The Science of Happiness

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 Resilience Practice: Find a position that is comfortable for you, whether that is sitting, laying down or even standing. Don’t feel pressured to remain still for this practice. If you feel like you need to move or make sounds to stay present, feel free to. Think of something that brings you a sense of resilience. While in this memory, what are you doing with your body? What does your body feel like? Try to intensify those feelings. Notice how that feels in your body and in the experience of that memory. Take yourself back to how the memory was at the beginning of this practice, at a lower intensity. Notice how you’re able to make that change. Thinking about the day ahead or the day that you’ve had, ask yourself how much space do you want the day to take up in this moment? Once you’re ready, move from that comfortable position. See if you can take this experience with you throughout your day. Today’s Happiness Break host: 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 More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How to Hardwire Resilience into Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/26mff6hf Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/34ntce8u Evidence Mounts that Mindfulness Breeds Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/2u6k6mkh Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work: https://tinyurl.com/yrujmwxs Three Ways to Boost Your Resiliency as a Parent: https://tinyurl.com/w6f3w3ak How Tuning into Your Body can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/yv5yzper We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of this resilience meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

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. Episode summary: What happens when we pause and open up to ideas that we didn’t think of ourselves? This episode is about intellectual humility, the ability to surrender to the idea that we might not have all the information or may not be right. Our guest is Kelly Corrigan, a best-selling author and host of PBS talk show Tell Me More and podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Her teams look to her for direction, but she wanted to see what would happen if she paused more to ask them questions, and found it totally changed her approach to both her work and family life. We also explore science around the subtle ways we react differently to people we disagree with, and how intellectual humility can change that. Try this practice: Cultivate Intellectual Humility If you can, write out your answers. When you encounter information or an opinion that contradicts your opinion or worldview, ask yourself questions like these: Why do you disagree? Are you making any assumptions? Might those assumptions be wrong? How did you come to your opinion? Think about the scenario from the perspective of a person who disagrees with you. Try to imagine how they came to believe what they believe: What information might they be basing their opinion off of? What values do you think they’re weighing in how they think about this topic? Can you imagine how they came to hold those values? 3. Tap into your intellectual humility: Identify places where, before, you didn’t acknowledge the limitations of what you know Now that you’ve worked to see this issue from another person’s point of view, do you see more value in their perspective? Today’s guests: Kelly Corrigan is the author of five books. She’s also the host for PBS’s longform interview show, Tell Me More and Kelly Corrigan Wonders*.* Check out Kelly’s website: https://www.kellycorrigan.com Follow Kelly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/corrigankelly Follow Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellycorrigan/ Mark Leary is a psychologist and emeritus professor at Duke University. Learn more about Mark and his work: https://sites.duke.edu/leary/ Check out Mark’s research on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/p8ayz8dn Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: What Does Intellectual Humility Look Like? https://tinyurl.com/5n949h69 Five Reasons Intellectual Humility is Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/2ce3jrmc Intellectual Humility Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/574k99fs Three Reasons for Leaders to Cultivate Intellectual Humility: https://tinyurl.com/2s4ecda6 How to Know if You’re Actually Humble: https://tinyurl.com/y8js44v More Resources on Intellectual Humility Vox - Intellectual humility: The importance of knowing you might be wrong: https://tinyurl.com/2cryd336 Financial Times - Why Intellectual Humility Matters: https://tinyurl.com/5n84hsh7 Psych Central - How Humility Strengthens Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/2fj9a4wh University of Notre Dame - To Make Better Decisions, Get More Comfortable Saying “I Don’t Know”  https://tinyurl.com/3npysxh8 Tell us about your thoughts on intellectual humility. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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 This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility." For more on the project, go to www.ggsc.berkeley.edu/IH.

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. Practice: Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky. First, focus on your breathing. Take a few slow inhales and even slower exhales. As you breathe in and out, relax your shoulders, your hands, and your face. On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is. Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light? Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in. On the final deep breaths in and out, reflect on how doing this practice has made you feel. Today’s Happiness Break host: Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life:  https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Why we Should Look up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6 Six Ways to Incorporate Awe into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3j5hdtj7 How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/py6b729h How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative:  https://tinyurl.com/2fmpdpkj Why is Nature so Good For Your Mental Health? ​​https://tinyurl.com/23zavth3 We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of looking up. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Episode summary: Having strong relationships is vital to our well-being. We tend to be happier and healthier when we’re involved with community. Today’s guest is the world-famous scientist Temple Grandin. She was born with autism, which led her to be socially isolated from her peers. Join us on this episode of The Science of Happiness to hear about how Grandin credits her support networks for her success and making her into the person she is today. We’ll also look at the science behind the health repercussions of not having strong social networks. Today’s guests: Temple Grandin is a leading animal behaviorist, prominent author and speaker on autism and animal behaviors. Today, she teaches courses at Colorado State University. Her latest book is Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Temple’s Website: https://www.templegrandin.com Follow Temple on Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtemplegrandin?lang=en Check out Temple’s Latest Book: https://tinyurl.com/3tftxpck Tegan Cruwyis is a clinical psychologist at The National Australian University who studies social connection and how loneliness and chronic isolation are literally toxic. Learn more about Cruwyis and her work: https://tinyurl.com/3etuvket Follow Cruwyis on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/yc5ujhaj Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient https://tinyurl.com/34ntce8u What is Social Connection? https://tinyurl.com/nk8crbbz Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness? https://tinyurl.com/4wxc66tn Why are We so Wired to Connect? https://tinyurl.com/uttppd3p More Resources for Improving Social Connections Emotional Wellness Checklist https://tinyurl.com/4wxc66tn How to Strengthen Social Relationships https://tinyurl.com/5fdv8ra9 The Science of Social Connection https://tinyurl.com/3tftxpck Tell us about your experiences with building social connections. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Try this body-scan meditation to ground your mind in the present moment and in your body, guided by Spring Washam. How to do this practice: Find a comfortable seat where you can relax your body. Beginning with the top of your head, relax any sense of tension, one body part at a time. Slowly scan down to your face, neck, upper arms, hands, feeling their presence. You might want to place your hands on your belly to feel your breath and let go. End by placing your hand on your heart and offer your body some kindness. Today’s Happiness Break Host: Spring Washam has been a devoted Buddhist practitioner in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism for more than 25 years. She is a founding teacher of The East Bay Meditation Center and has spent more than a decade studying Shamanic indigenous healing practices. She is also the author of the forthcoming book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Learn more about Spring and her book: https://www.springwasham.com/ Follow Spring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/ Check out Spring’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/22njyd29 More Resources from the Greater Good Science Center: Six Minutes to Connect with Your Body:  https://tinyurl.com/2337f85e How a Body Scan Can Help with Strong Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/58wfsvnd Krista Tippett on Being Grounded in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/59pkp324 Turning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/5av68v62 Your Anxiety Might Be Coming From Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/dwb9vvue What Self-Compassion Feels Like in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/2p9rdepk Seven Ways to Have a Healthier Relationship with Stress: https://tinyurl.com/m6mbv2np We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of embodiment meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We’re living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That’s where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

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. Episode summary: Mónica Guzmán describes herself as a raging extrovert, but she still feels less connected to others than she’d like to. Working from home, she often finds herself alone, or worse — feeling alone because she’s still in work mode when her family is around. She tried a Reminders of Connectedness practice by making subtle changes to the interior of her home – like decorating with more family photos and rearranging the living room  – and found that these seemingly small changes made a big difference in how she felt throughout her day.  We also hear from clinical psychologist Tegan Cruwys about the powerful influence our sense of connectedness can have on our mental health. Practice: Reminders of Connectedness Look around your home, office, or classroom and notice what things around you remind you of being connected to others – words, photographs, memorabilia. As you move through your day, keep an eye out for things that evoke a feeling of connection. See where you can use them to add more reminders of connection to your space by adding them in or replacing existing objects.  Finally, consider how the furniture is arranged. Are chairs facing toward or away from each other? Find any changes you can make to common spaces so that they’re more conducive to spontaneous interactions.  Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/reminders_of_connectedness Today’s guests: Mónica Guzmán is Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America, founder and CEO of Reclaim Curiosity, an organization working to build a more curious world. She’s also the author of I Never Thought Of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.  You can check out the book here: https://boook.link/I-Never-Thought-of-It-That-Way Visit Mónica’s website:https://www.moniguzman.com/ Follow Mónica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moniguzman/?hl=en Follow Mónica on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/3k4pn4c4 Follow Mónica on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moniguzman Tegan Cruwys is a professor and clinical psychologist at Australian National University.  Learn more about Tegan and her work: https://tinyurl.com/ykepk5r4 Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: 11 Things to Do When You Feel Lonely: https://tinyurl.com/b8m86fhy What the Longest Happiness Study Reveals About Finding Fulfillment: https://tinyurl.com/2s3b59fn What Psychedelics Can Teach Us About Human Connection: https://tinyurl.com/5buyydw7 Skills You Need for Happier Relationships with Family: https://tinyurl.com/weeusepn More Resources The Atlantic - What Makes Us Happy: https://tinyurl.com/2nxpbhsd NYT - I Love You But I Don’t Want To Sleep With You: https://tinyurl.com/tjnxbdtt Scientific American - Why We Are Wired To Connect: ​​https://tinyurl.com/59u4ffua Tell us about your experiences of connectedness. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Seeing others suffering is painful. Learn to practice both compassion and self-soothing in this guided meditation led by Anushka Fernandopulle. How to Do This Practice: Find somewhere peaceful, sit down and get comfortable. Once you’re ready, gently close your eyes. Start taking deep breaths and relax your body. Part by part, release tension in different areas of your body. Think of someone or a group of people you know or have heard of who may be having a hard time. Bring to mind an image of them. Connect with whatever it is they are struggling with. Mentally, make some wishes of compassion for them. For example, “May you be free from pain.” Or, “I am here with you.” You can also use this practice to focus on your own pain. To do this, call to mind your struggles and give yourself the same compassion you gave others. Today’s Happiness Break host: Anushka Fernandopulle is a meditation teacher who trained in Buddhist meditation for over 30 years. After studying Buddhism at Harvard, she spent four years in full-time meditation training in the U.S., India, and Sri Lanka Check out Anushka’s upcoming meditation retreats https://www.anushkaf.org Follow Anushka on Instagram https://tinyurl.com/ytn3vvhz Follow Anushka on Twitter https://tinyurl.com/485vj8xn Check out Anushka’s Dharma Talks https://tinyurl.com/ydacvamn Find another version of the Compassion Meditation practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/compassion_meditation More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: What is compassion? https://tinyurl.com/2s3ztcpt Take Our Self-Compassion Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yysrf663 Try Dr. Neff’s Fierce Self-Compassion Break: https://tinyurl.com/yk9yzh9u How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass Read Dr. Neff’s interview about Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/286njtje How Self-Compassion Can Help You Through a Breakup: https://tinyurl.com/222scejz Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination? https://tinyurl.com/mrfmvyj We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of compassion meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

