The Science of Happiness

Choosing joy over guilt and shame can make climate-friendly habits easier to sustain while improving your own well-being along the way.

What can a singing bird, a neighborhood walk, and a pair of puppet adventurers teach us about awe? Sit down with Wowsabout! creators Dorien Davies and Halle Stanford to discuss helping kids—and grownups—find wonder wherever they are.

Across school campuses and communities, students and educators are discovering how listening, curiosity, and everyday conversations can open pathways across differences and help restore a sense of shared humanity.

Do you have a hard time calming your nerves? Author Raina Telgemeier tries a practice to get out of her head, one step at a time.

What happens when we slow down enough to really experience art? We visit a museum to discover how slow looking at art can cultivate awe, empathy, and a greater sense of connection in a distracted world.

Noticing the history and beauty around us can shift how we see ourselves—and our communities. An awe walk through Harlem reveals how the stories embedded in public spaces can spark connection, perspective, and a sense of what’s possible.

A simple experiment turning a parking space into a parklet reveals how small changes to public spaces can spark connection, belonging, and awe.

From a worker-owned restaurant in Oakland to a nonprofit built on shared leadership, we explore how collective work models can help people feel heard, valued, and more invested in their work.

Explore the neuroscience behind improvisation—and what it reveals about our natural capacity for creativity.

Finding ways to bend tasks toward your strengths and passions can make you happier, more productive and find more meaning in your life—no matter your job.

Guest host Geena Davis guides us through the research on love that stretches beyond romance and friendship, showing up in our bonds with objects, nature, grief, and the collective moments that connect us to something larger than ourselves.

Guest host Geena Davis helps us explore how the love we feel —for our partners, friends, family, even our four legged companions—shapes our brains, bodies, and lives.

In a culture that often reduces love to romance, Geena Davis helps us explore the science of love across the lifespan—revealing how our bonds with parents, friends, partners, and communities shape our health, happiness, and survival.

Discover what happens to our well-being when we respond to suffering with compassion and collective action, and why choosing to care can help us hold on to our shared humanity.

Studies show qigong can strengthen your body and mind, and reduce cortisol levels. We explore this Chinese meditative movement practice that dates back over 4,000 years.

Learn how the stories we tell and hear shape our relationships, values, and sense of belonging.

Explore how students are using simple mindfulness practices to navigate stress, stay grounded, and support their classmates.

Self-compassion reduces our feelings of shame and self-doubt. We explore a practice to help quiet our inner critic with kindness.

Doing good for others benefits our own minds and bodies, as well. We explore the science of kindness.

Discover how forgiveness reshapes the brain, eases the body, and helps us move forward with greater compassion and freedom.

We explore Día de los Muertos as a ritual that nurtures community, imbues loss with meaning, and helps us process grief while also connecting through shared joy.

What happens when imagination meets perception, and ordinary objects come alive? We explore the science of pareidolia.

We explore how embracing uncertainty enables us to move beyond climate anxiety and despair to hope and action, with author and activist Rebecca Solnit.

Learn why uncertainty fuels anxiety and how noticing our body’s stress signals can help us find calm.

Even just a few minutes of dancing can shift energy, release emotions, and remind us to care for ourselves while we care for others.