The Science of Happiness

By PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Social Sciences

What's The Science of Happiness about?

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-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.

4.4

1,375 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

When It's Hard To Connect, ...

12.07.2023

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits When we're more curious, we are more likely to be happier and have stronger relationships. Try ...

The Science of Happiness episodes:

12.07.2023 When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits When we're more curious, we are more likely to be happier and have stronger relationships. Try ...
11.30.2023 Happiness Break: A Visualization to Connect With Your Heritage Chef and author Bryant Terry leads us through a visualization to connect with our ancestors by appreciating our families' traditional foods. Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year’s ...
11.23.2023 Being Kind is Good for Your Health Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year’s resolution stick in 2024. https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/255mcn3b Episode summary: This week, we’re focusing on doing good for others, ...
11.16.2023 Happiness Break: Feel more Gratitude, With Eve Ekman Renew your sense of gratitude by remembering acts of kindness, with social scientist and meditation teacher Eve Ekman. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/kjkzpdk8 How to Do This Practice: Begin the practice by focusing on your breath and settling your mind ...
11.09.2023 Encore: The Science of a Good Night's Sleep This week we revisit our science-backed tips for a good night's sleep with sleep scientist Eti Ben Simon and host of the Sleep with Me podcast Drew Ackerman. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p8t47eh Episode summary: A good night’s sleep can ...
11.02.2023 Happiness Break: Find Calm When You Can't Clear Your Mind, With Lama Rod Owens Take a break from ruminating with Lama Rod Owens as he leads you in a meditation to cultivate a sky-like mind. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5fn7sw7t How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable position to begin this practice. Turn ...
10.26.2023 The Science of Singing Along For time immemorial, humans have connected deeply through singing with one another. We explore the science behind this, plus how group singing benefits other aspects of our health. Link to Episode Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdzkmezu Episode summary: When was the last time ...
10.19.2023 A Meditation For Connecting In Polarized Times, With Scott Shigeoka Having a curious approach to life can improve our mood, creativity and relationships. Scott Shigeoka leads a visualization exercise to help you approach someone you might disagree with with an open and curious mind. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4dfsxr2x How ...
10.12.2023 How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress Simple actions like consciously placing a hand on your heart or hugging yourself can lower your cortisol levels, heart rate, and help you feel less stressed. Our guest tries a practice in self-soothing touch. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2zbykwh6 Episode ...
10.05.2023 5 Minutes of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, With Jo Qina'au When we mindfully tense and then release our muscles, our bodies are telling our brains to relax. Try this practice that's proven to help with depression, anxiety, and stress. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/477t6uhv How to Do This Practice: Find ...
09.28.2023 How To Use Your Body to Relax your Mind Want to destress your mind? Start with your body. Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a practice where you methodically tense and release your muscles to help unwind. Studies show it can reduce anxiety, help you get better sleep and lower depression ...
09.21.2023 Happiness Break: A Meditation for Groundedness, With Diana Parra (English & Spanish) Take a moment to ground yourself with this meditation that helps bring awareness to the relationship between ourselves and the earth beneath us. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p8vub46 (English) También tenemos esta meditación en Español. How to Do This Practice: ...
09.21.2023 Happiness Break: Una meditación para enraizar, con Diana Parra (inglés y español) Tómate un momento para conectarte con esta meditación que ayuda a tomar conciencia de la relación entre nosotros y la tierra. Enlace a la transcripción: https://tinyurl.com/umu6wx33 We also have this meditation in English — It's on our podcast feed wherever ...
09.14.2023 Making Difficult Interactions More Respectful Dr. Omar Guzman reflects on how a practice to cultivate more respect shaped the way he interacts with his patients. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2fwen962 Episode Summary: As an ER doctor in an overworked healthcare system, Omar Guzman isn’t always ...
09.07.2023 Happiness Break: A Meditation to Inspire a Sense of Purpose Take a few minutes to reflect on someone who inspires you, and how you can embody the values you admire in them. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4x2whvzb How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable place to do this practice ...
