10% Happier with Dan Harris

Your health, relationships, and self-esteem all hinge on your attachment style. Here's how to know if you're anxious or avoidant — and how to get more secure.

Dr. Amir Levine is a Columbia-trained psychiatrist and neuroscientist and coauthor of the multi-million-copy bestseller Attached, which brought attachment theory into mainstream conversation and remains the #1 book on Amazon in Relationships more than a decade later. His new book Secure expands this work into emotional regulation and everyday well-being.

In this episode we talk about:

• What attachment theory is
• The four attachment styles — anxious, avoidant, secure, and fearful avoidant — and how to identify which one you are
• Why your attachment style is not fixed and how it can change
• What happens in your brain when you're ignored or excluded
• How being securely connected can extend your life
• The five pillars of a secure life
• How to right-size a relationship with someone unreliable
• Small, seemingly insignificant daily interactions as vehicles for change
• Two rules of secure engagement that can defuse almost any argument
• Why anxious and avoidant attachment styles each have genuine superpowers
• How to build your "attachment topography"

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Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

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This episode is sponsored by: BetterHelp: Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier

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IQBAR: To get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, including the ultimate sampler pack, plus free shipping, text DAN to 64000.

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We're all hooked on something. Here's the way out, according to an MD who became a beloved nun.

Sister Dang Nghiem, MD, ("Sister D") was born in 1968 in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier. She lost her mother at the age of twelve and immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen with her brother. Living in various foster homes, she learned English and went on to earn a medical degree from the University of California – San Francisco. After suffering further tragedy and loss, she quit her practice as a doctor to travel to Plum Village monastery in France founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, where she was ordained a nun in 2000, and given the name Dang Nghiem, which means adornment with nondiscrimination. She is the author of a memoir, Healing: A Woman's Journey from Doctor to Nun (2010), and Mindfulness as Medicine: A Story of Healing and Spirit (2015).

This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.

We talk about:

• Sister D's Buddhist version of the 12 step program, which is a combination of two canonical buddhist lists: the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
• How willpower doesn't fit into the Buddhist path of understanding and working with addiction
• How to change addiction at its root
• Practical applications of mindfulness
• Self-compassion
• The importance of social support
• Her thoughts on our relationships to our phones
• And more

Related Episodes:

• This Episode Will Make You Stronger | Sister Dang Nghiem
• The Science Of Manifestation | James Doty

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

Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/sister-d-899

Additional Resources:

• Plum Village
• Deer Park Monastery
• Deer Park Monastery YouTube channel
• For an exclusive offering related to this episode, go to www.DanHarris.com

Why seeing yourself cling is the beginning of freedom — and other Buddhist insights that will stick with you.

Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, sitting retreats in Asia and America. He has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, who have both been previous guests on this show. Pascal is now a core teacher at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Massachusetts. He is also a co-founder of True North Insight and one of its guiding teachers.

In this episode we talk about:

• What the Four Kinds of Clinging are — and why the Buddha thought this list mattered
• How clinging to pleasure actually makes pleasure harder to enjoy
• The "wrong views" that cause the most suffering — and how to hold your opinions less tightly
• Why clinging to rules and routines shows up in the most ordinary places (including who puts the onions in the pan first)
• What self-identification is, and why loosening it leads to less guilt, shame, and anxiety
• A simple bedside inquiry for getting underneath the concept of self
• Why catching yourself cling is a reason for joy, not self-criticism

Related Episodes:

• 5 Ways To Get Over Yourself | Pascal Auclair
• Seven Buddhist Ingredients for a Happy Mind | Pascal Auclair

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Thanks to our sponsors: BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier Quo – Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.com/happier. Rosetta Stone – Get 20% off your Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription when you sign up today. Visit rosettastone.com/happier

Leveling up, speaking your mind, and why the ability to hear no is the only superpower that matters.

Scott Galloway is Professor of Marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business and a serial entrepreneur. He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Four, The Algebra of Happiness, Post Corona, Adrift: America in 100 Charts and The Algebra of Wealth. His most recent book Notes on Being a Man reached #1 on The New York Times Best Seller List.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why "action absorbs anxiety" and other strategies for stress and overthinking
• Galloway's three-pillar framework for modern masculinity
• How to handle criticism
• Fighting tech algorithms to build real-world relationships
• Embracing the word "no" to build resilience and success
• Why young people should follow their talent rather than their passion
• Signaling value through humor and small, daily acts of kindness

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Additional Resources:

• Prof G Pod
• Pivot

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Thanks to our sponsors:

Northwest Registered Agent — LLC formation, registered agent service, and free business resources at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/Happierfree

Square – Run your business smarter with Square. You can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com/go/happier.

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A hilarious chat about therapy, doomscrolling, being typecast in your own life, and finding yourself in middle age.

Actor, comedian, writer, and producer Billy Eichner burst onto the scene in 2011 with Billy on the Street, a satirical TV game show he created and starred in, where Billy walked the streets of New York City asking people to compete in pop culture trivia challenges. The show has not only become a dominant force on social media with hundreds of millions of views but remains one of the most beloved and respected comedy acts in the industry.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why Billy refuses to call his memoir a self-help book
• His complicated relationship with meditation
• Why he only started therapy in his early 40s
• Acting class as accidental therapy
• The real Billy vs. the Billy on the Street character
• How his parents shaped his confidence and career
• A bar mitzvah breakdown and his mom's advice
• And much more

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Additional Resources:

• Billy on Billy: An Audio Memoir

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

The world is insane. You don't have to be. These Buddhist practices can help you handle it without succumbing to fear, anxiety, hatred, and apathy.

