Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Channel Details
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s...
Recent Episodes
1342 episodes
Do You Need More Comfort or Adventure? Plus More Tips for Designing Your Summer
We revisit some of our favorite hacks and tips for designing a happier summer, including why you might choose a summer song, how to think about comfor...
Ep. 593: Ditch Your Storage Unit, Plus How to Start a New Tradition
Stop renting space for stuff you've forgotten. Plus a simple framework for starting a new tradition.
Try This at Home: Ma...
Little Happier: Why Winston Churchill Used Courteous Speech in a Letter About War
A letter from Churchill demonstrates the value of courtesy, even—or perhaps especially—at moments of highest battle.
Connec...
More Happier: Get Better at Socializing & Make the Most of “Halfway Day”
Why summer is the perfect time to revisit your goals for the year. Gretchen and Elizabeth share a hack for making socializing easier.
Ep. 592: Reflect on “Halfway Day,” Plus How Abstainers Can Moderate
We’re halfway through the year. Gretchen and Liz share how to treat July 2 as a built-in reset to reflect on what's working and what isn't.
Little Happier: An Important Creativity Lesson from “Green Eggs and Ham”
It may seem counter-intuitive, but it’s true: imagination is often sparked more by constraint than by freedom.
Get in touc...
Halfway Day Check-In—Plus, How to Adjust Your Habits for Summer
We revisit a special audio episode from the “Habits for Happiness” course about adapting your habits for summer. With Halfway Day approaching on 7/2,...
Ep. 591: How to Fight Perfectionism—Plus a Simple Happiness Hack That Really Matters
We discuss how perfectionism is driven not by high standards but by anxiety—and how embracing imperfection is a great way to overcome it. We also shar...
Little Happier: A Valuable Lesson in Happiness from the 2014 London Tube Strike
Studies from commuter patterns after the 2014 London Underground Strike illustrate an important point: even when we resist change, it holds the possib...
More Happier: Are People Socializing More? Plus, Things That Have Achieved Perfection
We explore familiar objects that have achieved perfection—from blue jeans to the perfume bottle—and which ones resonate with us most. We also explore...
Move Happier: The Perfect (Free) Audiobook Listen for Your Next Walk
We're excited to join Libro.fm's Audiobook Walk on June 13, a celebration of getting outside, moving your body, and listening to great books. Learn mo...
Ep. 590: Very Special Episode! 20 Practical Strategies for Managing Worry
We tackle a big happiness stumbling block: worry. We share 20 practical strategies for managing worry—from scheduling time to worry, to recognizing wh...
Little Happier: A Skyscraper Crisis Holds a Valuable (and True) Lesson
A crisis involving the design of the 59-story Citicorp Center illustrates lessons in creativity and the value of constant reevaluation.
<...
Travel Hacks for a Happier Summer
We revisit dozens of excellent hacks from listeners about how to make traveling more convenient and less stressful—plus we include some of our own tra...
Ep. 589: Reflect on a Bittersweet Milestone Moment, Plus a New Addition to Our "Treat Yourself Like" Series
We discuss why reflecting on a milestone moment—even a difficult one—can be a meaningful happiness practice. We also add a new suggestion to our "trea...
Little Happier: The Hard Lesson I Learned from My Daughter’s Tattoo
My daughter’s tattoo taught me an important lesson in parenthood: nothing can become between me and my daughters and cast a shadow.
More Happier: Dinner for Breakfast? Plus A Basic Question About Very Basic Questions
We explore a surprisingly divisive question: would you eat dinner for breakfast? We also discuss how people learn the unwritten rules of everyday life...
Ep. 588: Find More Time for Fun During the Work Week, Plus a Common Activity That's Riskier Than You Think
We discuss how to make the most of your weekday evenings by setting small, intentional plans. We also talk about an everyday activity that feels so fa...
Little Happier: When We Give More to Ourselves, We Can Ask More from Ourselves
We should give ourselves healthy treats because when we give more to ourselves, we can ask more from ourselves.
Get in touc...
More Happier: Caregiving Roundtable: How Do We Embrace Elder Care Without Losing Ourselves?
In this Roundtable Conversation, we discuss caregiving. With actress and podcast host Yvette Nicole Brown, author and podcaster Courtney Martin, and A...
