Happier with Gretchen Rubin

During my family’s trip to Normandy, reading the D-Day guide for soldiers gave me the “America feeling.” Its plain words, aimed at soldiers headed to France, captured my dream for America. Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn …

We share what's making us happier: Survivor Fantasy League and teachers herding middle schoolers on the subway. We discuss whether reading is having a cultural moment (we think so) and explore the differences between club soda, sparkling water, and seltzer. …

We explore the powerful practice of distilling your hard-earned observations into concise "Secrets of Adulthood,” such as "Working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination" and "The more I write, the more I write." We also talk about …

Three distinct childhood memories—from an art-carnival creator, a food writer, and a horror master—illuminate how the “luna parks” of our childhoods can live in our imaginations for our entire lives. Get in touch: [email protected] Visit Gretchen's website to learn more …

For our 10th anniversary, we’re revisiting our very first episode of Happier. We discuss how the “one-minute rule” contributes to outer order and inner calm, the difference between a satisficer and a maximizer, and the one-coin loophole. Plus, for the …

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the podcast, we highlight our favorite ideas, hacks, and moments from the last decade. Everything from the “one-minute rule” to “clear the decks” to “give yourself a derby name” to Elizabeth’s famous recommendation of …

The inscription on an ancient Greek grave marker illustrates the purpose of preserving art across millennia. A grandmother's words about holding her beloved grandchild, both in life and death, bridge more than two thousand years. Get in touch: [email protected] Visit …

We review the great debate among listeners about whether our ungrammatical jokes about “More Happier” are fun—or annoying. We also discuss whether, as creative people, we expect our friends and family to read, watch, or listen to what we create. …

For this Very Special Episode, we answer questions from listeners about our relationships, happiness, watercolor, celebrities, our reading habits, and more. Resources and links related to this episode: Bookshop Quiz: Fall In Love With Your Next Novel Happier in Hollywood …

Three distinct voices—Leonard Woolf, Gerald Heard, and Thomas Merton—point to the same truth world: The value of right action lies not in the results we achieve for others, but in the rightness of the action itself, and its significance for …