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. Episode summary: In the last episode of our awe series, Dacher explores the mysteries of how music inspires awe and can transport us to another space and time with sound alchemist Laura Inserra. Later, we hear from the scientist who showed how awe-inspiring songs change the way we think and feel. This is the last episode in our special series The Science of Awe. Check out the last four releases in our feed for Happiness Breaks that will help guide you to experience more awe in your life, and episodes of The Science of Happiness about the other profound ways that awe affects — and more places to find it.  Our host, Dacher Keltner, has a new book out about awe. It’s called Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/3uzk8m5r   Today’s guests: Laura Inserra is an instrumentalist, composer, producer, and a teacher who works with music to help people tap into a sense of awe. Follow Laura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura_inserra/ Follow Laura on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/laurainserra Check out Laura’s website: https://www.laurainserra.com  Qihao Ji is an assistant professor of Communication at Marist College Learn more about Ji and his work: https://www.marist.edu/communication-arts/faculty/qihao-ji Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How Music Bonds us Together: https://tinyurl.com/5x5xxnmz Where Music and Empathy Converge in the Brain https://tinyurl.com/84sep62v How Many Emotions Can Music Make You Feel: https://tinyurl.com/8pxud5bt More Resources About Awe and Music Bluefield Daily Telegraph - Music: A sense of Awe and Admiration: https://tinyurl.com/5eyc4ehw NYT - How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/4zdzcusk Yamaha Music - The Science of Awe (And Why It Matters): https://tinyurl.com/4njv9mpb Tell us about your experiences with music awe. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Host Dacher Keltner leads us through an exercise in feeling the serenity and wonder that nature brings us, no matter where we are. How to Do This Practice: Find a spot where you can sit and rest comfortably. Once you’re ready, close your eyes. Begin breathing slowly and deeply. Focus on your breath and unclench your muscles from head to toe. Think of a place in nature that is sacred or significant to you. What do you hear? What do you see? Try to create as clear of an image as you can in your mind. Notice what feelings arise as you think of this place; what feelings do you associate with it? Contemplate how this place has become a part of who you are; how it lives in your mind and how you can conjure up the feeling of it within yourself. Today’s Happiness Break host: Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. His new book is Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Secrets of the Vagus Nerve: https://tinyurl.com/yzuxtuzp Why We Should Look Up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6 What’s the Most Common Sense of Awe? https://tinyurl.com/2p842t8r Happiness Break: How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/289ph9cz Happiness Break: Experience Nature Wherever You Are: https://tinyurl.com/yv46xrr4 Why You Should Snap Pictures of Nature: https://tinyurl.com/5fp7bhk6 Could Your Life Be More Awesome? Take our Awe Quiz https://tinyurl.com/2p8mz57f We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of awe in nature. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

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. Episode summary: Natalie didn’t spend much time finding shapes in the clouds as a small kid. And when she got older, looking up was even worse for her. Natalie spent time in jail, where she spent most of her days indoors under harsh lights. Today, she’s a student at a prestigious university. She tried a practice in looking up for our show. When we look up, our brain gets better at being playful, creative, and thinking critically. We also tend to see vast and beautiful things above our heads, like a canopy of leaves, branches and singing birds, or a starry night sky. Often, looking up is all we need to do to find moments of awe in our day-to-day lives. And that’s a wonderful thing, because feeling awe changes how our brains work in a way that’s really good for us. This is the second episode of The Science of Happiness in a three-part series called The Science of Awe. If you’d like to learn more about awe, our host, Dacher Keltner, has a new book out about it. It’s called Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Learn more here: <https://tinyurl.com/3uzk8m5r \](https://tinyurl.com/3uzk8m5r) Practice: Look Up Over the course of a week or so, make it a point to look up in several different locations and at different times of the day and night. Be sure everywhere you choose is a safe place to do so, and of course, never look into the sun. Each time before you look up, take a moment first to notice how you feel, and then take a few deep, intentional breaths to help you get grounded into the present moment. Look up and let your eyes wander, noticing what inspires awe. If nothing does, that’s ok! This practice might help you cultivate awe more often, but it’s best to go into it each time with no expectations. Spend at least a few minutes looking up if it’s comfortable to do so, or as long as you like. When you’re done, take another moment to notice how you feel now. Today’s guests: Natalie is a student at UC Berkeley and also works with the UC Berkeley's Underground Scholars Program, which creates pathways for formerly incarcerated people to study at universities. We're not sharing Natalie's last name to protect her privacy. Michiel van Elk is a professor at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Learn more about van Elk and his work: https://tinyurl.com/4kc5tycc Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/yepuxd27 Six Ways to Incorporate Awe Into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3emucdez How the Science of Awe Shaped Pixar’s “Soul:” https://tinyurl.com/37z43vrz How a Sense of Awe Can Inspire Us to Confront Threats to Humanity: https://tinyurl.com/3k6xprau More Resources About Awe KQED - Dacher Keltner on Finding Awe: https://tinyurl.com/575v6rvf The Atlantic  - The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe: https://tinyurl.com/yz623mff NYT - How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/4zdzcusk Sierra Club - The Science of Awe: https://tinyurl.com/3pfn23t7 Tell us about your experiences of awe. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

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. How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable, safe, place where you can close your eyes and relax. Notice your breathing and begin to take deep, intentional breaths. Think about a community you are a part of – work, recreation, spiritual, any group you’re a part of. Cultivate a sense in your mind of being with that community. Reflect for a few minutes on the faces of the people in this community; bring them into your mind’s eye and notice the details of their eyes, smiles, perhaps even their tones of voice or the sounds of their laughter. Think about this remarkable quality of communities: That all of these separate individuals create one hole. Think about how each person contributes to this community to create that whole. Contemplate how everyone in this community is connected, and how they’re mutually influencing each other. Think about what value unites all these people share, what they have in common. Imagine yourself within this network of connected individuals. Cultivate a sense of what connects you with them, think of them as threads of mutual influence. It doesn’t all have to be good; tension is a part of being a community, too. Today’s Happiness Break host: Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He's also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. His new book is Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Why Do We Feel Awe? https://tinyurl.com/3xms3dm2 How Awe Brings People Together: https://tinyurl.com/2p8m2tyk Eight Reasons Why Awe Makes Your Life Better: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ccav2 Six Ways to Incorporate Awe Into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3emucdez How Music Bonds Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/329scmf6 Can a Sense of Awe Improve Our Arguments? https://tinyurl.com/pb2eh8c6 We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience contemplating your communities. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Feeling awe changes your brain. In our first episode in a series about the science awe, we explore how awe can make you a better friend, partner, and community member. Episode summary: When Mirna Valerio tried out hiking for the first time as a young kid, she discovered something she didn’t expect: Being outdoors seemed to bring strangers closer to one another. It was like it somehow fastracked forming meaningful relationships. Today we know that the feeling of awe nature often inspires has something to do with this. Awe is the feeling you get when in the presence of something vast and incomprehensible. When we feel it, our sense of self shrinks – in a good way – and we get better at connecting with others. Today on The Science of Happiness, we explore what it’s like when awe helps us create communities, and the science behind how it works. This episode is part of special series we’re doing on Awe. In the weeks ahead, we’ll share Happiness Breaks to help you contemplate what’s awe-inspiring in your life and explore more dimensions of awe in the stories and science we share on this podcast. Our host, Dacher Keltner, has a new book out about awe. It’s called Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/3uzk8m5r Practice: Awe Narrative Think back to a time when you felt a sense of awe; when you were around something vast and incomprehensible. It could be something physically vast, like a mountain range or beautiful valley, or psychological, like a brilliant idea or inspiring person. Describe the experience in writing in as much detail as possible. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, just get down as much about the experience as you can. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/awe_narrative Today’s guests: Mirna Valerio is an ultra-marathon athlete and author known for her body-positive presence on social media. Follow Mirna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themirnavator/?hl=en Follow Mirna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMirnavator Follow Mirna on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMirnavator/ Yang Bai is a professor at Peking University in China. Learn more about Bai and her work: https://en.gsm.pku.edu.cn/faculty/ybai/ Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Six Ways to Incorporate Awe Into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3emucdez How the Science of Awe Shaped Pixar’s “Soul:” https://tinyurl.com/37z43vrz How a Sense of Awe Can Inspire Us to Confront Threats to Humanity: https://tinyurl.com/3k6xprau More Resources About Awe The Atlantic  - The Quiet Profundity of Everyday Awe: https://tinyurl.com/yz623mff NYT - How a Bit of Awe Can Improve Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/4zdzcusk Sierra Club - The Science of Awe: https://tinyurl.com/3pfn23t7 Tell us about your experiences of awe. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

