all the time. Does we ever get tired of thinking about how to be happier? [10:56]
I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: Gretchen finds reassurance in Elizabeth’s recent take on the challenge of watching TV [19:14]

Mentioned in this Episode:

Connect with Us:

Email: podcast@gretchenrubin.com
Website: gretchenrubin.com
Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft
Learn more about Gretchen's Four Tendencies personality framework and take the free quiz.

Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show!

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Ep. 592: Reflect on “Halfway Day,” Plus How Abstainers Can Moderate Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

We’re halfway through the year. Gretchen and Liz share how to treat July 2 as a built-in reset to reflect on what's working and what isn't.

Try This at Home: Prepare for Halfway Day — Use “Halfway Day” on July 2 to review your aims for the year [05:48]
Happiness Hack: Name Your Days of the Week — To make work easier, give a name to each day of the week [21:34]
Listener Question: When Abstainers Try to Moderate — Can an abstainer occasionally indulge in moderation? [24:29]
Question for Listeners: What Works with Rebels? — If you live or work with a Rebel (or are one), what insights or strategies have made a difference? [30:18]
Demerits & Gold Stars — Elizabeth's demerit: a missed opportunity to schedule doctor appointments. Gretchen's gold star: the New York Knicks [31:32]

Mentioned in this Episode:

Wedding readings collection
You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate — (Amazon, Bookshop)
The Virginia Woolf Diaries, Vol. 2 — (Amazon, Bookshop)
Take the Four Tendencies quiz

Connect with Us:

Email: podcast@gretchenrubin.com
Website: gretchenrubin.com
Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft
Learn more about the Four Tendencies framework and take the free quiz

Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show!

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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

Little Happier: An Important Creativity Lesson from “Green Eggs and Ham” Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s true: imagination is often sparked more by constraint than by freedom.

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.

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

Halfway Day Check-In—Plus, How to Adjust Your Habits for Summer Jun 20, 2026

Show notes

We revisit a special audio episode from the “Habits for Happiness” course about adapting your habits for summer. With Halfway Day approaching on 7/2, it's a useful reminder that a small adjustment can help you get more out of the season and the second half of the year.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Check out the new Design Your Summer tool in the Happier app

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.

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

Ep. 591: How to Fight Perfectionism—Plus a Simple Happiness Hack That Really Matters Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

We discuss how perfectionism is driven not by high standards but by anxiety—and how embracing imperfection is a great way to overcome it. We also share an important reminder about hearing health and why it matters so much for our happiness and wellbeing.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Cass Aarssen—Clutterbug
Life in Five Senses (Amazon, Bookshop)
Check out the Don't Break the Chain Habit Tracker in The Happiness Project Shop
Elizabeth: Rewilding by Jane Green (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen: The Diary of Virginia Wolfe volume 1 (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.

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

Little Happier: A Valuable Lesson in Happiness from the 2014 London Tube Strike Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Studies from commuter patterns after the 2014 London Underground Strike illustrate an important point: even when we resist change, it holds the possibility of making our lives better.

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.

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

More Happier: Are People Socializing More? Plus, Things That Have Achieved Perfection Jun 13, 2026

Show notes

We explore familiar objects that have achieved perfection—from blue jeans to the perfume bottle—and which ones resonate with us most. We also explore whether people are socializing more since Covid, or if it's just to Elizabeth.

Resources & Links Related to this episode:

Check out my free newsletter, “5 Things Making Me Happy”
Secrets of Adulthood by Gretchen Rubin (Amazon, Bookshop)
Everybody's Autobiography by Gertrude Stein (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.

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

Ep. 590: Very Special Episode! 20 Practical Strategies for Managing Worry Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

We tackle a big happiness stumbling block: worry. We share 20 practical strategies for managing worry—from scheduling time to worry, to recognizing when a worry isn't “ripe,” to making a list, and more.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Kevin Henkes’s Wemberly Worried (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.

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

Little Happier: A Skyscraper Crisis Holds a Valuable (and True) Lesson Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

A crisis involving the design of the 59-story Citicorp Center illustrates lessons in creativity and the value of constant reevaluation.

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.

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

Travel Hacks for a Happier Summer Jun 06, 2026

Show notes

We revisit dozens of excellent hacks from listeners about how to make traveling more convenient and less stressful—plus we include some of our own travel-hack discoveries.

Resources & links related to this episode: