Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 561: Need Some Fresh Ideas for Gift-Giving? Here Are Many Great Suggestions Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

It can be a real challenge to find new, useful ideas for gifts. We suggest many of our own recommendations, plus we include dozens of ideas from listeners.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Request bookplates now to get them in time for the holidays!
Sign up for The Happiness Project Revisited and get 40% off enrollment
Florist Wire
Electric Foot Warmer
Whiskey of the Month Flaviar
Uncommon Goods Pop-Up Escape Room
Clear Case for eReader
Briogeo Sleek Stick
SK-II Facial Masks
Surratt Makeup Brushes
La Mer Lip Balm
Snuffle Mat
Flirt Pole with Lure
Trigger Point Cane
Back and neck massager
Heating pad for neck
TOMOO 9 wheel muscle roller
Tom Cruise Cake
Doan's Bakery
John Kelly Chocolates
Boston Big-Buckle Shearling Birkenstock
Portable light-Newmowa
Lumify Eye Drops
Sea Scooter
EcoNour tray for car
Gift-Giving Toolkit
Elizabeth is reading: Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (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: A Beautiful Ending & the Final Passage of Queen Victoria Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

As a writer, I'm particularly drawn to great endings, and I read the extraordinary closing paragraphs of Lytton Strachey’s biography Queen Victoria. Strachey imagines Victoria's fading mind retracing the vanished visions of her long history—passing back through decades of memories in a poignant, poetic cascade that captures both the end of a life and the end of an era.

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: Is It Always a Bad Idea to Gossip? Plus: Choosing a One-Word Theme for the Year Nov 15, 2025

Show notes

We talk about the challenge of choosing a one-word theme for the upcoming year, as well as the surprising value of gossip. Plus we talk about a fun reason to have a party.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Send recommendations for your favorite books to give for the holidays

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. 560: Very Special Episode: What Secrets Does Your Therapist Wish They Could Tell You? Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

We talk to Lori Gottlieb—psychotherapist, bestselling author, and co-host of the “Since You Asked” advice podcast—about what she wishes she could tell her patients. We discuss questions like why patients lie to their therapists, how to know if you’re the toxic friend, how to handle a challenging holiday gathering, and how to end rumination.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Request bookplates now to get them in time for the holidays!
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (Amazon, Bookshop)
Elizabeth is reading: The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: A Weekend in New York by Benjamin Markovits (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: A Teaching Story So Good That It Should Be True Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Sometimes a teaching story has such a great lesson that it doesn’t even matter if it’s not true. While the famous story of the sardines and the catfish turns out to be apocryphal, it illustrates a useful truth: Being in an environment where we need to show hustle can be better for us than quiet, stagnant surroundings.

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: Deck the Halls! 24 Quick Tasks to Get Holiday-Ready [Revisited] Nov 08, 2025

Show notes

A twist on our “Clear the Decks” strategy—this episode guides you through a series of quick, one-minute tasks to help you get organized for the holidays.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Sign up to be an organ donor!
We mention the Five-Senses Journal, which includes spaces to do five-senses portraits.
To make it easier to identify good gifts to give, take the Gift-Giving Quiz.
Outer Order, Inner Calm
Know Yourself Better Journals
We mention 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Ep. 559: Feel Lonely? Out of Touch? Try This. Plus the Beautiful Pressure to “Use It Up” Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

We talk about the value of having a party (a party that’s not family- or child-centric). We share an easy hack for assembling furniture. Plus listeners give their examples of how they feel the pressure to “use up”—the beautiful offerings of the world.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Here's a guide to help you generate thoughtful gift ideas
Elizabeth is reading: The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: On the Beach by Nevil Shute (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: Surprise: Gossip Can Be Good for You Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

Despite its bad reputation, gossip is actually a ubiquitous and important feature of human communication.

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: Embrace the Immersive, Reflect on Your Algorithm & Clear Clutter to Boost Energy Nov 01, 2025

Show notes

We talk about why immersive experiences are so energizing and interesting. We also explore how we can know ourselves better by considering what the algorithm reflects back to us about our interests, and we talk about the satisfaction of clearing clutter.

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

Ep. 558: Have “One Big Thing” Holding You Back? Listeners Weigh In. Plus the Value of Making Space Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

We discuss why making space to put things away can free up your time, energy, and space—also, buying duplicates of necessary items can make life easier. Plus listeners give their answers about the “one big thing” they had to tackle, and how finally confronting that challenge made their lives happier.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Check out the new Bingo Book in The Happiness Project Shop
Gift-Giving Quiz
Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin (Amazon, Bookshop)
Elizabeth is reading: They All Came to Barneys by Gene Pressman (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The White Stone by Esther de Waal (Amazon, Bookshop)