Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

More Happier: The Joy of Giving Away Toys, the Pleasure of Parasocial Relationships & TV Tourism Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

We talk about the energy (and space) gained from giving away items that others will appreciate, and we explore the surprisingly positive aspects of parasocial relationships with podcast hosts and TV personalities. Plus, we dive into the phenomenon of TV tourism.

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. 554: Take the Trip, Get Something Valuable for Free, and Listeners Talk about Their “One Big Thing” Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

We discuss the value of taking the trip. We also reveal something very valuable that is available for free, if you know where to look, and we share listeners’ thought-provoking responses about the “one big thing” they’ve successfully tackled.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Use NewsBank, PressReader, or the Libby app to get access to digital newspapers
Elizabeth is reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: Swimming Studies 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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Little Happier: Good Idea or Bad Idea? Do I Regret My Experience, or Not? I Can’t Decide. Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

A simple childhood memory of jubilation raises a lasting question: Is it better to persist with activities we dislike and struggle with, or pursue what comes naturally?

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: Introducing “Since You Asked with Gretchen Rubin and Lori Gottlieb” Sep 27, 2025

Show notes

Introducing my new podcast: Since You Asked! This is the first episode of my new show with my friend, the therapist and author Lori Gottlieb. Each week, we tackle the daily problems of living—the pet peeve that’s annoyed you for years, the question you’re too embarrassed to ask, or the dilemma you just can’t solve. If you enjoy this episode, follow Since You Asked to get future episodes in your feed.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Have a question or advice to share? Leave a voicemail or write to us at thesinceyouaskedpodcast.com.
Follow along with Gretchen (@gretchenrubin) and Lori (@lorigottlieb_author) on Instagram for the latest on the show.

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. 553: Ask for Clarification, an Easy Way to Unclutter & a “Use It Up” Epiphany Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

We talk about why asking for clarification is so important—yet it’s an easy step to skip. We also mention a listener’s great hack for nudging her kids to unclutter, and we discuss the urge to “use it up.”

Resources & links related to this episode:

Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Elizabeth is reading: A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin (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: Andy Warhol, Woolworth’s, Air Conditioning, and Roasted Peanuts Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Our five senses constantly make adjustments and compromises—an observation that explains a cryptic comment by Andy Warhol.

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: For Travel, Familiarity or Novelty? Plus a Flossing Hack & the Pleasure of Routine Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

We explore whether it's better to seek out new experiences or enjoy familiar favorites when traveling. Plus, we share a surprising hack about alternatives to flossing, and how we’re approaching fall routines.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Learn your Tendency and learn more about the "Four Tendencies" framework
"Dentists know you hate flossing. Try this instead."
GUM soft-picks

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. 552: Start Your 100-Day Countdown, Try Substack & the Power of Engaging Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

There are about 100 days left in the year, and we discuss why starting your 100-day countdown can make you happier. We also explore a hack that will help you read, learn, and get entertained, and we share interesting responses from listeners about the power of engaging.

Resources & links related to this episode:

For the Happier Podcast Book Club: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Amazon, Bookshop)
Joshua Rothman's New Yorker article "A.I. Is Coming for Culture"
Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Happier in Hollywood Substack
Secrets of Adulthood Substack
"Fall in Love with Your Next Novel" Quiz
Elizabeth is reading: Actress of a Certain Age by Jeff Hiller (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (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: A Surprising and Subtle Way to Change Your Habits: Consider Texas Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Texas’s extremely successful anti-littering campaign illustrates an important principle about habit change: Sometimes changing our habits requires us first to change our identity.

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: Returning to Routine? 7 Strategies to Make it Easier [Revisited] Sep 13, 2025

Show notes

Feeling the end-of-summer slump? In this revisited episode, we share 7 practical strategies that can help you rebuild your routine for fall—especially if you're dragging your feet. September is the other January, and this “starter kit” for habit change will help you reset without forcing it.

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