Happier with Gretchen Rubin

By Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education

What's Happier with Gretchen Rubin about?

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 cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Part of the Panoply Network.

4.7

10,945 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Ep. 336: Allow Others to Sh...

07.28.2021

We discuss why it’s a good idea to allow others to share your enthusiasm, we review the props used by listeners to help manage anxiety, take a look at listeners’ one-word themes for 2021, and share a hack for asking ...

Happier with Gretchen Rubin episodes:

07.28.2021 Ep. 336: Allow Others to Share Your Enthusiasm, the Props Listeners Use to Manage Anxiety, a Deep Dive into Listeners’ One-Word Themes—Plus a Hack for Asking Tough Questions We discuss why it’s a good idea to allow others to share your enthusiasm, we review the props used by listeners to help manage anxiety, take a look at listeners’ one-word themes for 2021, and share a hack for asking ...
07.26.2021 Little Happier: To the Curious and Prepared Mind, Something Dull Becomes Interesting. A story about the small talk of two brilliant mathematicians reminds me that a curious and well-informed mind can find much of interest in the world. The taxi-cab’s number 1729 turns out to be a very interesting number. Get in ...
07.21.2021 Ep. 335: Walk Away from a Bad Mood, a Rebel and an Obliger Offer Tips, and a Great Hack for Giving an Easy Yet Thoughtful Gift We talk about how we can walk away from a bad mood, suggest an idea for giving very thoughtful gifts (that are easy to do), and discuss excellen suggestions from a Rebel and an Obliger about self-management. Get in touch: ...
07.19.2021 Little Happier: Both My Parents Made the Same Observation about Queen Elizabeth II. I was surprised when both my parents commented on Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to direct the Royal Family to wear mourning clothes (instead of traditional uniforms) to the funeral of her husband Prince Philip. Both my parents were impressed by ...
07.14.2021 Ep. 334: Happier Podcast Book Club: Writer and Musician Michelle Zauner Talks about Family, Identity, and Food in Her Memoir “Crying in H Mart” We talk to Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast about her compelling memoir “Crying in H Mart.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: ...
07.12.2021 Little Happier: Sometimes We Lash Out in Anger When In Fact We’re Feeling a Very Different Emotion A poignant scene from Meredith Hall’s novel Beneficence, where a husband and father speaks with harsh words to deny his regrets, reminds me to show my love; others can only see my actions. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in ...
07.07.2021 Ep. 333: We Review Our One-Word Theme for the Year, Suggest a Hot-Weather Hack, and Discuss the Power of Plants with Michael Pollan The year 2021 has hit the midway point, so we review our one-word themes to evaluate how we’re doing. We also suggest a hack for dealing with hot summer nights, and talk about Michael Pollan about his fascinating new book, ...
07.05.2021 Little Happier: Sometimes, When We Understand Someone’s Perspective, Our Anger Fades Sometimes, understanding someone else’s point of view allows our anger to fade. When writer Julie Lythcott-Haims understood that her mother’s definition of a “visit” differed from her definition of a “visit,” her resentment faded and her empathy grew. Get in ...
06.30.2021 Ep. 332: We Review Our “21 for 2021” Lists to Consider What We’ve Done (or Not) and Discuss a Happiness Hack for Managing Anxiety. The year is hitting the half-way mark, so we review our “21 for 2021” lists to mark our progress (and lack of progress). We also review a hack for clearing the mind, and Elizabeth gets both a demerit and a ...
06.28.2021 Little Happier: Novelist Amy Tan Didn’t Ask Her Unnamed Goddess for Good Reviews, But for Something Else. Novelist Amy Tan recounts that as she was writing her second book, she prayed to unnamed goddess that she “be able to write the best book I could, and that no matter what happened to it, I would have no ...
06.23.2021 Ep. 331: Give Yourself a Prop to Hold, Ways to Maintain Healthy Habits as Ordinary Routines Resume, and Hack for Little Kids and Chores We talk about why you might give yourself a prop to hold, discuss a friend’s hack for helping little kids to be independent, and explore a listener question about the common post-pandemic stumbling block of maintaining healthy habits that have ...
