Ever wondered how to turn a simple question into 500+ heartfelt conversations?

In part 1 of 2, I share 10 of the creative ways I’ve asked people to share a song that reminds them of a happy memory, with examples of each. Every story shows how the right approach, based on the setting, can spark meaningful conversations about something we all have in common.

Listen for practical ways to connect with people from all walks of life, hear heartwarming real-life stories about music and memory, and discover how small acts of curiosity can connect you to the people around you.

You’ll hear how music can bridge differences, inspire empathy, and create lasting human connection—whether you’re talking to someone on a plane, in a grocery store, or at a street performance.

📃 Transcript: HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep13

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💛 Help more people find the show by leaving a rating or review on Apple or Spotify, or send it to someone who could use a smile.

Learn more about Chef Barton Seaver and his mission of sustainability on his website

Listen to Gabriel’s music (a.k.a. Omenfog) on Bandcamp

Related episodes:

• #2: Day 1 of the Project

• #7: How Firefighters Responded to My Musical Emergency

• #8: Only Another… 3 Years of Asking?!

• #9: When I Used the Question as a Pickup Line

• #10: Is Music Holding You Back, or Propelling You Forward?

In this episode, we’re talking less about music and more about happiness. (Although music does come into play!)

Once upon a pandemic, I was struggling with severe depression and anxiety. After losing my former job from COVID, and while in the midst of a toxic relationship, I started searching for things like “how to increase happiness” and “ways to relieve depression and anxiety.”

I discovered these 14 scientifically-backed methods to improve happiness, all supported by neuroscience and/or psychology. They helped me from the inside out! If you’re struggling with your mental health, I hope they help you, too.

Here I outline each strategy in depth, provide tips backed by research, and share proven insights on how to increase dopamine and serotonin—without drugs or medication. Tune in for actionable advice and suggestions for how to enhance your wellbeing!

📃 Get the transcript and ALL the links I referenced at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep12

🎶 Listen to the 5 happiest songs, according to science

💌 Subscribe to emails to get the links and show notes sent to your inbox every week

💛 Do you know someone who could use these tips right now? Send them this episode, or the blog post!

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome!

01:39 The 14 strategies, why I needed them, and how I discovered them

07:22 (#1) Program happy moments into your day

08:08 (#2) Manage your physical and emotional energy

17:43 (#3) Recite positive affirmations

20:28 (#4) Act like a happy person—smile and sing (Btw, wanna help me make a playlist?)

24:06 (#5) Invest in your relationships 

26:32 (#6) Do kind things for other people

27:35 (#7) Practice deliberate gratitude

30:54 Halfway there! Thoughts so far?

31:26 (#8) Incorporate meditation and practice mindfulness

34:14 (#9) Do work that gives you meaning and delight

35:30 (#10) Make fun a priority

38:26 (#11) Anticipate and reflect

40:44 (#12) Spend time out in nature

42:28 (#13) Work with your strengths

43:12 (#14) Spend more on experiences than on possessions

44:22 Reviewing the list

45:16 Thanks for listening! + What’s next

I explore five songs shown to increase dopamine levels in the brain—regardless of their emotional context (or lack thereof). These aren’t your typical party anthems; they’re all instrumental tracks that demonstrate a powerful emotional structure.

You’ll learn:

• Why these songs reliably trigger joy and reward in the brain

• The science behind dopamine and musical tension

• The stories behind all five tunes

If you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, or if you’re just curious, science says these songs should uplift your mood!

📃 Get the transcript and ALL the links I referenced at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep11

🎵 Listen to the Spotify playlist, or check out Signal to make MIDI songs!

💌 Subscribe to emails to get the links and show notes sent to your inbox every week

💛 Do you know someone who could use a smile? Send them this episode!

Start by listening to Part 1 of this story, which is Episode 9: When I Used the Question As a Pickup Line.

You can give your ex a lot of things back after a breakup, but you can't give back the songs you formed memories with during the relationship. So, what will you do with them?

In this continuation of Episode 9, I share how a beautiful first date slowly gave way to emotional realizations about exactly that.

This story explores how we sometimes use music to relive the past, avoid the present, or keep ourselves on emotional loops. But the good news is we can also use music to escape the very traps we create for ourselves.

✨ 3 Takeaways:

1. Music can be both a time capsule and a trap. The stories we attach to songs may comfort us—but they can also keep us from moving forward.

2. We can become addicted not just to memories, but to possibilities. Clinging to what was or what could be can keep us from living fully in what is.

3. There is always a way out. The question isn’t whether you can leave—it’s whether you're ready to do so.

Have you ever used a song to stay in a chapter you should’ve closed? Share your thoughts in the comments, or on Instagram ⁠@HappinessSoundtrack⁠

Related episodes:

• #9 – When I Used the Question as a Pickup Line (Part 1 of this story)

• #1 – The Obsession That Started It All

• #2 – Day 1 of the Project

• #8 – Only Another… 3 Years of Asking?!