This New Year, affirm the wonderful qualities you already possess with this meditative writing practice called "I Am." How to Do This Practice: Take a moment to sit still and take a few deep breaths, and notice how you’re feeling right now. Open your eyes, and on a sheet of paper, write “I am ____,” and then fill in that blank. Set a timer for 1 minute, and repeat step 2 until the time is up. Take a moment to observe what you’ve written. Where did you begin? Where did you end? What can you glean about how you’re showing up today, from what you’ve written? Look for patterns. Take a few more mindful breaths. Consider how what you’ve just written might influence what you’ve just written and the rest of your day. Today’s Happiness Break host: Chris Murchison is an artist and meditation teacher. Check out Chris’s website: https://chrismurchison.com/ Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismarcellmurchison/ Follow Chris on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.m.murchison More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How to Be a Remarkable Boss During Lockdown (by Chris Murchison): https://tinyurl.com/yypps3aw Can Self-Awareness Help You Be More Empathic? https://tinyurl.com/eefds36s Do You Have a True Self? https://tinyurl.com/3xasurwp Ten Habits of Highly Creative People https://tinyurl.com/yt83udz6 Make Self-Compassion One of Your New Year’s Resolutions https://tinyurl.com/ymn6m5pp The Dark Side of Self-Help: https://tinyurl.com/4jajdfum We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experiences with self-insight or self-affirmations. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Chris Sharma is one of the greatest rock climbers of all time, and he's taking on some of the biggest challenges in life: becoming a parent and starting his own business. Chris tries a practice shown to help us craft our own path and purpose in life. Episode summary: Chris Sharma spent his youth traveling the globe and becoming one of the greatest rock climbers of all time. His passion for climbing has filled his life with purpose, but now in middle age, he wants to also focus on other sources of meaning in life that are just as important to him. Chris joins us after trying a practice in life crafting — where you get clear on your values, imagine what your ideal life would look like, and make a plan to get closer to that vision. Later in the show, we hear from Michael Steger, a psychologist and director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University, about the surprising places in our lives we can find meaning, and the different roads we can take towards living a more meaningful life. Try the Life Crafting Practice: Identify your deepest values and passions — what’s most important to you. Reflect on your ideal future: Write a paragraph envisioning how you’d like your social life or your career path to turn out if you had no constraints. Write down how you’ll attain those goals. Prioritize them, and write “if, then” plans for how you’ll overcome obstacles you’re likely to encounter. Make a public commitment. Tell your community about your goals. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/life_crafting Today’s guests: Chris Sharma is an elite rock climber known for traveling the world to find the most beautiful and challenging places to rock climb. His new show The Climb premieres on HBO on January 12. Check out the trailer here: https://tinyurl.com/suz35w8y Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chris_sharma/ Check out his website: http://www.chrissharma.com/ Michael Steger is a professor of psychology at Colorado State University, where he is the director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose. Learn more about Steger’s work: http://www.michaelfsteger.com/ Follow Steger on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/yc79d6mb Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Michael Steger: Why We Search for Meaning: https://tinyurl.com/2s469242 Here’s How to Find Meaning in Your Midlife Crisis: https://tinyurl.com/4kpcnr9c What Our Photos Say About Us (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/y56wvj42 Purpose in Life Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yz4ztenp Living with a Purpose Changes Everything: https://tinyurl.com/d3ea7afa More On Meaning and Purpose: The Atlantic - The Meaning of Life Is Surprisingly Simple: https://tinyurl.com/2yfucadj Pew - Where Americans Find Meaning in Life: https://tinyurl.com/nek5j6tk Scientific American - To Feel Meaningful Is To Feel Immortal: https://tinyurl.com/yuhe99m9 NPR - What's Your Purpose? https://tinyurl.com/465aknec Harvard Business Review: What Is the Purpose of Your Purpose? https://tinyurl.com/43pjrc6j Tell us about how you find meaning in your life. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste: all of our five senses provide unique pathways to presence and happiness. We spend a few minutes being mindful of each one. How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable place where you feel safe. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few deep breths, noticing the sensation of the air as it moves through your nose, into your lungs, and back out again. Sound: For a few breaths, pay attention to the sounds around you. Notice where they are in space. Touch: Put one hand on top of the other. Notice the sensations you feel in your hand as your fingers’ knuckles touch the other, like temperature and texture.. Shift your attention to your cheeks, noticing temperature and the feel of the air. Taste: Now, pay attention to the taste you are experiencing on your tongue. There may be no taste or the taste of saliva. Smell: Move your focus to the smell around you as you take a breath. See how many odors you can identify. **Sight: Finally, focus your gaze on a point eight inches in front of you for a few seconds and see what colors, forms, light, and shadow you notice there. Take a few more deep breaths here and notice if any of your senses feel heightened. More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to our Happiness Break on body scan meditation: https://tinyurl.com/bd6x8ba5 How to Focus Under Pressure (podcast) https://tinyurl.com/mxpd6mtd Coming to Our Senses: https://tinyurl.com/3d4jkprr Hands-On Research: The Science of Touch: https://tinyurl.com/y79vpbre 10 Steps to Savoring the Good Things in Life: https://tinyurl.com/2zwb5y8v We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with the five senses meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Moving in sync with someone else — even a total stranger — can change how you feel about them, and how you act, without you realizing it. Episode summary: When was the last time you moved in sync with someone else? Dancing, exercising, even just walking in step — for some, it comes easily, for others, it’s a challenge. But can moving to the same beat make all of us kinder to one another? This week, our guest Chris Duffy steps out of his comfort zone to try a practice in Body Music, rhythmically making sounds just by tapping your body, with body percussionist Keith Terry. Later, we learn how tapping in sync with someone else tricks you into thinking you have more in common with them, and can make you more inclined to help them. Practice: To start, stand up. Clap your hands together in front of your chest, then tap your left palm to your right chest, then right hand to your left chest. Repeat at a steady cadence. Next, cap your hands together in front of your chest, then tap your left hand to your right chest, then right hand to your left chest, the right hand to top of your right thigh, then left hand to left thigh. Repeat at a steady cadence. You can add on by tapping your right hand to your right buttocks and left hand to left buttocks after you finish tapping both thighs in step 2. Repeat (including all of step 2) at a steady cadence. To add even more complexity, stomp each foot one at a time after completing all of step 3. Repeat at a steady cadence. Check out a video of body percussionist Keith Terry performing this practice (and try it with a friend!): https://tinyurl.com/mwffv447 Today’s guests: Chris Duffy is a comedian, writer, and host of the TED podcast How to Be A Better Human. Listen to Chris’s podcast, How to Be a Better Human: https://tinyurl.com/bdey9pm5 Follow Chris on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisiduffy/ Follow Chris on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopheriduffy Check out Chris’s comedy: https://chrisduffycomedy.com/videos Keith Terry is a body percussionist and creator of the Body Music practice Chris tried today. Learn more about Keith’s work: https://crosspulse.com/keith-terry/ Check out one of Keith’s original compositions: https://tinyurl.com/ybhweyux Piercarlo Valdesolo  is a psychologist and Chair of Psychological Science at Claremont McKenna College in California. Learn more about Piercarolo’s work: http://www.valdesolo.com/ Check out the Moral Emotions and Trust Lab: http://www.valdesolo.com/meat-lab Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How Music Bonds Us Together https://tinyurl.com/329scmf6 To Resolve Conflicts, Get Up and Move https://tinyurl.com/bdf6zswn Five Ways Music Can Make You a Better Person https://tinyurl.com/mwa22r8m How to Train the Compassionate Brain https://tinyurl.com/32nbuh94 More Resources on Synchronized Movement PRX - Body Music with Keith Terry https://tinyurl.com/2p8tz5j3 Scientific American - Moving in Sync Creates Surprising Social Bonds among People https://tinyurl.com/3y3ahfa3 Oxford University - Let’s dance: synchronised movement helps us tolerate pain and foster friendship  https://tinyurl.com/c8tvrmdx Science Daily - Social Synchronicity https://tinyurl.com/4mzvahe Tell us about your experiences and struggles with body music or moving in sync. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Happiness isn't only in your head — your body is important, too. This week, Radha Agrawal leads us in a short Japanese calisthenics practice called Radio Taiso. Check out Radha Agrawal’s video guide to this practice: https://dose.daybreaker.com/videos/microdose-oxytocin-healthy-spine Today’s Happiness Break guide: Radha Agrawal is Japanese-Indian author and a founder of Daybreaker, a company that throws sober dance parties at sunrise all around the world. Learn more about Daybreaker: https://www.daybreaker.com/ The Science of Happiness listeners get 100% off their first month of Daybreaker’s Dose, using code GGSC at check out:  http://dose.daybreaker.com?code=ggsc Follow Radha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love.radha/ Follow Radha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/radhatwin Learn more about Radha and her book, Belong: https://belongbook.com/ More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Moving Your Body Is Like a Tune-Up for Your Mind: https://tinyurl.com/2f64na8b Five Surprising Ways Exercise Changes Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/4pbx3rua How Tuning In to Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/328scfjj Four Ways Dancing Makes You Happier: https://tinyurl.com/yxp6mxdw We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of trying radio calisthenics. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

One way to feel more thankful for things is to imagine life without them. Our guest tries a practice for seeing the bright side, even when you feel down. Episode summary: We know that gratitude is good for us. But what can we do when we’re struggling to actually feel thankful? Our guest this week is author and podcast producer Stephanie Foo. Foo built a network of close friends around her in California, where she grew up. As a survivor of child abuse and Complex PTSD, her friends in California became her chosen family. And since she’s moved to New York City, she finds herself often pining for the Golden State and the people she loves there. This week, Foo tries a practice in mental subtraction, which gratitude researcher Ernst Bohlmeijer describes as an antidote to taking things for granted. Imagining her life if she didn’t live in New York helps Foo tap into gratitude even in the depths of winter – when she misses California the most. She even discovers her particular skill in getting the benefits of this practice by leaning into one of her PTSD symptoms. Later in the show, Ernst Bohlmeijer breaks down how keeping a gratitude practice can alter the emotions you’re likely to experience in a given day, and maybe even change you as a person. Practice: Take a moment to think about a positive event in your life. It could be a career or educational achievement or a special trip you took. Imagine yourself back in the time of this event. Think about the circumstances that made it possible. Ponder on the ways in which this event may never have happened and write them down. For example, if you hadn’t learned about a certain job opening at the right moment. Imagine what your life would be like now if you had not experienced this positive event and all the fruits that came from it. Remind yourself that this positive event did happen and reflect upon the benefits it has brought you. Allow yourself to feel grateful that things happened as they did. Find the full Mental Subtraction of Positive Events practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mental_subtraction_positive_events Today’s guests: Stephanie Foo is a radio producer and author of the book What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma. Learn more about Stephanie and her book: https://www.stephaniefoo.me/ Follow Stephanie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/imontheradio Follow Stephanie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foofoofoo/ Follow Stephanie on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yx6pwdnf Ernst Bohlmeijer is a psychology professor who studies gratitude at the University of Twente in The Netherlands. Learn more about Ernst and his work: https://tinyurl.com/2p92p6vn Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Four Great Gratitude Strategies: https://tinyurl.com/2p9buvkd Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal: https://tinyurl.com/3jdbe52u How to Increase the Love in Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/3k4ayj4n Why Cynicism Can Hold You Back: https://tinyurl.com/bd4ussjt More Resources for Mental Subtraction of Positive Events: New York Times - Five Ways to Exercise Your Thankfulness Muscles: https://tinyurl.com/t29ukucc NPR - A.J. Jacobs: How Can We Thank Those We Take for Granted?: https://tinyurl.com/56x48u99 TED - Your 5-day gratitude challenge: 5 exercises to increase your gratefulness: https://tinyurl.com/mt8j3x65 Tell us your thoughts about this episode. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Not sure how to start practicing gratitude? Psychologist Dacher Keltner guides you through a practice that can help you see the good things in your life that you might otherwise overlook. How to Do This Practice: Sit or lay down somewhere comfortable. You may close your eyes if you wish, and take a slow, deep breath in to ground into the present moment. Then, scan your body from head to toe, noticing how you’re feeling in this moment. Let worries and plans clear from your mind. Start by thinking about all the things that make your life comfortable: Clean water on tap, light at the flip of a switch, a roof over your head to protect you from the weather, warmth, and comfort when it gets windy, rainy, or cold. Let your mind wander to all the millions of people who have worked hard to make your life more comfortable: Those who plant and harvest the food you eat, who bring it to markets, people who ensure the water we drink is clean, delivery drivers, teachers, all the people who create art and music and books and films and all the things that can bring us so much meaning, and so on. Think about the acquaintances who bring richness to your life, like a colleague, neighbor, or someone you often see at the gym or a coffee shop. Take a moment to think about what you’re really grateful for today, right now. Notice how you’re feeling now, compared to when you started, and then start to bring movement back to your body, wiggling fingers and toes, maybe slowly standing up. If you have the time, spend a few minutes journaling about what you thought about. Today’s Happiness Break host: 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. This practice was created by Dr. Kathy Kemper, who's the director of the Center for Integrative Health and Wellness at the Ohio State University. Learn more about some of her work here: https://mind-bodyhealth.osu.edu/ More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Try GGSC’s online Gratitude Journal, Thnx4: https://tinyurl.com/2s4e4bx6 Take our Gratitude Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yhbz6cwv Four Great Gratitude Strategies: https://tinyurl.com/2muyff64 Is Gratitude Good for You?: https://tinyurl.com/ycknm2ru Three Surprising Ways Gratitude Works at Work: https://tinyurl.com/yc2c8y4n How Gratitude Motivates Us to Become Better People: https://tinyurl.com/5n6ejpdy We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with practicing gratitude. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

