The Science of Happiness

By PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life, drawing on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe. Hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner. Co-

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How many episodes does The Science of Happiness have?

The podcast currently has 289 episodes available.

The Science of Happiness episodes:

July 24, 2025Happiness Break: How to Awaken Joy, with Spring Washam
Cultivate more joy in your life with this practice led by meditation teacher and author Spring Washam.
How to Do This Practice:
Reflect on an area of your life that brings you joy—whether it’s a small moment, an activity, or a connection.
Imagine experiencing that joyful moment. Feel the smiles, peace, and lightness it brings. Let yourself fully connect with the positive emotions.
As you reflect, silently say to yourself, “May my joy and my happiness increase.” Allow this intention to sink into your heart.
Bring to mind someone in your life who is experiencing happiness or success. Picture them in their joyful state.
In your mind, say to them, “May your joy and happiness increase.” Or, “I’m happy for your happiness. May your happiness continue.”
Remind yourself that joy is limitless, like the stars in the universe. Celebrating the joy of others enhances your own happiness.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
Spring Washam, is a meditation teacher based in Oakland, California. She is also the author of the book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground.
Learn more about Spring and her new book: https://www.springwasham.com/
Follow Spring on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/
Check out Spring’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/22njyd29
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Tap into the Joy That Surrounds You: https://tinyurl.com/2pb8ye9x
Wishing Others’ Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle: https://tinyurl.com/jrkewjs8
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Where to Look for Joy: https://tinyurl.com/5n7thrh4
Are You Remembering the Good Times: https://tinyurl.com/483bkk2h
Why We Should Seek Beauty: https://tinyurl.com/yn7ry59j

