We talk about why it can be helpful to set a tripwire for making a decision or moving forward. We also discuss a Secret of Adulthood that’s very relevant to the practice of keeping a storage unit (even one that’s not really needed), and a know-yourself-better question related to the use of gadgets and gizmos.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• I'm partnering with Bookshop.org for Read 25 Day!
• Pledge to Read 25 on June 25th and head to happiercast.com/read25day
• Snuffle mats
• Download The Happier app
• Elizabeth is reading: Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America by Bridget Read (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: A Chance Meeting: Intertwined Lives of American Writers and Authors by Rachel Cohen (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Becoming a parent can be one of the most transformative, and instructive, experiences of our lives. These four “Secrets of Adulthood” examine some of the most important lessons parenthood can teach us.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Open-door stage
• Secrets of Adulthood
• A version of this piece was originally published on the CNBC site.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James Taylor and a new puppy are making us happier. We also explore the question of whether it’s common these days to have perhaps unrealistically high expectations from the people and organizations in our lives, from marriage to work to friendship. Plus we discuss an intriguing question: Do you love to "provision,” to stock up on essential items?

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Insight Timer
• Take the Gift-Giving Quiz

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the idea of the  “familect” and why it might be fun to create a  dictionary for our own familect. We also talk about a hack that makes it easier to use a smartphone, and we share dozens of listeners’ thought-provoking  “Secrets of Adulthood.”

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Join Secrets of Adulthood on SubStack
• Look Back with Love by Dodie Smith (Amazon)
• Elizabeth is reading: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: Modern Friendship by Anna Goldfarb (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Churchill was an extraordinary presence on the world stage, and among his strengths, he had a tremendous gift with words. Here are just a few of the powerful, insightful, or hilarious observations he made.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Secrets of Adulthood
•  Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill
• Episode of “A Little Happier on one of Winston Churchill's most famous lines
• Painting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Winston Churchill Didn't Hesitate to Show His Emotions

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Roundtable Series tackles the subject of parenthood. With parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy and comedian Samantha Bee, we discuss the most helpful lessons we’ve learned, big challenges we’ve faced, the anxieties that we sometimes feel as parents, and more.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Dr. Becky Kennedy 
• Samantha Bee

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss how creating before-and-after photo books of renovations or improvements can bring satisfaction and preserve memories. Our happiness hack suggests visiting your local library (or museum) for the first time; that first visit can be surprising to make. We also share listeners’ strategies for handling a spouse who asks too many questions at inopportune times.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Read 25 in 25
• Bookshop
• Pledge to Read 25 on June 25th 
• Visit The Happiness Project shop for Father's Day gifts
• Elizabeth is reading: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love book titles, and when I finally tracked down the book attached to one of my favorite titles, I was astonished to learn where I heard about it.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss why it’s interesting to consider our longest continuous non-family relationships. We spotlight a tool for spring: the Five-Senses Quiz that helps you discover which of our senses might be neglected. Plus, we explore how authors like Stephen King shape their creative landscapes from personal memories, and how viewing the own past through different literary lenses—Jane Austen, Judy Blume, Tolstoy—can reveal new perspectives on our life experiences.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• “Sketch and Paint Brooklyn” with Samantha Dion Baker

• Take the Five-Senses Quiz

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss a fun summer challenge of focusing on a specific theme or goal. We also include a few helpful, fun hacks, and we share some of listeners’ favorite words—a delightful collection of language.

Resources & links related to this episode:

• Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood
• Read 25 in 25
• Design Your Summer Reading List in the Happier app
• Elizabeth is reading: When Stars Align by Melissa de la Cruz (Amazon, Bookshop)
• Gretchen is reading: Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.