There are millions of YouTube videos with people crinkling bubble wrap or whispering about folding laundry. Our guest talks about why autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) makes her, and many others, feel more calm and happy. Episode summary: Melinda still remembers the tingling feeling she felt when she first listened to the close-up sound of someone drawing on a TV show at the age of ten. She learned later that the subtle sounds that create soothing sensations for her are called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. Now, she creates ASMR experiences on her YouTube channel and through her live production company, Whisperlodge — from delicately handling a plastic package to gently stroking a microphone with a makeup brush. In today's show, Melinda demystifies the world of ASMR and how it brings both calm and delight to her and her participants. Later, we hear about the emerging science behind ASMR from Dr. Giulia Poerio, who studies it in her lab at the University of Essex. As it turns out, those tingles might actually benefit our mental health. Today’s Science of Happiness Guests: Melinda Lauw, is the co-creator of Whisperlodge, an immersive ASMR theater experience. Check out some ASMR videos from Whisperlodge's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Whisperlodge Learn more about Whisperlodge: https://whisperlodge.nyc/ Follow Melinda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melinda.lauw/ Follow Melinda on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindalauw Giulia Poerio is a psychology professor at the University of Essex who studies the effects of ASMR on the mind and body. Learn more about her work: https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/poeri14804/giulia-poerio Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to our Happiness Break on silence: https://tinyurl.com/2hny7pcd Just One Thing: Pay Attention!: https://tinyurl.com/cm2xb86j What Music Looks Like in the Brain: https://tinyurl.com/2k9t3sjz Does Your Voice Reveal More Emotion Than Your Face?: https://tinyurl.com/ympr4brk More Resources for ASMR: TED - The brain science (and benefits) of ASMR: https://tinyurl.com/y8a89xv3 Vox - ASMR, explained: why millions of people are watching YouTube videos of someone whispering: https://tinyurl.com/4j4kn7dh New York Times - How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation: https://tinyurl.com/2jke45k5 NPR - Some People Get 'Brain Tingles' From These Slime Videos. What's Behind The Feeling?: https://tinyurl.com/2p8p4u7d National Geographic - ASMR or not? Unpicking the science behind a sensory phenomenon: https://tinyurl.com/yvnvuzk5 Tell us your thoughts about ASMR. Do you get tingly sensations?  Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu 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

Consider what you want to make space for in your life in this 6-minute contemplation guided by Alex Elle. How to Do This Practice: Take a few deep breaths. File up your belly on each inhale. Drop your shoulder and soften your body on each exhale. Say these eight phrases to yourself, or your own variation of it. Consider which resonates with you the most: a. “In the presence of fear, I will make space for courage.” b. “In the presence of self-doubt, I will make space for self-belief.” c. “In the presence of hurriedness, I will make space for slowing down.” d. “In the presence of overwhelm, I will make space for rest.” e. “In the presence of overthinking, I will make space for letting go.” f. “In the presence of chaos, I will make space for inner peace.” g. “In the presence of confusion, I will make space for clarity.” h. “In the presence of pain, I will make space for self-compassion.” Bring your attention to the line from this meditation that resonates with you the most. Think about all the ways you wish to make space so you can bloom into the best version of yourself. Write it down, perhaps on a sticky note, and keep it somewhere you can see it. Today’s Happiness Break host: Alex Elle is a breathwork coach, author and restorative writing teacher. Her new book, How We Heal, will be published this November. Keep an eye on our Instagram page, @greatergoodmag for a chance to win a copy. Learn more about Alex and her new book: https://www.alexelle.com/about Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex/ Follow Alex on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@easewithalexl Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex__elle Follow Alex on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexElleFB More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to another Happiness Break podcast hosted by Alex: A Note to Self on Forgiveness Being Kinder to Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/yxu64duk Can Self-Awareness Help You Be More Empathic?: https://tinyurl.com/bjue72bn How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/2xn4f3pk Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination?: https://tinyurl.com/ytvxmp5d Does Self-Compassion Make You Selfish?: https://tinyurl.com/528h6h6x We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of making space for yourself. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day

Hardships in life are a given, but what if we found a way to laugh about it? Our guest shares how he's used humor to cope with the deepest pains in his life. Episode summary: When we go through hardships and struggles, finding the humor in them can help us relieve stress and change our perspective. This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest shares how he’s used humor to triumph over hardship in his life. Kerry is a former member of the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a re-entry home where formerly incarcerated people can find community and connections. He started performing comedy based on his personal experiences during the 12 years he spent in and out of the prison. Kerry shares with us how processing his experiences by writing jokes about them changes his perspective on his traumatic past and helps him cope. Later, we hear from psychologist Andrea Samson about how humor can help us  face down  some difficult situations. How to Do This Practice: Every day for one week, spend 10 minutes thinking about the things you found really funny that day. Write them down in as much detail as possible and describe how each of those things made you feel. It’s important to write it out, as opposed to only doing it in your head. Write down the reason why these things were funny. You can also answer the question, “Why did this funny event happen?” Find the full Three Fun Things practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three_funny_things Today’s Science of Happiness Guests: Kerry is a former member of the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a home by and for formerly incarcerated people, which provides resources and support for their re-entry. To learn more about Bay Area Freedom House: https://www.collectivefreedom.org/ or: https://www.facebook.com/bayareafreedom/ To financially support the Bay Area Freedom Collective: https://givedirect.org/freedomcollective/ Andrea Samson is director of the chEERSLab at UniDistance Suisse and the University of Fribourg. She studies how humor helps us deal with one difficult situation and emotions Learn more about Andrea’s research: https://tinyurl.com/3t42rp93 More resources on humor from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to The Science of Happiness episode on how humor can strengthen a relationship: https://tinyurl.com/4jem5r25 How a Little Humor Can Improve Your Work Life: https://tinyurl.com/4u2949mk How Laughter Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/2s3zfp7h Why Do We Laugh?: https://tinyurl.com/4rr4d7ch More resources on humor: New York Times - Is It OK to Laugh During Dark Times?: https://tinyurl.com/4c22uekj Guardian - You’ve got to laugh: why a sense of humor helps in dark times: https://tinyurl.com/3xpvkcm2 ABC - Why Pain Makes Us Laugh: https://tinyurl.com/4fa6snj5 The Atlantic - The Link Between Happiness and a Sense of Humor: https://tinyurl.com/3mke3wpc Mayo Clinic - Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke: https://tinyurl.com/4w8f4rwx Scientific American - Laugh so you don't cry: how laughing kills the pain: https://tinyurl.com/3sysuwyf Tell us what you think about using humor as a coping strategy by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

When was the last time you spent a moment savoring silence? Tricia Hersey, aka The Nap Bishop, guides us through an appreciation of silence and its restorative powers. Scientists have found that spending just two minutes in silence can lower your blood pressure and heart rate, even when compared to listening to slow, relaxing music. How to Do This Practice: Find a quiet place to rest. Set a two-minute timer and put it aside. Close your eyes and soften your face. Allow yourself to listen to the silence and rest your body. At the end of the two minutes, slowly open your eyes and notice how you feel in your body. Or, continue resting in silence for as long as you need. Today’s Happiness Break host: Tricia Hersey is an activist, organizer, and founder of The Nap Ministry. She is also the author of a new book, Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto. Order it here: https://tinyurl.com/5bkk6txk Learn more about Tricia and her work: https://thenapministry.com/ Follow Tricia on Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/\](http:// https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/) Follow Tricia on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thenapministry/ Follow Tricia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thenapministry More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How to Avoid Burnout—or a Breakdown: https://tinyurl.com/5h4nrahy What Is Black Fatigue, and How Can We Protect Employees from It?: https://tinyurl.com/yzcujre7 Quiet Justice: https://tinyurl.com/yc78fknk More resources on the science of silence: TIME - How Listening to Silence Changes Our Brains: https://tinyurl.com/4brpst8b Healthline - 8 Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Silence, Plus How to Get More of It: https://tinyurl.com/5d84mxen New Scientist - The power of quiet: The mental and physical health benefits of silence: https://tinyurl.com/2wn82wkr PsychCentral - The Hidden Benefits of Silence: https://tinyurl.com/2p9fkc36 We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of holding silence. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider tries a body scan meditation to sharpen her focus and calm her nerves as she prepares for the Tournament of Champions. Episode summary: Amy Schneider is the most successful woman to ever compete on Jeopardy!. Part of her winning strategy was to shut down all her mental chatter and completely focus on the competition. But when the cameras are off, she struggles to find the same calm. For today’s show, Amy tries a body scan practice to connect with her body and quiet her busy mind. Later we hear from Jonathan Greenberg, a Harvard psychology professor. He explains how mindfulness can make us better problem solvers, and how that can benefit our emotional health, too. How to Do This Practice: Find a quiet place where you feel safe and comfortable. You can be standing, sitting, or lying down. Close your eyes, and take a few deep, long breaths. Move your attention through your body slowly, part by part, starting with your feet. Focus on your feet, then your calves, knees, and so on, until you get to the top of your head. Without judgment, notice what sensations you can identify in each part of the body. When your mind wanders, gently and with self-kindness, guide your attention back to the part of the body you’re focusing on in the present moment. Find the full Body Scan Meditation practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/body_scan_meditation Today’s guests: Amy Schneider is the most successful woman to compete on the quiz show Jeopardy! and won 40 consecutive games. Follow Amy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jeopardamy Follow Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeopardamy/ Follow Amy on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/5b4dyezy Jonathan Greenberg is a psychology professor in Harvard University’s Clinical and Translational Science Center. His research focuses on the role of mindfulness and relaxation. Learn more about Jonathan’s research: https://tinyurl.com/yn7j73au More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Try a body scan meditation guided by host Dacher Keltner, on Happiness Break: https://tinyurl.com/bd6x8ba5 Where to Find Wisdom in the Body: https://tinyurl.com/yctxtkzt Compassionate Mind, Healthy Body: https://tinyurl.com/5n79ary9 Moving Your Body Is Like a Tune-Up for Your Mind: https://tinyurl.com/2f64na8b Your Anxiety Might Be Coming From Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/4j9ynwr9 More resources on body scan meditation: NPR - A Crash Course in Body Scan Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/mu24fx7p Harvard Health - You can practice mindfulness in as little as 15 minutes a day: https://tinyurl.com/4aex7738 10% Happier - Change Your Posture, Change Your Mood: https://tinyurl.com/4crydjs6 Time - This Quick Meditation Helps You Let Go of Stress and Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/4mzpu2zr Tell us about how you feel after trying the body-scan meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Cultivate more joy in your life with this practice led by meditation teacher and author Spring Washam. How to Do This Practice: Think about an area of your life that brings you joy, it could be anything.  Imagine yourself experiencing that moment of happiness. Feel the smiles, the peace and laughter. As you reflect on the moment, say to yourself, “may my joy and my happiness increase.”  Next, practice “sympathetic joy.” To do this, think about someone you know having a great experience. As you think of them in their joy, say to them in your mind, “May your joy and happiness increase.” Or you can also say, “I'm happy for your happiness. May your happiness continue.” Remember that happiness is infinite. Being joyful for others is a way to increase your joy.  Today’s Happiness Break host: Spring Washam, is a meditation teacher based in Oakland, California. She is also the author of the forthcoming 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/ Follow Spring on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teacher.springwasham/ Follow Spring on Twitter: https://twitter.com/springwasham Check out Spring’s YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/22njyd29 More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy: https://tinyurl.com/3cn22wcb How Your Life Is Shaped by the Emotions You Want to Feel: https://tinyurl.com/54ff3b4k Moments of Love and Connection May Help You Live Longer: https://tinyurl.com/328scfjj Can You Be Too Happy?: https://tinyurl.com/4jswnf94 Why Other People’s Good News Could Be Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/4d8dxsw5 We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of cultivating joy. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