06.21.2021 Little Happier: Why Is It So Hard to See and Hear the World from Someone Else’s Perspective? Despite all good intentions, an accomplished architect built a house with lousy acoustics, even though the owner—the writer Ved Mehta, who was blind--emphasized that the acoustical environment was the most important aspect of the house. It takes constant discipline to ...
06.16.2021 EP. 330: Very Special Episode: Best Advice for Recent College Graduates, for Career, Finance, Roommates, and a Warning About Drift Listeners contributed their best advice for people graduating from college, in areas including job search, finances, roommates, and life, and we also explore the dangers of “drift.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & ...
06.14.2021 Little Happier: What a Set of 3D “Magic Eye” Postcards Taught Me About Myself Just because something isn’t often used doesn’t mean that it’s useless. My 3D “Magic Eye” postcards are fun to look at, and they also tie me to my own past. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: ...
06.12.2021 Bonus Episode: Mad Men In this bonus episode, we talk about the TV show “Mad Men.” We discuss our favorite moments, questions, and listeners’ favorite scenes. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show ...
06.09.2021 Ep. 329: Explore the Five Senses of Summer, a Hack for Boosting Focus, and a Deep Dive into Solutions for Obliger-Rebellion We talk about you might explore the five senses of summer, suggest a simple hack that makes it easier to focus, and review listeners’ suggestions about how to ward off growing Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in ...
06.07.2021 Little Happier: Re-Framing the Situation Can Mean that Someone Unexpected Wins a Prize Rebecca Caudill’s 1962 picture book “The Best-Loved Doll” tells the story of a little girl and her shabby, beloved doll, and the medal her doll won, when the truth was framed in a new way. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
06.02.2021 Ep. 328: Eat Something You Saw on the Screen or Page, a Reading Hack, and Annie Murphy Paul Talks About the Extended Mind Why you might eat something you saw on the screen or on the page, a clutter-clearing hack that makes reading more fun, and a conversation with Annie Murphy Paul about how to think outside the brain. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; ...
05.31.2021 Little Happier: My Brilliant Insight About the Title's Meaning for "The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster's Classic Novel. I have a tremendous insight that springs from my love of Norton Juster’s novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” and my longstanding fascinating with Zen koans. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes ...
05.26.2021 Ep. 327: Something to Remember: Gretchen Passed Out on Live TV! Plus a Hand-Holding Hack, and Are You in an Age of Expansion or Concentration? We talk about why it’s helpful to remember that the things that go wrong often make the best memories—for example, I passed out on live TV! Plus a hack about holding hands, and we ask the know-yourself-better question, “Are you ...
05.24.2021 Little: Grover of Sesame Street and Arya of Game of Thrones Teach Me the Same Lesson. Two characters from two very different kinds of stories—Sesame Street’s Grover and Game of Thrones’s Arya—illustrate the important reminder that sometimes, when we feel trapped, we can remember that we may have more choices than we think. Get in touch: ...
05.19.2021 Ep. 326: Write a Tastes Timeline, More Wisdom from Teachers, a Hack for Getting Better Service, and Question about Obliger-Rebellion We discuss why you might want to write a Tastes Timeline; share a listener’s hack for getting easier, quicker service; discuss more terrific proverbs from teachers; and pose a crucial question about Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get ...
05.17.2021 Little Happier: “The Farm Was a Form: Not Like a Set of Rules on a Wall, But Like the Symmetry of Winter and Summer.” The poet Donald Hall wrote a beautiful memoir of the childhood summers he spent with his grandparents on their New Hampshire farm. In his account, he conveys the safety and orderliness of that country life. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
05.12.2021 Ep. 325: Design Your Summer, Splurge on Colorful Felt-Tip Pens, and a Conversation with Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife” We have our annual discussion about why and how we plan to design our summers, I explain why I splurged on some colorful felt-tip pens, and we talk to award-winning actor Julianna Margulies about her terrific memoir “Sunshine Girl.” Get ...