Also mentioned in this episode:

• “Happiness is a Warm Gun” by the Beatles

• “Do You Realize??” by the Flaming Lips

• With You In Spirit by Balance & Composure

• Delfern Tondo by Tacita Dean

• The Healer by René Magritte

• “The Wishing Well” by aKing

• My writing about the memory associated with that song

• “Sail Into the Night” by Will Cookson

💌 To get links and show notes sent straight to your inbox, ⁠subscribe to emails⁠

🎵 For more about the project, visit ⁠HappinessSoundtrack.com⁠! You’ll find:

• Monthly playlists of every song people have shared

• Transcripts of every episode (⁠This one is here⁠)

• Ways to submit your song and be part of the project!

When I promised myself to take more chances, my resolve was almost immediately tested. This is a story about unexpected attraction, and being #BoldDammit to make the first move. This music question doesn’t just reveal other people’s stories; it’s constantly shaping mine.

💌To get links and show notes sent straight to your inbox, Subscribe to emails

🎵For more about the project, visit HappinessSoundtrack.com! You’ll find:

• Monthly playlists of every song people have shared

• Transcripts of every episode (This one is here)

After feeling discouraged by a perceived lack of progress on the journal, I set the goal of asking at least one person a day. Here’s how that change in approach created connections with different meaning.

I also share how the resulting discoveries helped me stop rushing to the destination of the finished project, and instead enjoy the process as a journey.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The importance of shifting your focus from output to process

• How and why that redefined my idea of success with the music project

📃 Transcript: HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep8

💌 Subscribe to emails to get the links and show notes sent straight to your inbox every Monday!

💛 Help more people find the show by leaving a rating or review on Apple or Spotify, or send it to someone who could use a smile.

🎵 What’s your song? Send it to me and I’ll share it [anonymously] on the show!

Leave me a voicemail:

267-66-SONGS ‪(267-667-6647‬)

Mail it in:

The Happiness Soundtrack

PO Box 14

Burtonsville, MD 20866

What started as a routine coffee stop turned into one of the boldest—and most unexpected—moments of the music project. In this episode, I come face-to-face with a lofty goal: asking a firefighter what song reminds them of a happy memory. But it didn’t unfold the way I imagined.

This story is about choosing between comfort and courage, pushing through fear, and embracing awkwardness. I share how doing something intimidating can lead to deeper connections—even if that’s just to another part of yourself.

3 takeaways:

1. You don’t always get the “perfect” opportunity. Sometimes you’ve just gotta take the one you’ve got.

2. Feeling awkward or nervous doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong; it often means you’re doing something meaningful. And you’re getting stronger by pushing through the discomfort!

3. Courage gets easier the more you practice taking small risks.

📃 Transcript: HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep7

💌 Subscribe to emails to get the links and show notes sent straight to your inbox every Monday!

💛 Help more people find the show by leaving a rating or review on Apple or Spotify. Or send this episode to someone who could use a smile!

🎵 What’s your song? Send it to me and I’ll share it [anonymously] on the show!

Leave me a voicemail:

267-66-SONGS ‪(267-667-6647‬)

Mail it in:

The Happiness Soundtrack

PO Box 14

Burtonsville, MD 20866

What if the difference between an ordinary day and an extraordinary one is simply choosing to engage? This week, I share how a dull morning unfolded into something vivid—not because of any grand event, but because of a shift in presence. To put it like Spinal Tap, it turned this day up to 11.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• A day in the life of the project

• Why that day felt special, and how it became a framework for the way I approach things now

• How you can apply the same principles to your life

Get the transcript at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep6.

Click here for the playlist of all the songs people mentioned that day!

🙂 If this episode made you smile, send it to someone who could use a little boost! You can also help more people find the show by leaving a rating or review on Apple or Spotify.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Janna Barrett is a commercial flight attendant who’s fascinated by the associations we form with music. On her birthday in 2024, she went on a year-long music diet, giving up all the music she’d ever heard before. That day, Janna started a collaborative journal to get music recommendations, asking people to write about a song they associate with a happy memory. She immediately fell in love with the question as a method for connection, and is now determined to prove that everyone has a song.

It had been a long, exhausting day of delays and frazzled travelers—and it was only halfway over. Then, I met someone who turned it all around with a simple smile and a kind introduction.

This episode tells the story of a passenger who boarded with his extended family, and how one small question about music ended up connecting three generations in a way I never expected. What started as a day where nothing seemed to go right became one I’ll never forget.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Why I knew I wanted to ask Brian “The Question”

• What his family’s answers revealed

• Why I see this question differently now—and what it reminded me

Get the transcript at HappinessSoundtrack.com/stories/ep5.

Janna Barrett is a commercial flight attendant who’s fascinated by the associations we form with music. On her birthday in 2024, she went on a year-long music diet, giving up all the music she’d ever heard before. That day, Janna started a collaborative journal to get music recommendations, asking people to write about a song they associate with a happy memory. She immediately fell in love with the question as a method for connection, and is now determined to prove that everyone has a song.

While passing time between flights in San Francisco, I met a kind stranger who changed the way I think about storytelling, connection, and the courage it takes to ask someone a simple question.

What began as a quiet breakfast turned into one of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had on the road—and a reminder of how powerful our interactions with strangers can be.

This story explores:

• Why it pays to be “bold, dammit”
• The joy of feeling seen, especially by a stranger
• How one question can unlock a forgotten memory
• And why we should never wait to ask for the stories that matter