These days, it's hard to imagine befriending people with different politics than your own. But these two men did it using a tried and true practice. Episode summary: When a graphic work of art depicting two men having sex was hung up in a busy hallway on a community college campus, it stirred up a huge controversy. Some students wanted it taken down, while others opposed the idea of censoring art. Instead of retreating to their respective echo chambers, two students who disagreed had a public debate. It was so successful, they actually went on to create a discourse club on campus. We learn the tactics that helped them navigate a divisive topic with their civility and differing values intact. Later, we hear from psychologist Cynthia Wang on how taking someone else’s perspective can bring people of different backgrounds together and disrupt stereotyping. Practice: Think of someone whom you might be at odds with — perhaps they have different political beliefs, or they’re not part of your ethnic or religious group, or they have arguments with you. Take a moment to imagine yourself as this person, seeing the world through their eyes. Recall a moment you shared with this person and think how you, as this person, experience that shared situation. What does the world look like from their point of view? Try to imagine how it feels to be them as vividly as possible. Ask yourself questions such as, what emotions are they experiencing? How might that feel in their body? How might their feelings in the situation differ from yours? If you’re in a debate with this person, try taking their side and formulate an argument on their behalf. You might understand more nuances about their views. If you have the time, you can even try to imagine a day in your life as this person. Find the bridging differences playbook in our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/major_initiatives/bridging_differences Today’s guests: Mark Urista is a professor of communication at Linn-Benton Community College in Oregon. Anthony Lusardi and Steven Olson are former students at Linn-Benton Community College. Learn more about LBCC Civil Discourse Club: https://tinyurl.com/5becxpba Follow the LBCC Civil Discourse Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LBCCCivilDiscourse/ Dr. Cynthia Wang is the clinical psychology professor at Northwestern University. She’s also the executive director of the Dispute Resolution Research Center at the Kellogg School of Management. Learn more about Cynthia and her work: https://tinyurl.com/56kebcvw Follow Cynthia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cynthiascwang Resources for bridging differences from The Greater Good Science Center: Learn more about the Bridging Differences Initiative: https://tinyurl.com/5n6j5e3t Eight Keys to Bridging Our Differences: https://tinyurl.com/ywaay6ux What Will It Take to Bridge Our Differences? https://tinyurl.com/yjvvt622 How to Get Some Emotional Distance in an Argument: https://tinyurl.com/342r4sjz More resources on bridging differences: TED - Bridging Cultural Differences(playlist): https://tinyurl.com/racj5edf NPR - Why We Fight: The Psychology Of Political Differences: https://tinyurl.com/52rxnxwj Tell us about your experiences of bridging differences by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap This episode is supported by Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, as part of the Greater Good Science Center’s Bridging Differences initiative. To learn more about the Bridging Differences initiative, please visit: https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/what_we_do/major_initiatives/bridging_differences

Dedicating a little time to tune into your body fortifies you to better handle the stresses of daily life. How to Do This Practice: Find a quiet place where you feel safe and comfortable.You can be standing, sitting, or lying down. Make sure that you feel relaxed. Close your eyes, and take a few deep, long breaths. Move your attention through your body slowly, part by part. Focus on your feet, then your calves, knees, and so on, until you get to the top of your head. Without judgment, notice what sensations you can identify in each part of the body. When your mind wanders, gently and with self-kindness, guide your attention back to the part of the body you’re focusing on in the present moment. Find the full Body Scan Meditation practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/body_scan_meditation More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to a Science of Happiness episode on the body scan meditation with Daniel Wu: https://tinyurl.com/hn6vhx4b How a Body Scan Can Help With Strong Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/57sdek76 How Tuning In to Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/328scfjj What Self-Compassion Feels Like in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/426hfnjj Compassionate Mind, Healthy Body: https://tinyurl.com/5n79ary9 Your Anxiety Might Be Coming From Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/4j9ynwr9 Why Yoga Is Good for Your Body and Brain, According to Science: https://tinyurl.com/ynja9f22 We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with the body scan meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

How do you forgive someone while still holding them accountable? What if that person is yourself? This week, our guest tries a practice in forgiving herself and someone else. Episode summary: Anoosha Syed appreciates her name now, but as a kid, she struggled with feeling different from everyone else. She had friends call her “Annie” and even dyed her hair blonde in an effort to look less Pakistani. Anoosha joins us after trying a practice in forgiveness. Anoosha explores the complexities of forgiving someone who’s in a position of power and privilege and should know better, like the teacher who always mispronounced her name. Then, Anoosha took the practice a step further and directed it inward. She shares what it was like to forgive her younger self for not being as proud of her culture as she is today.  Later, we hear from psychologist Dr. Lydia Woodyatt about the power of self-compassion and affirming our important values to release us from destructive self-blame while still holding ourselves accountable when we need to. Practice: Make sure you know how you feel about what is going on and be able to articulate it. Then, tell someone you can trust about your experience. Tell yourself you will feel better because of this forgiveness. Forgiveness is for you, not for others. Remember, forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciling with the person who upsets you or condoning the behavior. Recognize that your primary pain comes from hurt feelings, thoughts, and physical discomfort you are experiencing now, not from the thing that offended or hurt in the past. Practice stress management to soothe yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed. Try things like mindful breathing or going for a walk. Remind yourself that you cannot expect others to act in the way you think they should, but it’s ok to hope that they do. Find another way to achieve the positive outcome you had hoped for in the first place. Instead of focusing on your hurt feelings, look for the bright side of things. Focus on what’s going well for you. Change the way you look at your past so you remind yourself of your heroic choice to forgive.. Find the Nine Steps to Forgiveness Practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/nine_steps_to_forgiveness Today’s guests: Anoosha Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian freelance illustrator and author of the children's book, That is Not My Name. Learn more about Anoosha and her works: http://www.anooshasyed.com/ Follow Anoosha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxville_art Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3pahbn7x YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/anooshasyed Dr. Lydia Woodyatt is an associate professor in Psychology at Flinders University in Australia. She studies wellbeing, justice, emotions, and motivation. Learn more about Lydia and her works: https://tinyurl.com/mrs974by Follow Lydia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LydiaWoodyatt Resources for forgiveness from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to an episode of Happiness Break on Self-forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/3d7sevfs Eight Keys to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/5n82yjkf Is a Grudge Keeping You Up at Night?: https://tinyurl.com/yc7pkdyk More resources on forgiveness: TED - How (and why) to forgive: https://tinyurl.com/mu2zep4f Harvard Health - The Power of Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/2p9fden3 10% Happier - Writing a Forgiveness letter: https://tinyurl.com/mr5y624x Tell us about your experiences letting go of a grudge by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

Letting go of our regrets can motivate us to improve and help us grow. Alex Elle, a certified breathwork and writing coach, guides us through a meditation to forgive and accept ourselves. How to Do This Practice: Take a deep breath. As you exhale, remember all you have done in the past that led you to come to be where you are today. Remember that you are allowed to forgive yourself and let it go. Give yourself permission to release any shame that you’re carrying. Forgive yourself. Think of the good things about yourself. Trust your worth and acknowledge that you are evolving. Remember, you are worthy of good things even when you think you are now. When you're ready, you can bring your attention back to the present moment. Take a few deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the nose. Drop your shoulder and unclench your jaw. If you'd like to take this practice a step further, you can write your own letter of self forgiveness, it can start with “Dear self, I forgive you for …” Today’s Happiness Break host: Alex Elle is a certified breathwork coach, author and restorative writing teacher. Her new book, How We Heal, will come out soon. Learn more about Alex and her new book: https://www.alexelle.com/about Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex/ Follow Alex on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@easewithalexl Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex__elle Follow Alex on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexElleFB More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to a Science of Happiness episode on self-compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2hundtmc How to Grow from Your Regrets: https://tinyurl.com/ys8239k2 Just One Thing: Forgive Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/5ybny4xx Forgive Yourself, Save Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/49by7ma6 The Healthy Way to Forgive Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/4p3e9eha How to Let Go of an Old Regret: https://tinyurl.com/4mryyyfy We love hearing from you! Tell us how letting go of your regret makes you feel. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

When's the last time you made a good memory — intentionally? Our guest tries a practice in cultivating positive experiences and taking time to savor them. Episode summary: Life doesn't always hand us good times, but we can benefit as much or more when we create our own happy memories and take time to appreciate them. This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest tries a practice to intentionally create good experiences and reflect on them. Deandrea Farlow is a member of the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a re-entry home where formerly incarcerated people can find community and connections. Deandrea  brings us into his experience with this practice, and shares what it’s like to find strength through the hardest times as well as  positive events, like the ones he created for our show. Psychologist Meg Speer explains how ruminating on good times can actually change the way we respond to stress. . Practice: Creating and Recalling Positive Events 1. Do an activity that you enjoy doing alone. 2. With a friend, do something that you enjoy doing with others. 3. Do something that you consider personally important and meaningful. 4. Then take a step back and really think about these three events. Write about how they make you feel. Talk about it with a friend, or just really think about it. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/creating_and_recalling_positive_events Today’s guests: Deandrea Farlow is a member of the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a home by and for formerly incarcerated people, which provides resources and support for their re-entry. To learn more about Bay Area Freedom House: https://www.collectivefreedom.org/ or: https://www.facebook.com/bayareafreedom/ To financially support the Bay Area Freedom Collective: https://givedirect.org/freedomcollective/ Meg Speer is a postdoctoral researcher in the SCAN lab at Columbia University. She studies how autobiographical memories and positive thoughts affect our brain function. Learn more about Meg and her work: https://tinyurl.com/yf39acwk Follow Meg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mspeer3 Follow Meg on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/9cn3tmbh Resources for Recalling Positive Event: TED —There’s an art to happy memories — you can make more by experiencing more “first”s: https://tinyurl.com/2p8sdsy7 Hidden Brain (NPR) — Nostalgia Isn't Just A Fixation On The Past - It Can Be About The Future, Too: https://tinyurl.com/5d8dej3a Resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Five Ways Nostalgia Can Improve Your Well-Being: https://tinyurl.com/veeraw6u Listen to our episode, “How to Make Time for Happiness” https://tinyurl.com/yhf39awt Listen to our last episode featuring the Bay Area Freedom Collective, “How to Feel Less Lonely and More Connected” https://tinyurl.com/4d6dm9zp We’d love for you to try out this practice and share how it went for you. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

