To explore the exercise of finding calm without religion, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with bestselling author and award-winning professor, Dr. Diane Dreher.

Diane presents statistics detailing the overwhelming anxiety of modern life, then reveals the accessible, ancient methods for comfort and renewal found within her book, Pathways to Inner Peace: Finding Connection, Inspiration, and Renewal in Challenging Times.

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Achievable contentment isn't found by relentlessly chasing some massive, shimmering happiness jackpot; it's a series of practical keys you turn every day. A proven factor in unlocking a satisfying life is to prioritize experiences that warm the soul and provide comfort, whether it’s savoring small positive moments or a rich life encounter, which beautifully illustrates that true wealth is found in connection and meaning, rather than buying a better widget.

To explore the happiness factor, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with a former Facebook executive turned comedian and podcast host, Paul Ollinger.

Paul shares thought-provoking excerpts from the interviews that fueled his book, Reasonably Happy: Essays on Money, Work and Other Things that Piss Me Off.

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Feeling alone in a crowded room is a hallmark of today's loneliness epidemic, proving that company alone isn't the answer. Healing loneliness starts by looking inward rather than outward. By cultivating self-love, you nurture the most important relationship of all—the one with yourself—which naturally leads to genuine contentment and stronger bonds with the people around you.

To explore the deep-rooted aspects of the loneliness epidemic, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with bestselling author, relationship expert, and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® self-healing process, Dr. Margaret Paul.

Margaret discusses how her 6-step Inner Bonding process leads to healing the soul and creates deeper bonds with ourselves and within our closest relationships.

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Big Tech, predominantly designed by those from Western cultures, embeds specific cultural norms into global systems, leading to culture shock for users across the world. This lack of diversity among developers results in designs that ignore local customs and needs, effectively creating a modern form of digital colonization where billions must conform to a narrow technological worldview.

To explore how Western digital culture is imposed upon the world, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with the director of the interdisciplinary UW Center for Globally Beneficial AI, Katharina Reinecke, PhD.

Katharina presents key findings from her book, Digital Culture Shock, detailing how different cultural preferences shape global user behavior across social media platforms and how people search for and share information.

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Cultural differences profoundly impact our ability to communicate in relationships, often leading to misunderstandings when interpreting nonverbal cues, directness of speech, or emotional expression. To have better conversations and foster a happy life, it's crucial to cultivate strong communication skills.

To explore communication strategies to cultivate deeper relationships, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Patricia Timerman Barbosa da Silva, aka Dr. T, a psychotherapist, author, and founder of Advocate2Create.

Dr. T shares communication strategies from her book, Why Are We Fighting?, and explains how her IAP and preamble models empower people to have better conversations and strengthen their relationships.

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Research studies reveal there are neurological, emotional, and physical rewards to acts of altruism. We experience awe, most often, when we witness acts of human kindness, no matter how small. Volunteering offers a powerful antidote to modern societal chaos by redirecting focus toward a shared, positive purpose, thereby strengthening the bonds of community.

To explore the ways self-care can become other-care, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Nicole Karlis, a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and a senior writer at Salon covering health, science, and wellness.

Nicole explains the neuroscience of altruism and how we can create a ‘culture of caring', which are central tenets in her book, YOUR BRAIN ON ALTRUISM: The Power of Connection and Community during Times of Crisis.

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Well-being science reveals that, despite signs of economic growth during the post-COVID recovery, a widespread "vibecession" phenomenon of U.S. consumer pessimism persists. This challenges the traditional economic assumption that increased discretionary income automatically translates into higher national happiness.

To explore well-being science, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Dr. Carol Graham, a senior scientist at Gallup, an author, and a senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at Brookings.

Carol discusses the lack of civic and economic education in the US and how that affects vulnerable populations. She also presents statistics on the decline of mental health and wellness among US teens and how a loss of hope contributes to consumer pessimism.

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Misinformation is aggressively injected into the information ecosystem, and it is readily consumed and adopted by those who are too busy to fully pay attention, leveraging cognitive bias in a distracted society. This media manipulation is often fueled by financial incentives, rewarding so-called experts who deliver false narratives in entertaining and engaging ways. This weighs the heaviest on society when politicians can’t agree on policy because they can’t agree on facts.

To search for the tools of truth, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Dr. Adam Berinsky, author and the Mitsui Professor of Political Science at MIT.

Adam dissects the psychology of misinformation, by examining those who create it with malicious intent, the villains who disseminate it for profit, and the audience most likely to adopt it without question.

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Many people liken recalling memories to accessing mental filing cabinets, but our memories are actually more disjointed. Memory science defines how memory works as a dynamic form of complex information processing, which relies on active reconstruction rather than simple retrieval. This reality means human recall is intrinsically malleable, making memories susceptible to suggestion, challenging its role in defining personal identity, and underscoring the necessity of protecting against the science of misinformation.

To discover ways to use memories to cultivate a happy life, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Dr. Gillian Murphy, leader of the Everyday Cognition Lab at the School of Applied Psychology at University College Cork.

Gillian explains how memory works, the science of information processing, recall, and the risks and benefits associated with trauma therapy. Her book, Memory Lane: The Perfectly Imperfect Ways We Remember, describes the malleability and vulnerability of human memory.

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Nature's Sunshine—Offers modern herbal supplements backed by science and harvested from the earth. Visit https://www.naturessunshine.com/ and use promo code HHTR to get 20% off + free shipping on your 1st order.

and

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In the journey toward healing, survivors often find that intentional practices like sober sex foster a deeper emotional and physical intimacy, essential for their trauma recovery. This emphasis on connection stands in stark contrast to much mainstream sexual messaging, which frequently excludes the necessary emotional components for true sexual well-being. Development of safe relationships is threatened when media and politics overstep their bounds, making autonomous sexual expression and recovery a constant social and personal endeavor.

*This episode explores human sexuality and is intended for mature listeners.

To lay the foundation for how intimacy is the cornerstone of sexual wellbeing, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors and experts in trauma and sexuality, Dr. Stephanie Covington and Dr. Vanessa Carlisle.

Discussing their co-authored book, Awaken Your Sexuality: A Guide to Connection and Intimacy after Addiction and Trauma, Dr. Covington and Dr. Carlisle explore its core principles from various viewpoints. In the book, they examine the diverse facets of human sexuality, including the issues of entitlement and control that frequently surround it.

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