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/24c7t4cf
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11min
July 18, 2025 Bonus: Zakiya Used to Be So Fun (Proxy podcast)
The case of the people person who fell out of love with people.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Summary: On this episode of The Science of Happiness, we’re featuring an episode from the Proxy podcast, hosted by Yowei Shaw. The episode follows Zakiya Gibbons, who also appeared on our show recently to explore science-based ways of connecting with her intuition. In this Proxy episode, Zakiya shares a personal reflection on how the pandemic altered her social life and sense of identity, offering an honest look at how our personalities can shift in response to major life changes.
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/d7vd44j4
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39min
July 17, 2025The Science of Trusting Your Intuition
What if burnout isn’t a breaking point, but an invitation to slow down, tune in, and hear the intuition you have been trying to say all along?
Summary: When we’re deep in burnout, even the simplest decisions can feel overwhelming. This episode of The Science of Happiness explores the difference between urgency and intuition, and what it takes to rebuild trust in your inner knowing. It’s a conversation about slowing down, listening inward, and finding clarity on the other side of exhaustion.
How To Do This Practice:
Pause the noise: Set aside 5–10 minutes without screens, music, or conversation. Let yourself settle into stillness, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
Feel your body: Bring your attention inward. Notice physical sensations—tightness in your chest, a flutter in your gut, warmth in your hands—without trying to change them.
Breathe and soften: Take a few slow, gentle breaths. With each exhale, invite your body to soften and release any tension.
Ask a simple question: Bring to mind something you’re unsure about. Ask yourself softly, “What do I really know about this?” or “What feels true right now?”
Notice what arises: Pay attention to the first felt sense—not the loudest thought, but the quiet feeling underneath. It might show up as a word, image, emotion, or subtle pull in the body.
Close with trust: You don’t need a final answer. Just acknowledge what you noticed, thank yourself for listening, and carry that quiet knowing with you as you move forward.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
ZAKIYA GIBBONS is an award-winning journalist. She is a host, story editor, podcast producer, writer, and voice actor based in Brooklyn.
Learn more about Zakiya here: https://www.zakiyagibbons.com/
Follow Zakiya on Instagram: @zak_sauce
JOEL PEARSON is a Psychologist, Neuroscientist and public intellectual, keynote speaker, working at the forefront of science, innovation and agile science.
Learn more about Joel here: https://www.profjoelpearson.com/
Follow Joel on Instagram: @profjoelpearson
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
How Awe Helps You Navigate Life’s Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/2466rnm4
How Exploring New Places Can Make You Feel Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4ufn2tpn
Related Happiness Breaks:
Tap into the Joy That Surrounds You: https://tinyurl.com/2pb8ye9x
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4hbknadj
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18min
July 10, 2025Happiness Break: Smiling From The Inside Out
Just a soft smile and a few minutes of breath can shift your mood, lower stress, and deepen your sense of connection.
How To Do This Practice:
Settle In: Find a comfortable seat, rest your hands gently, and soften your gaze or close your eyes.
Breathe and Soften: Take a few slow, deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, relaxing your face, jaw, and neck.
Form a Gentle Smile: Let a soft, effortless smile form at the corners of your mouth. Think of something or someone that makes you smile.
Turn the Smile Inward: Imagine that smile radiating inside your body, through your face, throat, and chest.
Send the Smile Through Your Body: With each breath, guide the smile to your heart, lungs, digestive system, and spine, acknowledging and appreciating each part.
Close Gently: Let the smile spread throughout your whole body, take one final deep breath, and slowly open your eyes, carrying the smile into the rest of your day.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
DACHER KELTNER is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and is a co-instructor of the Greater Good Science Center’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Take a Break With Our Loving-Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
A Meditation on Original Love: https://tinyurl.com/5u298cv4
Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Are You Remembering the Good Times: https://tinyurl.com/483bkk2h
Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7
Why We Should Seek Beauty: https://tinyurl.com/yn7ry59j
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/s4wk4x4y
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6min
July 03, 2025How Parks Keep Us Connected
From childhood adventures to post-trauma recovery, explore how our parks support our well-being— and why access to them matters.
Summary: Nature has long been a source of wonder, healing, and connection. But access to those green spaces—from neighborhood parks to national treasures—are increasingly at risk. In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we hear how awe-inspiring outdoor experiences can help us feel more alive and less alone, and what we can do to protect those spaces.
How To Do This Practice:
Step outside with intention, even if it’s just to your backyard, a nearby park, or a patch of grass.
Pause and take a few deep breaths to ground yourself and shift your attention from doing to simply being.
Notice the details around you. The movement of leaves, the pattern of clouds, the sound of birds or distant traffic.
Look for something that surprises or moves you, no matter how small, like a weed blooming through concrete or shifting light on a tree.
Let yourself feel whatever arises, whether it’s wonder, calm, grief, or joy—there’s no right way to experience awe.
Before you return indoors, take a moment to reflect on what you saw or felt, and how it might shift your day or perspective.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
STACY BARE is a climber, mountaineer, and skier. Climbing helped Stacy recover from PTSD from a year in Baghdad as a Civil Affairs Team Leader in the Army. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star for merit and a combat action badge and named one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year for 2014.
Follow Stacy on Instagram: @stacyabare
Add Stacy on Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/49zazw8f
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
The Healing Effects of Experiencing Wildlife: https://tinyurl.com/bde5av4z
How to Do Good for the Environment (And Yourself): https://tinyurl.com/5b26zwkx
Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/mrutudeh
Related Happiness Breaks:
How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3
A Walking Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/mwbsen7a
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3fv7695k
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18min
June 26, 2025Happiness Break: Embodying Resilience, With Prentis Hemphill
What if you could tap into your inherent resilience at any time? Prentis Hemphill guides a meditation to turn good memories into a state of resilience.
How To Do This Practice:
Get Comfortable in Your Body: Find a position, seated, standing, or lying down, that feels right. Move, shake, or sound out anything that helps you arrive in your body.
Conjure a Resilient Memory: Call to mind a moment, place, or experience that makes you feel strong, creative, or connected, something that reminds you of your resilience.
Let It Fill You Up: Notice where that memory lives in your body, and let it expand into your arms, legs, face, and breath until it energizes your whole being.
Turn It Up: Amplify the sensation by 20%, letting it spill through your muscles and cells. Notice shifts in breath, posture, and energy.
Turn It Down: Gently reduce the sensation, bit by bit, and observe what changes. What stories re-emerge, how your body responds, and how you make that shift.
Carry It With You: Return to the present moment with the option to bring that resilience with you at the volume and intensity you need, knowing it’s always available.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
PRENTIS HEMPHILL is the founder of the Embodiment Institute, and a writer and therapist who prioritizes the body in their approach to healing.