When was the last time you thought about your ancestors? This guided meditation by indigenous scholar Yuria Celidwen will help you connect to your heritage and reap the potent benefits of remembering your roots. How to Do This Practice: Bring your attention to the center of your chest, allow the chest to open, and relax. Notice an open space in your chest when you breathe in. Pause before exhaling, resting your awareness in the space between breaths, then breathe out. Contemplate the pause that connects the constant flow between openings and returning. In that pause, contemplate your  lineage. Think about the origin stories of your elders, their own elders, and their own elders, moving back in time. Think about those elders and the lands that touched their feet. Imagine bringing that land into the center of your chest, into the pause between breaths. Today’s Happiness Break host: Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous scholar of Nahua and Maya descent. She also works at the United Nations to advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and environmental sustainability. Learn more about Dr. Celidwen: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/ More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Listen to Dr. Yuria Celidwen on The Science of Happiness episode about listening to your elders: https://tinyurl.com/ykn8euhc Try the grounding practice led by Dr. Yuria Celidwen from Happiness Break: https://tinyurl.com/24kdurc4 Why Telling Our Own Story Is So Powerful for Black Americans: https://tinyurl.com/2nvcxpam We love hearing from you! Tell us how connecting to your ancestors made you feel. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Comedian Aparna Nancherla has always struggled with anxiety — can a new technique help her cope? Episode summary: Comedian Aparna Nancherla has always struggled with anxiety. Starting a new task at work, writing her book, talking to a baby — you name it, she worries about it. And while she’s built a career in stand-up comedy making light of her struggles, she still suffers. Aparna joins us to share what it’s like to try a new technique to cope with her anxiety. She tries to see her anxiety through a new lens, and actually lean into it. We also hear from psychologist and anxiety expert Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary about this radical new approach to understanding anxiety and coping with it by understanding it not just as a crucial part of being human, but as a strength unto itself.  Practice: Ask yourself: what am I feeling anxious about? What do I want to happen? Take a few minutes to write out your answer. Next, ask yourself: Is there something I can do right now to get closer to the outcome I described in question 1? If the answer is yes, go to part A. If the answer is no, go to part B. A. Remind yourself: My body is preparing me to do what I need to do. I will be better at what I need to do because of these feelings. Then, do whatever it is you identified in question 2. If you still feel anxious and there’s nothing more you can do right now, go to part B. B. Sometimes there are circumstances in our life that make us feel nervous or scared, and there’s nothing we can do in the moment to change our situation. When that’s the case for you, try a mindfulness practice to ground yourself in the present moment. Here are a few you can try: Noticing Nature Walking Meditation Mindful Breathing Body Scan Meditation Savoring Walk Today’s guests: Aparna Nancherla is a comedian, writer, and actress in New York City whose stand-up often focuses on her experience living with depression and anxiety. Check out more videos from Aparna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_pr8Pdh84 Follow Aparna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aparnapkin Follow Aparna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aparnapkin/ Tracy Dennis-Tiwary is an anxiety researcher and psychology professor at Hunter College. She just published a new book, Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good For You. Learn more about Tracy and her book: https://www.drtracyphd.com/future-tense Follow Tracy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracyadennis Follow Tracy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.tracyphd/ Resources for Surfing Anxiety TED - How to Cope with Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/copeanxiety Harvard Health - Anxiety: What it is, What to do: https://tinyurl.com/anxietyhowto  10% Happier - How a Buddhist Monk Deals with Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/2wpa9pz2 More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How to Turn Bad Anxiety into Good Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/goodanxiety Can We Help Young Brains Fight Off Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/HelpBrains How to Be Yourself When You Have Social Anxiety: https://tinyurl.com/Socialanxious Tell us about your experiences with anxiety by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

A few slow, mindful paces can lower your cortisol and make you more at ease. Psychologist Dacher Keltner guides you through this Walking Meditation. How to Do This Practice: Find a relatively peaceful space that allows you to walk back and forth for 10-15 paces, where you won’t be disturbed or observed. Begin to walk forward slowly, lifting one foot first, then placing it gently on the floor or ground ahead of you, heel first. Notice your weight shift as you lift your back heel, then the whole foot, and then place it down heel first in front of your first foot. Walk 10-15 paces this way, then reverse directions. As you walk, try to focus your attention on one or more sensations that you would normally take for granted, like your breath, the movement of your feet and legs, or how the pressure on the bottom of each foot shifts throughout each step. If you notice your mind wandering, simply bring it back to noticing those sensations, without judgment. Repeat this practice as often as you’d like, ideally for at least 10 minutes twice a week. Find the full Walking Meditation practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/walking_meditation More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center: How to Cultivate Awe With a Walking Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/yckz7hu8 How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2u6rfzhb Can Meditation Help You with Depression? https://tinyurl.com/3ny8jjhj A Walk in the Park: https://tinyurl.com/58v6d9k2 Why You Should Take a Relaxing Lunch Break: https://tinyurl.com/8kckdhmx How Resting More Can Boost Your Productivity: https://tinyurl.com/2p97yfff Four Tips for Sticking to a Meditation Practice: https://tinyurl.com/5b22pynt Tell us how this walking meditation made you feel by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each bi-weekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

What if you could fall in love, or forge deep connections in just 45 minutes? Our guests try out 36 questions with their partners to see if they can strengthen their connection. Episode summary: There are 36 questions that have been shown over and over again in lab studies to help people fall in love or form fast connections. In this week’s episode, we bring back Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg of By the Book podcast*.* They recruit their husbands to ask and answer these questions and then fill us in on the surprising ways they helped each of their relationships. Later, we hear from psychologists Arthur and Elaine Aron, the married duo who co-created the 36 questions this practice is based on. They explain the principles behind the questions, so you can come up with your own conversation starters to foster closeness with anyone — family, friends, or your partner. Practice: 36 Questions for Increasing Closeness Identify someone with whom you’d like to become closer. Find a time when you both have about 45 minutes to meet in person. Take 15 minutes answering the questions in Set I below. Each person should answer every question, but alternate who answers first. If you don’t finish the set in 15 minutes, move on to Set II. Repeat the steps above for sets II and III. Find the 36 questions at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/36_questions_for_increasing_closeness Today’s guests: Kristen Meinzer is a pop culture commentator, Royals expert, and co-host of By the Book podcast. She also co-hosts the new podcast Romance Road Test. Jolenta Greenberg is a comedian, pop culture commentator, and aslo co-hosts of By the Book and Romance Road Test. Listen to Romance Road Test: https://tinyurl.com/mr298rwr Listen to By the Book: https://pod.link/1217948628 Arthur and Elaine Aron are two of the leading psychologists studying the psychology of love and close relationships, and they are a married couple. The Arons created the original 36 questions this practice is based on. Resources For Increasing Closeness: The New York Times, Smarter Living - How to Be a Better Friend: https://tinyurl.com/3bpn2bvr NBC News - How to build emotional intimacy with your partner: https://tinyurl.com/bdz84apz Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel - Twice Married, To Each Other: https://tinyurl.com/mt4r7zw More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Take our Compassionate Love Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/bdfuucw3 36 Questions That Can Help Kids Make Friends: https://tinyurl.com/2bc42vvt Moments of Love and Connection May Help You Live Longer: https://tinyurl.com/2s3h58yw Tell us about your experience asking and answering these 36 questions by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

Connect to yourself and the land you stand on in under 10 minutes with this grounding practice led by Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen. How to Do This Practice: If possible, go outside and find some natural ground, like grass or dirt. If you're wearing shoes or socks, take them off and place the soles of your feet directly on the ground. Bring your attention to the earth beneath you. Allow it to hold you, paying attention to how it feels — soft, firm, reliable. Imagine you're starting to grow roots from the tip of your toes, digging deep into the earth. Visualize energy and wellness flowing through your roots to your toes, into the soles of your feet, your thighs and knees, then base of the spine and upwards into your chest, expanding the whole center of your chest. Take a full, deep breath and contemplate the  openness you feel in your chest. Look up towards the sky and open your eyes, allowing all of your senses to awaken to the sounds, smells, colors, and life around you. Feel their presence. Today’s Happiness Break host: Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science scholar of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent. She also works at the United Nations to advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and the Earth. Learn more about Dr. Celidwen’s work: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/ More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center: Listen to Dr. Yuria Celidwen on The Science of Happiness episode about listening to your elders: https://tinyurl.com/yr2ydk43 Does Nature Make You More Mindful? https://tinyurl.com/4wcreu9z Why You Need More Nature in Your Life: ​​https://tinyurl.com/ye282e5d Being Around Nature Helps You Love Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/57d5ntxm How Modern Life Became Disconnected From Nature: https://tinyurl.com/yc6u73f9 Listen to The Science of Happiness episode featuring podcast host Krista Tippett, on Being Grounded in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/8t7rr4yy Tell us how connecting to the earth beneath you made you feel by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

When we feel more connected, we're kinder and care more for others. After 21 years of being incarcerated, our guest Simon Liu, of Bay Area Freedom House Collective, tries a practice that helps him remember the profound connections he's made both inside and out of prison // throughout his life. Episode summary: When’s the last time you felt a deep connection with someone, and then really reflected on your connections? This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest tries a writing practice to feel more connected to those close to him. Simon Liu is the co-founder of the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a home where other formerly incarcerated people can find community and connections. Simon talks about the importance of the social connections he made while in prison, and outside. Psychologist David Cwir explains how finding and building connections not only supports our emotional well-being, but can also change our bodies. Practice: Feeling Connected Think of a time when you felt a strong bond with someone in your life. Choose a specific experience where you felt especially close and connected to them. Spend a few minutes writing about what happened during the experience. In particular, consider how the experience made you feel close and connected to the other person. Today’s guests: Simon Liu co-founded the Bay Area Freedom Collective, a home by and for formerly incarcerated people, which provides resources and support for their re-entry. Simon is also a software engineer. To learn more about Bay Area Freedom House: https://www.collectivefreedom.org/ or: https://www.facebook.com/bayareafreedom/ To financially support the Bay Area Freedom Collective: https://tinyurl.com/2p93j8x8 David Cwir is an associate professor of psychology at Briercrest College and Seminary. His research has looked at how moments of social connection with strangers can positively affect our bodies and minds. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/feeling_connected We’d love for you to try out this practice and share how it went for you. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607 Resources for Feeling Connected: Harvard Health — Easy daily ways to feel more connected: https://tinyurl.com/5jxykfhb NPR — 4 tips to stay connected when your friends live far away: https://tinyurl.com/2p82en68 The New York Times — Need to Dust Off Your Social Skills? (featuring Dacher): https://tinyurl.com/yckwkmku How to Start Over (The Atlantic) — The Misgivings of Friend-Making: https://tinyurl.com/2ysn7zd2 Invisibilia — Therapy, With Friends:https://tinyurl.com/yvmkkbrs More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Feeling Connected Makes Us Kind: https://tinyurl.com/f5xd27ue Is Social Connection the Best Path to Happiness? https://tinyurl.com/2v9e9c9n Why You Click With Certain People: https://tinyurl.com/2p8w38rw Why Are We So Wired to Connect? https://tinyurl.com/bddukrxx Listen to our episode, “Who Makes You Feel Connected?” https://tinyurl.com/4pmj775a Listen to our episode, “What Are Your Strongest Reminders of Connection?” https://tinyurl.com/sbs6waha