05.11.2021 Bonus Episode: Use Self-Knowledge to Be Happier, Healthier, More Productive, and More Successful as a Small Business Owner. In this bonus episode sponsored by Dell Technologies, we explore how small-business owners and entrepreneurs can use the “Four Tendencies” personality profiles to know themselves and others better. This framework can improve communication, end procrastination, reduce conflict, and help people ...
05.10.2021 Little Happier: Dolly Parton Knew Exactly What to Say to the Tennessee State Legislature. Dolly Parton is such an admirable person. Her statement to the Tennessee legislature—to ask that they withdraw legislation proposing to erect a statue of her on the Capitol grounds—was gracious, humble, appropriate to the moment, in her own voice, and ...
05.05.2021 Ep. 324: Learn from the Wisdom of Teachers, a Clever Way to Use Email, and Anna Sale Talks about How to Have Difficult Conversations We review some terrific lessons we’ve learned from teachers, discuss an email hack that makes it easier to ask someone for help, and Anna Sale discusses her new book, “Let’s Talk About Hard Things.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] ...
05.03.2021 Little Happier: An Answer from Childhood Expert Michael Thompson Reminds Me of the Value of Considering a Different Perspective. I’m a big fan of the work of childhood expert Michael Thompson, and his answer to a reader’s question reminds me of the importance of remaining open to an entirely different view of a problem. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
04.28.2021 Ep: 323: Try Some Movie Therapy, an Easy Hack for Dealing with Small Toys and Trinkets, and Do Certain Situations Send You into Shock? Our former producer, the podcaster and writer Kristen Meinzer, explains why we should try “movie therapy,” we discuss one of Gretchen’s all-time favorite hacks of her own invention, and we explore the question, “Do you find that certain situations send ...
04.26.2021 Little Happier: How Ordinary Behavior at Work Can Amount to Sabotage—Really! A document created during World War II describes how ordinary people can help the United States’s war effort through “simple sabotage”—and the kinds of behavior the document suggests sound uncomfortably familiar. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on ...
04.21.2021 Ep. 322: Pick the Right Word, Have Both a Weekend and a Weekday Book, and a Conversation with Actor, Singer, and Instagram Sensation Leslie Jordan We talk about why it’s powerful to pick the right word, a listener suggests having a weekend book and a weekday book to enjoy reading more, and we talk to the hilarious actor, writer, and singer Leslie Jordan about what ...
04.19.2021 Little Happier: A Friend Told Me, “I Can Find My Way Anywhere in Westchester, But I Have to Start from Scarsdale.” A friend’s remark about growing up in the New York City suburbs reminded me of how valuable it is to have a strong home base. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show ...
04.14.2021 Ep. 321: Ask for a Favor in the Right Way, an Easy Clutter-Clearing Hack, and Julie Lythcott-Haims Talks about How to Be an Adult We discuss the advice from legendary women’s gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field about how to ask for a favor or an opportunity in the right way, a listener offers a practical suggestion for using space to manage clutter, and we ...
04.12.2021 Little Happier: Happiness Lessons from a Friend and His Messy Wife During a funny conversation with a friend about his messy wife, he realized how he could have a more orderly house, without necessarily winning her cooperation. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
04.07.2021 Ep. 320: For Our 6th Anniversary, a Roundup of Favorite Try-This-at-Homes, Hacks, Strategies, and Solutions from Listeners—and From Us. For this Very Special Episode, and in honor of our sixth anniversary, we asked listeners to send us their favorite moments, hacks, solutions, try-this-at-home suggestions and know-yourself-better questions. Plus we reveal our own favorite moments and ideas. Get in touch: ...
04.05.2021 Little Happier: A Character from “K-Pop Confidential” and My Second-Grade Daughter Remind Me: We Want to Accept Ourselves, and Expect More From Ourselves In Stephan Lee’s terrific young-adult novel K-Pop Confidential, the character Candace’s performance illustrates the same lesson that I saw in my daughter Eleanor’s second-grade show on the monkey bars: Sometimes we should expect more from ourselves, and sometimes we should ...
03.31.2021 Ep. 319: Ask Yourself, “Do I Use It, Need It, Love It?”, Using the Return to Work as a “Clean Slate” for Habits, and Rebels Give Advice about the Rebel Who Won’t Read Emails For those in the mood for spring cleaning, we suggest clearing clutter by asking “Do I use it, need it, love it?” We talk about April Fool’s Day pranks, ideas for using the return to the workplace as a “clean ...