Learn More About the Embodiment Institute: https://www.theembodimentinstitute.org/about
Check out Prentis’ website: https://prentishemphill.com
Follow Prentis on Twitter: https://twitter.com/prentishemphill
Follow Prentis on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4d99f4xs
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6
Breathe Away Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5
Are You Remembering the Good Times: https://tinyurl.com/483bkk2h
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx
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10min
June 19, 2025How to Feel More Hopeful
How can we build a sense of hope when the future feels uncertain? Poet Tomás Morín tries a writing practice to make him feel more hopeful and motivated to work toward his goals.
Summary: Can writing about your hopes make you feel more optimistic? In this episode, poet Tomás Morin tries a hope-focused writing practice developed by psychologist Charlotte Van-Oyen Witvliet. Backed by research, the practice helps people feel more hopeful, motivated, and grounded in gratitude, even in the face of uncertainty.
How To Do This Practice:
Write about something you deeply hope will happen, but can’t fully control.
Reflect on how important this hope is to you and how motivated you are to pursue it.
Recall a past hope that once felt uncertain but eventually came true.
Write about what you’re grateful for from that experience, including who helped and what you learned.
Connect what you learned then to what you’re hoping for now.
End by naming one small action you can take today toward your current hope.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
TOMÁS MORIN is a poet who won an American Poetry Review Honickman First Book Prize for his collection of poems A Larger Country. He’s currently a professor at Rice University.
Check out Tomás’ work: https://www.tomasqmorin.com/
|Read some of Tomás’ poems: https://tinyurl.com/3v8u6m5h
Read Tomás’ latest book: https://tinyurl.com/aej9cw3a
CHARLOTTE VAN OYEN-WITVLIET is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
Learn more about Charlotte’s work: https://tinyurl.com/yc65w4nu
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Climate, Hope, & Science Series: https://tinyurl.com/pb27rep
Why Going Offline Might Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/e7rhsakj
How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc
How To Feel Better About Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/42fn62a2
Related Happiness Breaks:
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
5 Minutes of Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/r6pkw2xx
A Humming Technique to Calm Your Nerves: https://tinyurl.com/mr42rzad
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] or follow on Instagram @HappinessPod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/557waxw7
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21min
June 12, 2025Happiness Break: A Meditation For When You Have Too Much To Do
Does your to-do list feel endless? Try this short, guided practice to help you reflect, reconnect, and release the pressure to do it all perfectly.
How To Do This Practice:
Find a Comfortable Posture: Sit or stand tall with a sense of dignity, grounded, yet relaxed.
Take Three Cleansing Breaths: Inhale twice through the nose, then exhale slowly through the mouth. Repeat this three times to settle into the moment.
Scan Your Body from Head to Toe: Gently bring your attention to each part of your body, noticing sensations and letting go of any tension as you move downward.
Visualize Your To-Do List as Floating Bubbles: Imagine each task as a bubble above you. Observe them without judgment, simply noticing their presence.
Ask Reflective Questions: Is it the number of tasks that’s overwhelming, or is it fear of forgetting, failing, or letting someone down? What’s truly fueling your stress?
Recenter with Gratitude and Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that being needed is a form of purpose. Remind yourself that even if not everything gets done, you are still enough and already whole.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Explore more talks, workshops, and resources atggsc.berkeley.edu/speaking.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
KIA AFCARI is the director of Greater Good Workplaces at GGSC. Kia grounds his work in the science of well-being, prosociality, and contemplative practices and uses creative methods like “instant dance parties” and Boal-informed theater techniques to achieve results.
Watch Kia’s TED Talk on reshaping diversity, equity, and inclusion here: https://tinyurl.com/483tdjp5
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7
Who Takes Care of You: https://tinyurl.com/5xmfkf73
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6
How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/5dvk3d7m
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6min
June 05, 2025How To Do Hard Things
What happens when the world sees you as a hero, but you feel lost inside? Abby Wambach, a trailblazer in women’s soccer, shares how facing life’s challenges after retirement helped her discover truth, healing, and self-love.
Summary: Abby Wambach spent years chasing excellence as a world-class athlete, only to find that winning gold didn’t bring the inner fulfillment she craved. In this powerful conversation, she reflects on addiction, shame, identity, and the hard-earned lessons of self-love. Her honesty reveals a new kind of strength. One rooted in vulnerability and the courage to be fully seen.
This episode was supported by a grant from The John Templeton Foundation on Spreading Love Through The media.
How To Do This Practice:
Acknowledge the belief that achievement or perfection will make you feel whole.
Notice when success doesn’t bring lasting happiness, and let yourself feel that disappointment.
Share your struggles honestly, even the ones you're ashamed of.
Choose to live openly instead of hiding parts of yourself to fit others’ expectations.
Ask yourself where your beliefs about worthiness and shame come from.
Keep coming back to love and accept yourself, especially the parts you were taught to hide.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Guests:
ABBY WAMBACH is a two time World Olympic gold medalist, FIFA world champion, and bestselling author. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award.
Follow Abby on Instagram here: @abbywambach
Order her book We Can Do Hard Things here: https://treatmedia.com/
Listen to Abby’s podcast here: https://wecandohardthingspodcast.com/
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Why Going Offline Might Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/e7rhsakj
The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/3x7w2s5s
How Awe Helps You Navigate Life’s Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/2466rnm4
Related Happiness Breaks:
Take a Break With Our Loving-Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/25p25ctd
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19min
May 29, 2025Happiness Break: Make Uncertainty Part of the Process
Through poetic reflection, Yrsa Daley-Ward helps us embrace the in-between moments, reminding us that the unknown can be the very terrain where real change begins.
Settle into Stillness: Find a quiet space, get comfortable, and take a few slow breaths to arrive in the moment.
Acknowledge the Unknown: Gently notice and name any uncertainty, confusion, or emotional fog you’re feeling without needing to fix it.
Welcome the Silence: Allow the silence and stillness to be here, trusting it holds meaning even if it feels uncomfortable.
Reflect with Gentle Words: Repeat silently or write: “To love yourself through the darkness is to plant gardens at night.”
Feel Your Connection: Remember that many others are also sitting with uncertainty, and you are not alone in this experience.
Close with Compassion: Offer yourself kindness through touch or words and affirm that this pause is part of your growth.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
YRSA DALEY-WARD is an award-winning poet and author. Her debut novel, The Catch, comes out June 3rd.
Learn more about Yrsa here: https://yrsadaleyward.squarespace.com/
Pre-order her book here: https://tinyurl.com/yanw6bb5
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Using Art As Medicine Series: https://tinyurl.com/k3mneupx
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
How To Awaken Your Creative Energy: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Our Brains on Poetry: https://tinyurl.com/y9r9dyzd
How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7
...more
4min

FAQs about The Science of Happiness:

How many episodes does The Science of Happiness have?

The podcast currently has 289 episodes available.

More shows like The Science of Happiness