Just a few moments of tuning into nature can make you feel more inspired, connected, and less lonely. Let us guide you through a five-minute noticing nature practice — you don't even have to leave the city. How to Do This Practice: Pause and take notice of the natural elements around you, like trees, clouds, leaves, moving water, animals, bugs and butterflies, etc. Take a moment to allow yourself to truly experience the nature around you, and notice what emotions this evokes. When you encounter something that moves you in some way, take a mental photo of it. In a few words or sentences, jot down a brief description of what caught your attention and how it made you feel. Try to repeat this every day for at least two weeks. Remember: The key is your experience with what you are noticing—how nature makes you feel. Find the full Noticing Nature practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/noticing_nature More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center: Four Ways Nature Can Protect Your Well-Being During a Pandemic: https://tinyurl.com/98t8p7r5 What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: https://tinyurl.com/4jef7r82 How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/2s95n6ps Six Ways Nature Helps Children Learn: https://tinyurl.com/5t2tnv3p Why Is Nature So Good For Your Mental Health? https://tinyurl.com/nj7kpn28 How Nature Helps Us Heal: https://tinyurl.com/2kea52n9 Listen to The Science of Happiness episode featuring NYT restaurant critic Tejal Rao trying the Noticing Nature practice: https://tinyurl.com/yckkte9w Tell us about your experiences noticing nature by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Can practicing mindfulness make us wiser? Judge Jeremy Fogel explores how being present in the moment helps him keep a clear mind and stay connected to his true values. Episode summary: What do you think it takes to become wiser, more compassionate, and more open-minded? This week on The Science of Happiness, we bring you one of our most popular episodes. Former district judge Jeremy Fogel shares his insights on how being present can help us make more mindful decisions. He recounts how, after experiencing stress as a judge, his wife suggested he try an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course. After taking the course, Jeremy felt more connected to himself and his surroundings, and decided to make mindfulness a part of his everyday life. The changes Jeremy made had profound impacts on his work as a judge. We also hear from Dr. Shauna Shapiro, a clinical psychologist and professor at Santa Clara University, about how mindfulness affects our moral reasoning. Practice: Mindful Breathing Find a comfortable, seated position and invite your body to relax. Tune in to the sensations it experiences — the touch, the connection with the floor or the chair. Do your best to relax any areas of tightness or tension. Listen to the natural rhythm of your breath, in and out, without trying to control it. Notice where you feel your breath in your body. It might be in your abdomen, chest, throat, or nostrils. See if you can feel the sensations of breath, one breath at a time. As you do this, you may start thinking about other things. Try to notice that your mind has wandered, and say “thinking” or “wandering” in your head softly. Then gently redirect your attention right back to the breathing. Stay here for 5-7 minutes. Finally, notice your whole body seated here once more. Let yourself relax even more deeply, and thank yourself for doing this practice today. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mindful_breathing Today’s guests: Jeremy Fogel is a former district judge in Northern California. Today he’s the executive director of the Judicial Institute at UC Berkeley and is at the forefront of a movement to bring mindfulness practices into the work of judges. Learn more about Judge Fogel’s work: https://tinyurl.com/5yw2fwpp Shauna Shapiro is a professor at Santa Clara University and the author of Good Morning, I Love You, a book on how to cultivate mindfulness and self-compassion. Listen to Dr. Shapiro’s TED talk on the power of mindfulness: drshaunashapiro.com/videos/ Resources for Mindful Decision-Making Harvard Health - Can Mindfulness Change Your Brain? https://tinyurl.com/yzj98cts NPR’s Life Kit - Faced With A Tough Decision? The Key To Choosing May Be Your Mindset: https://tinyurl.com/2ywhzp6m The Atlantic - Mindfulness Hurts. That’s Why It Works: https://tinyurl.com/2y2k2wdm The New York Times - How to Be More Mindful at Work: https://tinyurl.com/mcfd7cze More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Take our Mindfulness Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yc4747jx Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/2fhd3mhb Three Ways Mindfulness Can Make You Less Biased: https://tinyurl.com/3wm69zvc The Mindfulness Skill That is Crucial for Stress: https://tinyurl.com/38dxzhfc Can Mindfulness Improve Decision Making? https://tinyurl.com/b67ae6ck Tell us about your experiences bringing mindfulness to your decision-making by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

Having close bonds with others is one of the most important things to our happiness. Host Dacher Keltner walks you through a practice you can do with someone else to create new bonds or strengthen old ones. Plus, hear some of his answers to these questions alongside his wife, Molly. How to Do the 36 Questions for Increasing Closeness Practice: Take a few deep breaths, and notice how you feel. Identify someone with whom you’d like to become closer. Find a time where you both have about  45 minutes Take 15 minutes answering the questions in Set I below. Each person should answer each question, but alternate who answers first. If you don’t finish the set in 15 minutes, move on to Set II. Repeat the steps above for sets II and III. Here’s a sample of the questions: Set I 1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest? 2. Would you like to be famous? In what way? 3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why? 4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you? 8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common. Set II 14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it? 15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? 16. What do you value most in a friendship? 17. What is your most treasured memory? 18. What is your most terrible memory? 19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why? 20. What does friendship mean to you? Set III 25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling…” 26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share…” 28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met. 29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life. 30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself? 32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about? Find the full 36 Questions for Increasing Closeness practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/36_questions_for_increasing_closeness More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Can You Cultivate a More Secure Attachment Style? https://tinyurl.com/2p8ue7n6 Moments of Love and Connection May Help You Live Longer: https://tinyurl.com/3nyfbwwh Listen to our Science of Happiness episode about this practice: https://pod.link/1340505607/episode/f2ca309e37d261b86223bb52eab3ab08 36 Questions to Help Kids Make Friends: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/36_questions_to_help_kids_make_friends Today’s host: Dacher Keltner is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and a co-instructor of GGSC’s course by the same name. He’s also the founding director of The Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. Tell us about your experience asking these 36 questions by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.

Apologies are key to successful relationships. But are you doing them right? Episode summary: We all have moments when we say or do something we later regret. Then the time comes to make an apology. But a halfhearted “I’m sorry” rarely gets the job done. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, public defender Sam Dugan joins us for a second time to try science-backed tips for making an effective apology. First, she takes a moment to cultivate mindfulness through a mindful breathing practice. Next, Sam invites us in as she apologizes to her husband Nate. Sam reflects on how she took out her stress on Nate, what led her to lash out, and the importance of making a true, heartfelt apology — as opposed to the mindless ones many of us make on a near-daily basis. Then we hear from Sana Rizvi, a professor at the University of New Brunswick, about the science of how mindfulness can make us more apologetic. Practice: Mindful Breathing Invite your body to relax into a comfortable position. Tune into the rhythm of your breath, and pay attention as you breathe in through your nose, hold your breath, and exhale through your mouth. Repeat as many times as you’d like. Making an Effective Apology Acknowledge the offense by showing that you recognize who was responsible, who was harmed, and the nature of the offense. If helpful, provide an explanation, especially to convey that it was not intentional and that it will not happen again. Express remorse. Make amends. When considering how to best make amends, be sure to ask the offended person what would mean the most to them. Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mindful_breathing https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/making_an_effective_apology Today’s guests: Sam Dugan is a public defender in Salt Lake City, Utah. She and her husband Nate have three dogs, and they were on the show last year to try the Three Funny Things practice. Listen to Sam and Nate on Why Love Needs Laughter: https://tinyurl.com/5s45ps2v Sana Rizvi is a professor in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of New Brunswick, in Canada. Learn more about Dr. Rizvi’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4kzs4n4w Resources for Making an Effective Apology Hidden Brain - The Power of Apologies: https://tinyurl.com/bdze6yzz The Verywell Mind Podcast - A Science-Backed Strategy for Making an Effective Apology: https://tinyurl.com/2j6ar3x8 The Atlantic - The Art and Science of Apologizing: https://tinyurl.com/38j2re9d The New York Times - No, You Don’t Have to Stop Apologizing: https://tinyurl.com/3zwns9n3 More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Can Mindfulness Make You Better at Apologizing? https://tinyurl.com/bdes29w5 The Three Parts of an Effective Apology: https://tinyurl.com/3p273tym A Better Way to Apologize: https://tinyurl.com/34hp2re5 Should You Ask Your Children to Apologize? https://tinyurl.com/4vcrktju Eight Keys to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/3x7v8rj7 Tell us about your experiences and struggles trying to make a mindful and effective apology by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

Visualize your best possible self and tap into your inherent enough-ness with this guided meditation by Justin Michael Williams. How to Do This Practice: Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and visualize your ideal future self, the person of your dreams you’ve always wanted to be. Try noticing as many details as you can: What color are you wearing, how do you feel, what are you doing, is anyone with you? Answer this question in your mind with 1-3 words: As you look at this future version of you, what energy do you need to cultivate more of in your life now, today, to become closer to being that person you see in your vision? Breathe in deeply, and as you do imagine yourself breathing in that energy. As you exhale, imagine that energy spreading throughout your body and energy field. Open your eyes. ​​Remember, you have what you need to become that which you want to become. We are enough to start stepping into the life of our dreams. Today’s Happiness Break host: Justin Michael Williams works at the intersection of social justice, mindfulness, and personal growth — with a touch of music that brings it all to life. Learn More About Justin’s work: https://www.justinmichaelwilliams.com/ Listen to Justin’s debut album: https://www.justinmichaelwilliams.com/music Order Justin’s book, Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide For the Rest of Us: https://tinyurl.com/2p8xu6hx Follow Justin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wejustwill Follow Justin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wejustwill/ More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Take our Purpose in Life Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/3uh8jjdv Try Imagining Your Best Possible Life: https://tinyurl.com/bdekum2v What to Do When You Never Feel Good Enough: https://tinyurl.com/kpy9b44t How Strong is Your Sense of Purpose in Life? https://tinyurl.com/2p9h7rm5 How Thinking About the Future Makes Life More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/2p83y2n5 Listen to The Science of Happiness episode featuring comedian Margaret Cho visualizing her best possible self: https://tinyurl.com/s2s7rdpn Tell us about your experience visualizing your best possible self by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Find behind-the-scenes material behind this podcast on Pocket, Mozilla’s save-for-later and content discovery app: https://getpocket.com/collections/how-to-access-your-best-possible-self-start-with-your-imagination Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607

Our guest explores how reminding yourself that you don't know everything can have a profound impact on your relationships, and our society. Episode summary: Jinho “Piper” Ferreira is a playwright, a rapper, and a former deputy sheriff. His band Flipsyde toured the world, but Jinho wanted to make real change to end police violence against his community – so he became a deputy sheriff himself. He was on the force for eight years before resigning in 2019. Jinho joins us today after trying a practice in cultivating intellectual humility. It asks us to consider how our memories and understanding of the world might be fallible, so we might not have all the answers. When Jinho tapped into the practice during a disagreement with a bandmate, he was able to navigate the conflict and come to a resolution. Check out Jinho’s band, Flipsyde: https://flipsyde.com/ Try this practice: Cultivate Intellectual Humility If you can, write out your answers. When you encounter information or an opinion that contradicts your opinion or worldview, ask yourself these questions: Why do you disagree? Are you making any assumptions about the other person and the source of their opinion? Might those assumptions be wrong? What about your own opinion, how did you come to believe it? Do you really have all of the information? Now think about the scenario from the perspective of a person who disagrees with you. Try to imagine how they came to believe what they believe. What information might they be basing their opinion off of? What values do you think they’re weighing in how they think about this topic? Can you imagine how they came to hold those values? If you find yourself getting stuck, imagine yourself as a third person weighing in with an opinion that’s different from both of yours. Try to generate an entirely new perspective. Can you think of another way to understand this issue? 3. Tap into your intellectual humility: Identify places where, before, you weren’t acknowledging the limitations of what you know about the issue. Can you find any? Now that you’ve worked to see this issue from another person’s point of view, do you see more value in their perspective than you were able to see before? What other ways do you engage with viewpoints that challenge your own? Do you notice any patterns? Today’s guests: Jinho “Piper” Ferreira is a rapper in the Band Flipsyde, a former deputy sheriff, and playwright. Follow Jinho on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pipedreamzent?lang=en Listen to the episode of Snap Judgment podcast about Jinho’s story: https://snapjudgment.org/episode/jinhos-journey/ Elizabeth Krumrei-Mancuso is a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University who studies intellectual humility. Learn more about Dr. Krumrei-Mancuso and her work: https://tinyurl.com/2t6aaa5f Check out Dr. Krumrei-Mancuso’s article on intellectual humility: https://tinyurl.com/526m8b93 More resources about Intellectual Humility: Intellectual humility: the importance of knowing you might be wrong: https://tinyurl.com/m2ct29m7 Five Reasons Why Intellectual Humility Is Good for You: https://tinyurl.com/4dnx5vu4 The Benefits of Admitting When You Don’t Know: https://tinyurl.com/4frk84k8 Share your thoughts on this episode and intellectual humility by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607 This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, as part of our project on "Expanding Awareness of the Science of Intellectual Humility." For more on the project, go to www.ggsc.berkeley.edu/IH.

