10% Happier with Dan Harris

A conversation with a Cornell professor who is attempting to rebrand the concept of defiance. Dr. Sunita Sah started her career as a physician but then switched over to organizational psychology. At Cornell, she conducts research on influence, authority, compliance, and defiance. She is the author of Defy: The Power of No in a World That Demands Yes. In this episode we talk about: How Dr. Sah defi...

We're in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – we're now offering guided meditations to accompany each full episode of the show, available to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com . For the month of August, those meditations will come f...

A conversation with singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and psychologist Dacher Keltner, recorded at the New York Times Well Festival , moderated by Dan. All three of them have dealt with anxiety and continue to work with it, and they discuss the ways they look for joy and sustainable wellness.  Related Episodes: Sara Bareilles: Anxiety, Anger, and Art The Evolutionary Case for Kindness | Dacher Kelt...

Reclaim your power from the news, booze, shopping, or denial. Ayya Anandabodhi is the spiritual director of Pārāyana Vihāra , a monastic residence in Port Townsend, WA. She was raised in Wales, in the UK, and first encountered Buddhism in her early teens and began training as a nun at age 24. You can listen to some of her Dharma talks, here .    In this episode we talk about: What centering means...

A happiness expert explains how to alter your ego, reduce self-consciousness, and boost "okayness".    Bruce Hood has been a Professor of Developmental Psychology in Society at Bristol University since 1999, and for the past 5 years he has been concentrating on how to make students happier. He undertook his Ph. D. in neuroscience at Cambridge followed by appointments at University College London,...

Dan welcomed his friend, the actor, neuroscientist and podcaster Mayim Bialik, and her co-host Jonathan Cohen to Substack with a live conversation. They talked about anxiety – one of many things they have in common – along with faith, imagination, manifestation (not in the way you might think), and what's the best time of day to meditate. Find Mayim Bialik's Breakdown wherever you get your podcast...

We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we're hearing from death doula Alua Arthur, as chosen by our managing producer Lauren Smith. Arthur helps people with all the non-medical aspects of dying – emotional, spiritual, and practical – and she has a simple question that she says simplifies decision-making and stress.   Full Episode:  How Th...

Plus other intriguing questions answered such as: should you change your personality? What exactly is a personality anyway?   Olga Khazan is a staff writer for The Atlantic . Her new book is called Me, But Better .  In this episode we talk about: The definition of personality  The so-called big 5 aspects of personality and Olga's attempts to work on them How to spice up your social life  The conce...

The attitude that can help you survive the Trump era.   Gregory Boyle is an American Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. He is the acclaimed author of Tattoos on the Heart , Barking to the Choir , The Whole Language , and most recently, Cherished Belonging .   In this episode we talk ab...

A lot of us have questions about our meditation practice, but we may not have anybody to ask. Am I doing it right? Which kind of meditation should I be doing? How do I choose? Today, our Teacher of the Month Dawn Mauricio breaks down some of those questions with some actionable suggestions you can take into your next meditation session. Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instag...

We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we're hearing from Buddhist scholar and teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi, as chosen by Tara Anderson, one of our podcast producers. We're getting a little meta today, as Dan and his guest talk about paying attention to what your own mind is doing. Full Episode:  The Mental States That Steal Your Calm | Bhikkhu...

The happiness recipe from ancient Buddhist psychology. Beth Upton has been teaching meditation since 2014. Before that she spent ten years as a Buddhist nun, five of them in Burma under the guidance of Pa Auk Sayadaw. She currently leads the Sanditthika Meditation Community . In this episode we talk about: The Buddhist Abhidhamma, which Beth calls "particle physics for the mind"   Why she's intere...

Harness the power of suggestion for well-being, pain management, and mental health.   Dr. Amir Raz is a world-renowned expert on the science of suggestion with recent positions as Canada Research Chair, Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Psychology at McGill University, and as Founding Director of The Institute for Interdisciplinary Brain and Behavioral Sciences at Chapman Un...

All this month, we're sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Dawn Mauricio, exclusively available at DanHarris.com . Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – so today, we're giving you a sample of what you can expect for the rest of the month. This meditation can be helpful when you're spiraling and need to interrupt the momentum of chaos.  Related Episodes: H...

We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we're hearing from comedian and actor Bill Hader, as chosen by our digital media manager, Hayden Broom. Hader was part of our "Non-Negotiables" series, and he told Dan, with some disappointment, that "the hippies were right." Full Episode:  Bill Hader on Anxiety, Imposter Syndrome, and Leaning Into D...

Six practical steps to harness the full power of your mind. Our guest today is James R. Doty , a neurosurgeon who has just written a whole book about the science of manifestation – although, as you'll hear him admit, there's very little 'magic' involved in his process.  James R. Doty, M.D. is a Stanford neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, compassion researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, author and philant...

On maintaining sanity in insane times. Ezra Klein is an opinion columnist and host of the award-winning Ezra Klein Show podcast at The New York Times . His latest book is Abundance , co-authored with Derek Thompson. He is also the author of Why We're Polarized, an instant New York Times bestseller, named one of Barack Obama's top books of 2022. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. In this episode we ta...

Plus: How to build a meditation practice you keep coming back to. We're in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – we're now offering guided meditations to accompany each full episode of the show, available to paid subscribers at DanH...

A scream-queen (and Dan's old friend) talks control, insecurity, friendship, and parenthood. Allison Williams is an actress, producer, and singer best known for her breakout role on HBO's award winning TV series GIRLS, the blockbuster film GET OUT, the science fiction horror film M3GAN, and now its sequel, M3GAN 2.0.    In this episode we talk about: Self-improvement versus self-acceptance The "fr...

The Zen monk who burned out. How he fixed it. And how you can, too. Brother Chân Pháp Hữu began training at the age of 13 with the legendary Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh — who was an author, activist, and founder of the Plum Village tradition. Today Brother Pháp Hữu is the abbot of Plum Village's Upper Hamlet and the co-host of the Plum Village podcast The Way Out Is In . He also recently co-authore...

Why are many of Dan's favorite meditation teachers consulting a clairvoyant? A special collaboration with Search Engine .   Related Episodes: The Science of Training Your Attention | Dr. Amishi Jha The Art and Science of Compassion: Thupten Jinpa Compassion Is the Ultimate Tool for the Truly Ambitious | Paul Gilbert The Science Of Manifestation: Can This Stanford Neuroscientist Convince A Skeptica...

We asked listeners to tell us about some of their favorite episodes from our Get Fit Sanely series, and we'll be bringing you some excerpts of those episodes on Fridays this month. Today, we're hearing from listener Shannon who made a change in her eating routine after hearing our episode with Br. Chan Pháp Lưu from Plum Village. Related Episodes: Rewire Your Relationship To Food | Brother Pháp Lư...

How to overcome inertia and research-backed plans that actually work. Dr. Gary G. Bennett is Dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University.  He is also a professor of psychology & neuroscience, global health, medicine, and nursing, and is the founding director of the Duke Digital Health Science Center. T. Morgan Dixon is the founder and CEO of Girl Trek , the largest health mov...

You're getting the wrong kind of stress. Here's how to change that. Jeff Krasno is the co-founder and CEO of Commune , a masterclass platform for personal and societal well-being, and co-creator of Wanderlust , a global series of wellness events. He hosts the Commune podcast and his new book is called Good Stress: The Benefits of Doing Hard Things .  In this episode we talk about: Practical strate...

Our guest argues that looking back on those who came before us can help us understand who we are and why we do the things we do. Plus, a very special request from Dan. Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tub...