08.31.2023 Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability Rapper Rexx Life Raj shared his deepest pain in his latest album, and discovered it was one big compassion practice for his fans dealing with their own grief. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4xzncasd Episode summary: After losing both of his ...
08.24.2023 Happiness Break: Awe in Impermanence Take a few minutes to develop your sense of awe for the circle of life in this meditation with Dacher Keltner. LINK TO EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: https://tinyurl.com/2tv3whj2 All sentient beings are impermanent, and out of our reflections on this we find ...
08.17.2023 Why Humor Matters for Happiness Humor can help us with stress, anxiety and feeling more connected to others. But is humor connected to mindfulness? And how can we find more of it? Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2p9dkds7 Episode summary: For Emmy- nominated comedian Josh Johnson, ...
08.10.2023 Happiness Break: Making Music With Your Body, With Keith Terry Relieve stress, boost self-esteem, and increase focus through a simple body music practice. And do it with a friend to feel more compassion and a hit of oxytocin. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc8aer74 How to Do This Practice: Try using ...
08.03.2023 How Improv Makes You More Confident and Less Anxious Just 20 minutes of improv theater can foster creativity and confidence, and help with anxiety, depression, and your ability to tolerate uncertainty. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4t9rjj58 Episode summary: Deema Altaher was never one for the spotlight. So when her ...
07.27.2023 Happiness Break: A Mindful Breath Meditation, with Dacher Keltner Mindful breathing exercises are a simple, effective, and fast way to shift our mindset and improve physical and mental well-being when practiced regularly. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mpt4rr5x How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable position to start the ...
07.20.2023 How To Let Go Without Giving Up War veteran and country music singer Sal Gonzalez tries the Taoist practice of Wu Wei to improve his relationship with anger. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yavaw23d Episode summary: For Iraq war veteran Sal Gonzalez, relying on anger had become second ...
07.13.2023 Happiness Break: Moving Through Space, With Dacher Keltner Moving meditations can help reduce stress and boost self-awareness. Improve your ability to sense your body in space with this 7-minute proprioception meditation. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ynkdywbn How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable place where you can ...
07.06.2023 Finding Delight Through Your 5 Senses We enjoy the world through our five senses, so why don't we do more to heighten them? We explore the techniques and science of the senses with Gretchen Rubin. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4s3wv9mv Episode summary: When Gretchen Rubin found ...
06.29.2023 Happiness Break: What To Do When You're Struggling, With Spring Washam Treating yourself with kindness reduces anxiety and improves coping skills. Spring Washam encourages us to be more self-compassionate through a short guided meditation. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8t9st How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable position and begin to ...
06.22.2023 How To Feel Better About Yourself Self-compassion reduces our feelings of shame and self-doubt. We explore a practice to help quiet our inner critic with kindness. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ytek6jxk Episode summary: What does your inner critic sound like? For René Brooks, it’s the adults ...
06.15.2023 Happiness Break: Wishing Others Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle Cultivate a sense of compassion for yourself and others by trying a meditation rooted in loving kindness, called "Metta." Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/jrkewjs8 How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable place to start this meditation. Start taking deep ...
06.08.2023 Where To Look For Joy How can we feel more moments of joy? We explore the science of joy and how we can cultivate it in our everyday lives, with poet Ross Gay and psychologist Philip Watkins. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mu89jbyu Episode summary: Are ...
06.01.2023 Happiness Break: Who Takes Care of You? With Dacher Keltner When we feel cared for, our cortisol levels drop, we feel safe, and we handle stress better. Dacher leads a meditation to help us focus on the people who make us feel supported. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdezwwyd How to ...
05.25.2023 Feeling Overworked? Take a "Fika" Break A short break does more than just fuel our bodies, it strengthens our minds. Our overworked guest tries the Swedish practice of 'Fika' – taking short coffee breaks throughout the work day. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yuj69daf Episode summary: In ...
05.18.2023 How To Be in Harmony in Nature — Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen Indigenous scholar Yuria Celidwen guides us in a meditation to strengthen our sense of belonging and connection to the earth. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/nhjmf57s This Happiness Break is part of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. In it, ...
05.11.2023 How To Do Good for the Environment (And Yourself) Walking can increase our sense of connectedness with the earth and motivation to take climate action, which might be an important aspect of your well-being. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mu6yru2p This is the third and final episode of our special ...