03.29.2021 Little Happier: Why Did I Insist on Taking My Little Girl to Pre-school in the Freezing Cold and Snow? Understanding my Four Tendencies personality framework, and my own Tendency as an Upholder, revealed to me why I’d behaved inexplicably years ago, when I took my daughter to school in a snowstorm. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch ...
03.24.2021 Ep. 318: Look at Your Home with the Eyes of a Stranger, Some Terrific Before-and-After Clutter Stories, and Valuable Lessons from the Pandemic We discuss why you might look at your home through the eyes of a stranger, why a simple hook can be so useful , share some excellent before-and-after clutter-clearing triumphs, and discuss listeners’ response to the question, “What valuable lesson ...
03.22.2021 Little Happier: We Can Learn from the Monkey Who Wouldn’t Let Go of the Bananas. The old teaching story of the greedy monkey and the bananas illustrates many notions, including the idea that sometimes we have to let go of a desire in order to free ourselves. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch ...
03.17.2021 Ep. 317: Do You Thrive with a “Sense of Urgency,” a Hack for Drinking Less Alcohol, and a Conversation about Just Work with Kim Scott and Trier Bryant We discuss whether we thrive in an atmosphere with a sense of urgency, share a listener’s happiness hack for drinking less alcohol (without giving it up altogether), and have a conversation with Kim Scott and Trier Bryant about how we ...
03.15.2021 Little Happier: Who’s Happier? My Husband, Who Got His iPod Back, or Me, Who Retrieved It for Him? One of the best ways to make ourselves happier is to make other people happier. I was made happier by my gesture of loving in tracking down my husband’s iPod than he was made happy by getting it back. Do ...
03.10.2021 Ep. 316: What Valuable Lessons Have We Learned from the Pandemic, a Hack to Fight Morning Grogginess, and a Question about a Rebel Teacher Who Doesn’t Read Emails We discuss why we might ask ourselves, “What valuable lessons have I learned from the pandemic, now that a year has passed?” We also suggest an easy hack to shake off sleep inertia, tackle a listener’s question about a Rebel ...
03.08.2021 Little Happier: The Memory of a Delicious Night of Sleep, Four Hundred Years Later In the 1600s, Samuel Pepys kept a diary, and of everything he wrote about, including the Great Plague of London and the Great Fire of London fair, one thing that is remembered, so many hundreds of years later, is a ...
03.03.2021 Ep. 315: Sixth Anniversary! Our Most Popular Try-This-at-Home Tips, Happiness Hacks & Favorite Moments In honor of our sixth anniversary—an unusual year, due to the pandemic—we look back at the previous year and highlight our favorite try-this-at-homes, happiness hacks, and favorite moments. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
03.01.2021 Little Happier: Yogi Berra Was Funny, and He Also Hit on Some Profound Truths Baseball legend Yogi Berra was famous for the hilarious things he said. And in his own inimitable way, he captured some profound truths. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by ...
02.24.2021 Ep. 314: Re-Engage with Your Resolutions, A Hack for Helping People to Give Gifts, an Outdoors Demerit, and Why Humor Is Such a Powerful Tool at Work and in Life. We talk about the 21 strategies that can help us re-engage with our resolutions, discuss a hack about helping people to give gifts (to avoid disappointment), and talk to Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonus about how humor can help us ...
02.22.2021 Little Happier: How a Loose Piece of Popcorn in a Museum Inspired a Masterpiece The brilliant children’s book From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was inspired when writer E. L. Konigsburg spotted a piece of popcorn on a chair in a period room at the Metropolitan Museum. You never know what ...
02.17.2021 Ep. 313: Help People Not Disappoint You, a Hack for Reading More, a Talk with Deepa Iyer about Different Roles to Play in Social Change We talk about how and why it’s a good idea to help people not disappoint us, share a reader suggestion about how to read more, and Deepa Iyer explains her map for social change. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] ...
02.15.2021 Little Happier: It’s a Lot of Work to Make Friendly Gestures, But We All Have to Try. Whenever I think about the work that it takes to try to be friendly, I remember a funny story from my daughter’s childhood. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by ...

Older episodes