Ep. 587: Design Your Summer! We Share Our Plans—Plus the Fun of Creating a Signature Drink
We share our "Design Your Summer" plans—an annual tradition. We also discuss a common happiness stumbling block–an item that’s too nice for its purpos...
Little Happier: Why You Shouldn’t Comfort a Scared Puppy
A trainer gave us good advice about our new puppy, Taffy: sometimes, a casual attitude is more calming than the most earnest reassurance.
...
More Happier: Embracing Whimsy, Plus Our “Move 26” Progress & a Great April Fool’s Prank
We check in on our “Move 26 in ‘26” progress and discuss adding more whimsy to the month of May–plus a clever April Fools prank. We also highlight a h...
Ep. 586: Treat Yourself Like a Grandchild, Plus a Hack for Sticking to Daily Habits
We talk about why you should treat yourself like a grandchild (or a toddler, puppy, professor, or factory), and we share a helpful tip if you’re tryin...
Little Happier: My Favorite Formula for a Great Title
A surprising formula to create a compelling title provides the name for a card deck of creative inspiration.
Resources & li...
Move Happier: Would You Spend a Week Hiding Out in the Metropolitan Museum?
As a part of the “Move 26” challenge, podcaster (“The Secret Life of Books”) and professor Sophie Gee joins for a literary walk. We explore the Metrop...
Live from Elizabeth’s Cluttered Closet!
We’re revisiting a listener-favorite episode from 2015, recorded as we cleared out Elizabeth’s closet. It's a hilarious discussion of many clutter-cle...
Ep. 585: A Simple Way to Spark Better Conversations, Plus the End-of-History Illusion
We explore how asking paired questions can lead to more open, engaging conversations. We also discuss the “end-of-history illusion”; we keep changing...
Little Happier: How Do You Cure a Fear of Flying? Try a Hangover.
A massive hangover cured someone of her fear of flying. What’s the lesson?
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More Happier: When Does a New Place Feel Like Home? Plus an Excellent, Easy April Fool’s Prank & Lena Dunham
We discuss the happiness of connecting with childhood friends and the reemergence of Lena Dunham. We also discuss an easy yet effective April Fools’ p...
Ep. 584: Why It’s Helpful to Search for a Solution, Plus an Easy Hack for Staying Productive
We discuss why it’s helpful actually to search for a solution, and we share an easy hack for giving yourself accountability. Plus, we explore an insig...
A Little Happier: Do You Agree: Pregnancy and Volcanoes Seem Anachronistic
Even though it’s absurd to say, there are features of everyday life that do seem oddly anachronistic.
Resources & links related to this e...
How to Stop Fighting with Your Family About Clutter
We talk about why clutter causes so much conflict at home—and how thinking about Clutter-Blindness, the Endowment Effect, and the Four Tendencies can...
Ep. 583: Too Much Clutter? Searching for Lost Items? Try These Hacks. Plus a Self-Knowledge Question.
We talk about a specific, easy way to reduce the unworn clothes in your closet, and we also share a listener’s clothes-related hack for keeping track...
A Little Happier: Don’t Look Before You Take That Bite
An ancient teaching story from the Sufi tradition is a good illustration of the fact that sometimes, it’s a good idea to examine a situation closely—a...
Move Happier: What’s Your “Organizing Style?” Gretchen Rubin on the Clutterbug Podcast
I talk with professional organizer Cassandra Aarssen, creator of the viral Clutterbug “Organizing Styles” (Bee, Butterfly, Ladybug, Cricket). In her w...
More Happier: Ever Feel Like You Don’t Matter? A Conversation with Jennifer Wallace
At the World Happiness Summit meeting at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, we talk to author Jennifer Wallace about her new book, “Mattering: The...
Ep. 582: Are You Pushing People Away? Plus an Easy Way to Make a Room More Inviting
We discuss the seven deadly sins of disconnection—the habits that push others away. We also share an easy hack for making an environment more appealin...
Ep. 582: Are You Pushing People Away? Plus an Easy Way to Make a Room More Inviting
We discuss the seven deadly sins of disconnection—the habits that push others away. We also share an easy hack for making an environment more appealin...
A Little Happier: How I Found My Way to a Beautiful Piece of Music
By reading a novel, I learned to appreciate a celebrated piece of music.
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