05.04.2023 Happiness Break: Contemplating our Interdependence with Nature, with Dekila Chungyalpa Take ten minutes to renew your connection to the earth through this guided meditation on our interdependence with the ecosystem. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mt473u79 How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable place to do this practice, relax into ...
04.27.2023 How 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. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/9d73zav8 This is ...
04.22.2023 The Case for Climate Hope In the first episode in our series Climate, Hope and Science, we explore how embracing uncertainty enables us to move beyond climate anxiety and despair to hope and action, with author and activist Rebecca Solnit. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y6yr2kz4 ...
04.20.2023 Happiness Break: Sketching Serenity with Chris Murchison Happiness Break: Sketching Serenity with Chris Murchison A guided drawing meditation to help you break out of stale thought patterns and maybe even enter a state of flow. No talent required. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3fzm6ja5 How to Do This ...
04.13.2023 A New Relationship with Stress Is there such a thing as good stress? Our guest learns to welcome her stress by understanding how it can actually help her, plus tips and tricks to not feel too much of it. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n6s346x Episode ...
04.06.2023 Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Purpose, with Dacher Keltner Finding a greater sense of purpose can help us achieve our goals and strengthen our relationships. Dacher leads a meditation to find purpose by imagining a better world. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3u7njv3a How to Do This Practice: Find a ...
03.30.2023 Encore: 24 Hours of Kindness Why should you be nice? Our guest explores how small, daily acts of kindness can produce meaningful life changes. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdhedpvk Episode summary: When you’re kind to someone, the positive impact doesn’t stop with them. In fact, ...
03.23.2023 Happiness 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. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yp25m3dp How to Do This Resilience Practice: Find a position ...
03.16.2023 One Way to Make Work More Meaningful We all overestimate how much we know. Our guest tries a practice in slowing down to ask more questions, and finds it leads to higher quality connections. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3mxt2f5e Episode summary: What happens when we pause and ...
03.09.2023 Happiness Break: Pause to Look at the Sky, with Dacher Keltner Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder. Link to episode transcript: ...
03.02.2023 Why We Need Friends with Shared Interests She's the world's leading animal behaviorist and an Autism advocacy leader. Guest Temple Grandin shares what kind of support systems led her to success, and we hear about how community, and lack thereof, affects our health and ability to succeed. ...
02.23.2023 Happiness Break: Being Present from Head to Toe, with Spring Washam Try this body-scan meditation to ground your mind in the present moment and in your body, guided by Spring Washam. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3ahsvry6 How to do this practice: Find a comfortable seat where you can relax your body. ...
02.16.2023 Why We Need Reminders of Connectedness How can we feel more connected to our loved ones, even when they're not around? Our guest tries a practice shown to make us feel less lonely and more socially connected. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2h2h7ccn Episode summary: Mónica Guzmán ...
02.09.2023 Happiness Break: A Meditation for When Others are Suffering, with Anushka Fernandopulle Seeing others suffering is painful. Learn to practice both compassion and self-soothing in this guided meditation led by Anushka Fernandopulle. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mwxee3uw How to Do This Practice: Find somewhere peaceful, sit down and get comfortable. Once you’re ...
02.02.2023 How Music Evokes Awe Why do some songs send chills down your spine or give you goosebumps? We explore the science of how music induces awe — and how that affects our well-being. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4rzsbsb2 Episode summary: In the last episode ...
01.26.2023 Happiness Break: Feeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, with Dacher Keltner Host Dacher Keltner leads us through an exercise in feeling the serenity and wonder that nature brings us, no matter where we are. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc6dwdnp How to Do This Practice: Find a spot where you can sit ...
01.19.2023 Why We Should Look Up at the Sky When did you last take a moment to really look up at the sky? Shifting our gaze upward is linked to more creativity, capacity to focus—and it's a gateway to awe. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3dbvxvyb Episode summary: Natalie didn’t ...
01.12.2023 Happiness Break: Awe for Others, with Dacher Keltner The communities we create are one of the most awe-inspiring parts of our lives. Host Dacher Keltner guides us in a meditation on awe and togetherness in this week’s Happiness Break. Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3783rkmj How to Do This ...

Older episodes