Tara Brach is a legendary meditation teacher and psychologist. She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and has been active in bringing meditation into schools, prisons and underserved populations. Her latest book is The Courageous Heart Workbook: Choosing to Love in Perilous Times.

In this episode we talk about:

• What "spiritual audacity" means — and where the term comes from
• Why shutting down emotionally feels like self-protection but isn't
• How caring is a more effective fuel than rage
• What lovingkindness meditation is — and how to do it
• The RAIN practice — and how to use it on difficult emotions
• Why small, local acts of service count as activism
• How to use your imagination to feel compassion for people you can't stand

Related Episodes:

• Tara Brach Has A Counterintuitive Strategy For Navigating Tumultuous Times

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This episode is sponsored by: BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier

LinkedIn Ads — Reach the right professionals with precision targeting. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a $250 credit for the next one at http://www.linkedin.com/happier

Seed oils, sugars, food dyes, ultra-processed food, supplements, vaccines — a PhD nutritionist cuts through the noise on the biggest health fears online.

Dr. Jessica Knurick is a Registered Dietitian with a PhD in nutrition science, specializing in chronic disease prevention. She educates on nutrition science, food and nutrition policy, and how these factors shape public health.

In this episode we talk about:

• The root of wellness misinformation
• Vaccines and fluoride controversies
• Toxins vs. ultra-processed foods
• Decoding ingredients & food dyes
• The truth about sugar, bread, and dairy
• Fats, seed oils, and infant formula
• The science behind saturated fats
• The wild west of supplements
• The "boring" pillars of health

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Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here! This episode is sponsored by: IQBAR: To get twenty percent off all IQBAR products, including the ultimate sampler pack, plus free shipping, text DAN to 64000.

Monarch: Use the code HAPPIER at monarch.com to get your first year of Monarch Core half off, at just $50.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Plus: how to handle discomfort, be more present, and remember to be aware throughout your day.

Most of us spend our days somewhere between the past and the future — technically conscious, but not really there. Meditation teacher Susa Talan takes live questions from practitioners on what it actually means to show up for your own life, and how to do it even when you can't sit still, even when you're crying, even when anxiety has narrowed your whole world down to a single racing heartbeat.

Susa Talan is a meditation teacher trained in the insight tradition. She works one-on-one with students around their meditation practice, and she was the Teacher of the Month for April 2026 for DanHarris.com. You can get more guided meditations from Susa in the 10% with Dan Harris app.

In this live Q&A, Susa Talan shares:

• Why awareness isn't hard — what's actually hard is remembering to be aware

• The "what else is here?" technique for working with anxiety and heart palpitations

• Why you don't need to understand why you cry in meditation — and what to do instead

• How to cultivate awareness all day long, not just on the cushion

• Why meditation has nothing to do with sitting still — and everything to do with the whole car ride

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Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

On regulating emotions, ending the war with reality, and feeling more alive.

Sebene Selassie is an author and meditation teacher. She writes the popular newsletter remind me to love and her first book is called, You Belong.

Jeff Warren is an author and meditation teacher. He writes the popular newsletter Home Base and is the coauthor, along with Dan, of a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. And he is the co-host of the mind/bod adventure pod.

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

In this episode we talk about:

• The 5 hindrances (a classic Buddhist list of everything that goes wrong when you sit down to meditate)
• Why your brain keeps wandering, numbing out, or picking fights with reality
• The difference between being tired… and just not wanting to deal
• How to catch yourself before you go full autopilot
• The "five recollections" of aging, sickness and death, and why they're actually grounding
• The comparing mind
• How to step back and watch your thoughts instead of immediately buying into them
• Why the people in your life might be confused by the new, slightly calmer you

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here

Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

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This episode is sponsored by:

Northwest Registered Agent — LLC formation, registered agent service, and free business resources at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/Happierfree

BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier

Wix — Build a fully functional website with AI in minutes at https://www.wix.com/harmony

Warby Parker — Prescription glasses with virtual try-on. Buy one prescription pair and get 20% off additional prescription pairs at https://www.warbyparker.com/happier

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

The neuroscience of human connection: your nervous system is picking up other people's signals all day without your knowledge. Here's how to use that.

Journalist Kate Murphy's eclectic essays and articles for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Agence France-Presse, and Texas Monthly have been shared and commented on by millions. She is known for her fresh and accessible style and ability to distill complex subjects, particularly the science behind human interactions. Her first book, You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters, was published in thirty-two languages and has become required reading in interpersonal communication courses at high schools, colleges, and universities worldwide.

In this episode we talk about:

• What "interpersonal synchrony" is and the science behind it
• Why some people just click — and others don't
• How individualism and technology are working against our need to connect
• What "affective presence" is –– and how much you can actually change your vibe
• Interoception – and why you need to understand your own body before you can read others
• The dark side of synchrony: emotional fusion and borrowed emotions
• Why audio-only calls are better than Zoom for real connection
• How physical distance controls your ability to sync
• "Emotional aperture" — how to read a room like a trial lawyer
• The secret to bonding with other people

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Additional Resources:

• Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18. Grab your in-person spot here, or sign up to livestream here!

This episode is sponsored by:

Spark — Clean energy and focus with zero sugar. Get 30% off and free shipping with code HAPPIER at https://www.drinkspark.com.

BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris