New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

A Harvard professor on how to elevate everyday activities in order to lift your mood, improve your relationships and rise to new challenges.

Michael Norton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. He has studied human behavior as it relates to love and inequality, time and money, and happiness and grief. He is the author of The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions. 

In this episode we talk about: 

• The difference between habits and rituals
• How rituals impact various spheres of life, including creativity, grief and politics - and how not all rituals are beneficial 
• how to transform your everyday activities into rituals and how they can inject meaning into your life and give a boost to your relationships
• How to introduce rituals into your workplace without falling back on cliché (like trust falls)

Related Episodes:

What Science Says About Money and Happiness | Elizabeth Dunn — Ten Percent Happier 

How to Benefit From Religion, Even as a Nonbeliever | David DeSteno — Ten Percent Happier

How to Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman — Ten Percent Happier   

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Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/michael-norton/

Additional Resources:

• Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install

We're introducing you to the Ted Talks Daily podcast, with an episode featuring our own Dan Harris. Here's his TED Talk, "The Benefits Of Not Being A Jerk To Yourself."

After over two decades as an anchor for ABC News, an on-air panic attack sent Dan Harris's life in a new direction: he became a dedicated meditator and, to some, even a guru. But then an anonymous survey of his family, friends and colleagues turned up some brutal feedback -- he was still kind of a jerk. In a wise, funny talk, he shares his years-long quest to improve his relationships with everyone (starting with himself) and explains the science behind loving-kindness meditation, and how it can boost your resiliency, quiet your inner critic and simply make you more pleasant to be around.

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers

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The two practices that helped turn this self described scowling, sarcastic skeptic into an expert meditator

Since 1999, Devin Berry has been a dedicated meditation practitioner, his practice is deeply rooted in the metta and vipassana teachings of the Insight Meditation tradition. He spent nearly five years in silent, intensive retreats, cultivating his practice and understanding. Devin is deeply committed to the personal and collective liberation of marginalized communities, believing that integrating reflection and insight leads to clarity and wisdom, which in turn fosters wise action.

Devin is a dharma teacher at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), where he serves as a guiding teacher. He also shares his teachings through Sounds True and at various sanghas and centers across the country.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why mindfulness alone is not enough
• How metta is part of four related mental skills, called the brahma viharas—and how to practice those
• The story of how and why the Buddha invented the Metta practice.
• The role and practice of Dana – generosity.
• Devin’s year long Metta/Dana experiment 
• And lastly, how these practices can help us on and off the cushion

Related Episodes:

Sharon Salzberg Takes on the Cliches: Authenticity, Love, and Being Your Own BFF

Mike D On: The Value of Failure, the Addictive Power of Adrenaline, and How a Beastie Boy Got Into Lovingkindness

Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation Retreats But Were Afraid To Ask | Spring Washam (And Dan’s Close Friend, Zev Borow)

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/devin-berry

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

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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 philanthropist. He’s the founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Doty’s six steps to manifest
• His very interesting backstory
• The art and science of intention setting and the role of our neural pathways.
• How caring can ignite our Parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn can help us manifest better
• Practical tips for embedding an intention into our subconscious.
• The keys to understanding what we want vs. what we need
• And how to ‘alert the bloodhound’ to harness the full power of your mind

Related Episodes:

• #388. The Science of Training Your Attention | Dr. Amishi Jha
• The Art and Science of Compassion: Thupten Jinpa
• #425. Compassion Is the Ultimate Tool for the Truly Ambitious | Paul Gilbert

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/james-doty

Strengthen your ability to know the difference between fact and fiction by using sound to harness a foundational anxiety-taming skill.

About Leslie Booker:

Booker brings her heart and wisdom to the intersection of Dharma, Embodied Wisdom, and Liberation. Using this framework, she supports folks in creating a culture of belonging through her teaching and writing on changing the paradigm of self and community care. She shares her offering widely as a university lecturer, public speaker, and Buddhist philosophy and meditation teacher. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her partner and pup and is the Co-Guiding Teacher of New York Insight.

To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Return to Reality.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

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Loch Kelly is an author, psychotherapist, and nondual meditation teacher. Loch has Master’s Degrees from both Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. He has his own app, called Mindful Glimpses. Loch is also a very popular teacher on the Waking Up app, run by friend of show, Sam Harris.

Free 30 days of the Waking Up meditation app: https://www.wakingup.com/tenpercent 

Free training and guided meditation pack from Loch Kelly: https://lochkelly.org/cycle-of-dissatisfaction 

Related Episodes:

Sam Harris on: Vipassana vs. Dzogchen, Looking for the Looker, and Psychic Powers

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://wwwdww.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/loch-kelly

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

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A neuroscientist’s strategies to help you remember what really matters, and how mood, multitasking and other people can impact our memories

Charan Ranganath is a professor at the Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology and director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory’s Power to Hold on to What Matters. 

In this episode we talk about:

• The different kinds of memory that help us function day to day
• The impact mood has on memories - not just making them, but recalling them
• Why forgetting is not only useful but essential - even if it doesn’t always feel like it
• Practical tips to help us remember better, including distinctiveness, meaning & organization, planting cues, and chunking
• Why making errors is actually one of the best things you can do for learning and memory 

Related Episodes:

How To Prevent Dementia | Lisa Genova — Ten Percent Happier

How to Actually Be Present | Matthew Brensilver — Ten Percent Happier  

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/charan-ranganath/

Learn to connect with the true home of strength, wisdom, and clarity inside of yourself, a place of safety that no one can take away.

About Kaira Jewel Lingo:

At the age of twenty-five, Kaira Jewel Lingo entered a Buddhist monastery in the Plum Village tradition and spent fifteen years living as a nun under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Now based in New York, she sees her work as a continuation of Engaged Buddhism as well as the work of her parents, inspired by their stories and her dad’s work with Martin Luther King Jr. on desegregating the South. The author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption, Kaira Jewel especially feels called to share mindfulness and meditation with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as activists, educators, youth, artists, and families.

To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Deeply Accepting Yourself.”

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

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Reverend Benjamin Perry, is the author of Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter. He’s the editorial director at Garrett Seminary, Consulting Minister for Public Theology at Middle Church, and editor of the Queer Faith photojournalism series. He has a masters in divinity from Union Theological Seminary. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Why Doty got interested in this subject, and the rather extraordinary exercise he put himself through
• The gender differences on this issue
• How vulnerability can be misused or weaponized
• The issue of interpersonal relationships when it comes to tears (Bianca and Dan delve into this in regards to their relationship)
• How we replay childhood patterns in grownup relationships
• The deep connection between crying and shame
• The messages we share with our children about crying
• How we can reconnect to the emotional parts of ourselves

Related Episodes:

• #361 Why Men Armor Up | Daniel Ellenberg
• #441. A Thing Most Men Won't Talk About
• Vulnerability: The Key to Courage | Brene Brown
• The Science Of Speaking Up For Yourself | Elaine Lin Hering (Co-interviewed by Dan's wife Bianca!)

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/benjamin-perry

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers

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Learning how to thrive with enough.

Michael Easter is the New York Times bestselling author of Scarcity Brain and The Comfort Crisis. He travels the world to uncover practical ideas that help people live healthier, happier, and more remarkable lives. His ideas have been adopted by institutions ranging from the military to professional sports teams to Fortune 500 companies. He also shares his ideas on his popular newsletter, 2% with Michael Easter. 

In this episode we talk about:

• The evolutionary roots of overconsumption
• The challenges of having an ancient brains in a modern world
• The Scarcity mindset vs. the abundance mindset
• Understanding what Michael calls the “scarcity loop” – and how to apply it to daily life
• Tactical ways to work with habits and cravings 
• Understanding the scarcity loop, how it hooks us, and then how you can unhook using that same loop
• And How’s Michael’s life changed after researching this book
• Toward the end, we talk about Michael’s previous book, the comfort crisis—and some Practical steps for embracing discomfort

Related Episodes:

• The Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole
• Abby Wambach On: Grief, Addiction, And Moving From External To Internal Validation
• Glennon Doyle is Rethinking Her Relationship to Social Media, Hustle Culture, Intuition, Her Body, and Her Parents

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Ten Percent Happier online bookstore

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Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/michael-easter