Happier with Gretchen Rubin

We talk about why it’s a good idea to spare ourselves the work of having unnecessary opinions. We also share listeners’ many imaginative suggestions for ways that they help themselves stay calm, as well as a listener’s idea for getting more enjoyment out of familiar experiences. Plus we debate the question of whether we want to get maximum value out of an experience, or just enjoy what we want. Ge...

A funny yet accurate observation about Alnwick Castle’s famous Poison Garden inspires a question about human nature. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in...

A common happiness stumbling block: interviewing for a job. We're bringing you some helpful tips for acing your next job interview. Hint: prepare!  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCraft on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email eve...

We talk about why it’s advisable (if possible) to avoid being the bringer of bad news. We also discuss why it’s a good idea to RSVP “yes” or “no” quickly--and stick to that decision. Plus we share many helpful suggestions from listeners about effective ways they’ve created accountability for themselves, and used pairing, to achieve important aims. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on...

In Scarlett Thomas’s brilliant novel PopCo, a protagonist wants to set herself apart from her colleagues, but she’s stumped by a conundrum she can’t solve. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes G...

We talk about the happiness that comes from getting a gift we don’t expect, and we discuss some quality screen time. We also consider the question: Does every family need a holiday-tradition-enforcer? Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCra...

Inspired by college move-in day, we talk about why it’s helpful to forecast our own foibles. We also weigh in on the hot debate around the correct way to load a dishwasher, and we introduce a new podcast segment—along with a big life change. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin...

A grim but hopeful episode from World War II’s Battle of Britain sheds a light on Winston Churchill’s character. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Fiv...

As the school year approaches, we’re re-sharing some of our best back-to-school tips and suggestions.  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCraft on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes Get Gretch...

We discuss research suggesting that during the first three weeks with strangers in a new environment (such as a cruise or college), we have a special window for making friends. We also talk about why setting an alarm can alleviate restlessness and anxiety, and we address a question from an Obliger about how to deal with the fact that members of her family don’t do their share. Get in touch: podcas...

Charles Darwin’s “Sand Walk” at Down House is a good example of how we can shape our surroundings and our schedule to help ourselves create habits that contribute to a happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative life. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Ge...

We continue to reflect on the insights and hacks we learned from our hiking trip in England—how and why this adventure helped to make us happier, healthier, and more creative. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCraft on Threads Get the pod...

We talk about why and how it’s useful to use the annual Labor Day Holiday as a catalyst to reflect on our work--both paid and unpaid. We also share a fun know-yourself-better tool, and make a suggestion about finding the right gym. Plus we reveal a fact that will make listeners very happy (and relieved).  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @Gr...

On a demanding backpacking trip, I saw an illustration of the principle sometimes call “Chesterton’s Fence”: Don’t take down a fence unless you know why it was put there in the first place. If you don’t know why a fence was placed there, you won’t understand the consequences of taking it down. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin...

We’re bringing you our Happier Podcast Book Club conversation with actors Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. We discuss their book “The Office BFFs,” their experiences during the making of the iconic TV comedy “The Office,” being best friends, making it in Hollywood, hosting the “Office Ladies” podcast, and more. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTu...

We discuss ways that we can shape our space to shape our behavior. We also share many suggestions from listeners for creative ways to use the five senses to preserve memories of loved ones who have died, to give a thoughtful gift, and even to make errands more fun. Plus, questions about the “empty nest” stage of life. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin o...

A moving story about a champion dog reminds me to strive, in my own life, to show the same kind of pure and boundless love that dogs show. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes Get Gretchen Rubin...

For this episode of More Happier, for your weekend listening, we’re bringing you Gretchen’s recent conversation on Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. Gretchen spoke with Jonathan earlier this year about New Year’s resolutions; now they are sitting down together again to discuss how things are going halfway through the year. Gretchen finds out how Jonathan has been relating to social media, an...

Krista Tippett, informed by decades of inquiry through her super-project, On Being, sits with Kelly to consider what’s in flux, what needs will never abate and what we might rediscover in new forms. In this moment when everything is broken open, when institutions are received with less reverence and more skepticism, where should we point our minds and hearts? What practices serve us best? This is...

Ep. 493: We talk about the hiking trip we took in Northumberland and the Lake District in partnership with Wilderness England. We share hacks we learned (sometimes the hard way), insights, and funny stories. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram...

Some animals—in particular, racehorses—are happier and calmer when they have an animal companion, such as a goat, dog, pony, or pig. Just as some people have emotional-support animals, animals have emotional-support animals. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get th...

During our recent hiking trip in Northumberland and the Lake District, we made daily voice memos to record our adventures as events unfolded. Listen in. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCraft on Threads Get the podcast show notes by emai...

Ep. 492: In this “Ask Us Anything” episode, we answer listeners’ questions about the podcast, writing, reading, dogs, our personal lives, and more. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads @LizCraft on Instagram @LizCraft on Threads @GretchenRubin on ThreadsGet the podcas...

When my friend worried about being displaced in the affection of her husband’s family after the appearance of a new daughter-in-law, her mother-in-law knew just what to say to reassure and comfort her. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by...

We discuss some of our favorite moments from our favorite TV shows. We also compare what we see people doing out in public in Los Angeles and New York City; people are delightfully unselfconscious. Plus we talk about the calm of non-school summer mornings and “quiet airports.” Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @Gretch...