Take 10 minutes to be guided through a practice of meaningful self-kindness: A self-compassion break with Kristin Neff. How to Do This Practice: Think of a situation in your life that is difficult and is causing you stress. For this practice, especially if you are new to it, it's better to choose something that is moderately difficult in your life, rather than overwhelming. Call the situation to mind and get in touch with what happened or what you think might happen. Now say to yourself, “This is a moment of suffering.” This acknowledgment is a form of mindfulness—of noticing what is going on for you emotionally in the present moment, without judging that experience as good or bad. You can also say to yourself, “This hurts” or “This is stress.” Use whatever statement feels most natural to you. Next, say to yourself, “Suffering is a part of life.” This is a recognition of your common humanity with others—that all people have trying experiences, and these experiences give you something in common with the rest of humanity rather than mark you as abnormal or deficient. Other options for this statement include “Other people feel this way,” “I’m not alone,” or “We all struggle in our lives.” Now, put your hands over your heart, feel the warmth of your hands and the gentle touch on your chest, and say, “May I be kind to myself.” You can also consider whether there is another specific phrase that would speak to you in that particular situation. Some examples: “May I give myself the compassion that I need,” “May I accept myself as I am,” “May I learn to accept myself as I am,” “May I forgive myself,” “May I be strong,” and “May I be patient.” Today’s Happiness Break host: Kristin Neff is the creator of this practice and a professor of psychology at The University of Texas, Austin. She is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion and the author of the book, Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive. Order Dr. Neff’s book: https://tinyurl.com/yaubmy7v Learn More About Dr. Neff’s work: https://self-compassion.org/ Find classes taught by Dr. Neff; https://tinyurl.com/4kf52x8c Follow Dr. Neff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/self_compassion\ Follow Dr. Neff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neffselfcompassion/ Find the full Self-Compassion Break practice at our Greater Good in Action website:  https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/self_compassion_break More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Take Our Self-Compassion Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yysrf663 Try Dr. Neff’s Fierce Self-Compassion Break: https://tinyurl.com/yk9yzh9u\ How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass\ Read Dr. Neff’s interview about Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/286njtje How Self-Compassion Can Help You Through a Breakup: https://tinyurl.com/222scejz Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination? https://tinyurl.com/mrfmvyj Can Self-Compassion Help Trans Teens Thrive? https://tinyurl.com/4xs7nxre Tell us about your experiences and struggles with self-compassion and this practice emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607

Have you ever known you're dreaming while you're asleep? Our guests try practices to help induce lucid dreams, and we hear what they can teach us about consciousness. Episode summary: How do you know you’re awake? Are you sure? Practicing lucid dreaming means taking a step back to question your very consciousness — throughout your day, and even when you’re asleep. It’s no wonder lucid dreaming is associated with mindfulness. In this episode, journalists Marylee Williams and Michaeleen Doucleff try a practice to induce lucid dreaming, and researcher Benjamin Baird explains what lucid dreaming is teaching scientists about consciousness, plus how it might benefit our well-being. Lucid dreaming appears to help foster creativity and can boost your mood when you wake up. Try Lucid Dreaming There are a few different ways to induce lucid dreams. All of them take time and practice. Find a brief summary below and more information at this link: https://tinyurl.com/2m86pw7p (i) Reality Testing (RT), a technique that involves checking your environment several times a day to see whether or not you’re dreaming; (iii) MILD, a technique that involves waking up after five hours of sleep and then developing the intention to remember that you are dreaming before returning to sleep, by repeating the phrase ‘The next time I’m dreaming, I will remember that I’m dreaming;’ you also imagine yourself in a lucid dream; (iv) SSILD, a technique that involves waking up after five hours of sleep and then repeatedly focusing your attention on visual, auditory, and physical sensations for 20 seconds each before returning to sleep; this technique is similar to mindfulness meditation but involved repeatedly shifting your focus; More Resources: Lucid Dreaming FAQ by The Lucidity Institute: https://tinyurl.com/2m86pw7p Lucid Dreaming at TEDx: https://tinyurl.com/ywkymhs2 Learn about the cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming from today’s expert Benjamin Baird: https://tinyurl.com/mr3anzer More sleep resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Why Your Brain Needs to Dream: https://tinyurl.com/yc3makhp The Influence of Dreams: https://tinyurl.com/p6cfh8n4 How Mindfulness Improves Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/39tk85m9 Your Sleep Tonight Changes How You React to Stress Tomorrow: https://tinyurl.com/2p8zvbjz Dear Christine: Why Can’t I Sleep? https://tinyurl.com/yb88a5z6 Today’s guests: Michaeleen Doucleff f is a science reporter for NPR and author of the book Hunt, Gather, Parent. Check out her reporting: https://tinyurl.com/5de2kyt7 Read her book: https://michaeleendoucleff.com/ Follow Michaeleen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FoodieScience Mary Lee Williams is an editor and producer on a morning news show in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Check out her website: http://www.maryleewill.com/about Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/marylee_will Benjamin Baird is a Research Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, where he focuses on consciousness, including lucid dreaming. Check out Dr. Baird’s website: https://www.benjaminbaird.org/ Tell us about your experiences and struggles with lucid dreams by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness OR HB! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607

We guide you through a reflection of three things you're grateful for today. This practice is shown to boost happiness, connection, and motivation while reducing stress. Happiness Break is a new series by The Science of Happiness. How to Do this Three Good Things practice: Take a few deep breaths, and notice how you feel. Think back on your day. Start from when you woke up, and mentally trace your steps forward in time. What was the most beautiful, amazing, or interesting thing you saw all day? How did it make you feel? Take a moment to feel grateful for it. Think what had to happen so you could see that thing today, and let yourself appreciate those things. Keep reflecting on your day. What’s the best sound you heard all day? How did it make you feel? Take a moment to feel grateful for that, and think about how you came to hear that thing today. Look back over your day again: What’s the best thing that happened all day? It could be anything. Sit with your gratitude for that thing. What caused that thing to happen? Take a moment to appreciate all the factors that led to this good thing happening today. Notice how you feel now. Find the full Three Goods Things practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/three-good-things More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Take our Gratitude Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yc3dc53c Why Gratitude is Good: https://tinyurl.com/fr4r2xyw Tips for Keeping a Gratitude Journal: https://tinyurl.com/6khs9k28 Can Gratitude Help You Live More Sustainably? https://tinyurl.com/bdfws2e5 Four Great Gratitude Strategies: https://tinyurl.com/2s4h6z3f How Gratitude Helps Your Friendships Grow: https://tinyurl.com/yc55bvw8 Cultivate more gratitude for the people you love with the Mental Subtraction of Relationships practice https://tinyurl.com/mthra2jd How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times: https://tinyurl.com/m9jz5atd Today’s host: Dacher Keltner is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and a co-instructor of UC Berkeley’s course by the same name. He’s also the founding director of The Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley. Tell us about your experiences trying this version of the Three Good Things practice by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607 Find us on Amazon Music!

Do you struggle with sleep? This week Drew Ackerman of Sleep with Me podcast tries tips for a good night's sleep, and we explore why it's so important to our well-being. Episode summary: A good night’s sleep can be hard to come by, and beating yourself up over not sleeping enough will only make it worse. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, the host of Sleep With Me podcast Drew Ackerman joins us to try science-backed tips for finding your natural sleep rhythm. Drew, also known as “Dearest Scooter,” talks about his history with insomnia and sleep anxiety, sleep hygiene, and his philosophy on bringing more self-compassion into his approach to trying to fall asleep. Then we hear from sleep scientist Eti Ben Simon about how sleep affects your social life. Practice: Here are four tips to help you sleep from Dr. Eti Ben Simon. Avoid alcohol and caffeine after 2 p.m. to unmask your true biological sleep needs. Keep lights dim in the evening and limit access to LED lights after 9 p.m. Go to sleep as soon as you feel tired (even if you're in the middle of something). This will help you figure out the earliest window it is physiologically possible for you to fall asleep. Do not use an alarm clock to wake up. Try a version of this practice with the sleep tips in this article by expert Eti Ben Simon: https://tinyurl.com/2nesff8t Today’s guests: Drew Ackerman You might know Drew as his alias, “Dearest Scooter*,”* the host of Sleep with Me podcast. Drew struggles with bedtime worries and has a history of insomnia himself, but he’s great at helping others sleep. Sleep with Me is one of the most listened-to sleep podcasts. On each episode, “Scooter” lulls listeners off to dreamland with meandering bedtime stories intended to lose your interest. Listen to Sleep With Me Podcast: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me Follow Drew on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p8nrhnp Follow Drew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestscooter/ Follow Drew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sleepwithmepodcast/ Eti Ben Simon is a sleep scientist and postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley, where she works at Matthew Walkers’ Center for Human Sleep Science. Learn more about Eti and her work: https://www.sleepingeti.com/ Follow Eti on Twitter: https://twitter.com/etoosh Follow Eti on Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/328aa5yr Resources for A Good Night’s Sleep Psychology Today - What’s Your Sleep Type? Two forces that dictate our sleep, by Eti Ben Simon: https://tinyurl.com/2nesff8t Matthew Walker’s 11 Tips for Improving Sleep Quality: https://tinyurl.com/2kadu7va TED - Sleeping with Science: https://tinyurl.com/23mmbdy3 Harvard Health - 8 Tips to Get a Good Night’s Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p8um9z7 BBC - Why Do We Sleep? https://tinyurl.com/2p8z9v2d More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: Four Surprising Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p832bh5 How Mindfulness Improves Sleep: https://tinyurl.com/2p8rhkhj Your Sleep Tonight Changes How You React to Stress Tomorrow: https://tinyurl.com/2p8zvbjz Tell us about your experiences and struggles with falling asleep by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or copy and share this link with someone who might like the show: pod.link/1340505607

Episode summary: Emanuel Hahn has never been great at asking for help. He didn’t live with his parents after age 12, and consequently, he says he learned to only rely on himself. But now that he’s launching his first book and juggling a freelance career, he knows he can’t do it all on his own. He tried our Ask for Help at Work practice, which challenges you to make a direct request when you need a hand from someone.  Emanuel had to pack 800 pre-ordered books into boxes for shipping. It’s a laborious task, and he knew he couldn’t handle it all on his own. It was a Sunday, and people probably already had plans. He took a beat, and then he sent the texts out anyway. Before long, he had eight people packing books. ** ** Vanessa Bohns of Cornell University has studied exactly what Emanuel experienced: When it comes to asking for help, we underestimate how likely others are to say “yes” to our request. But when we put ourselves in the shoes of a person being asked for help, it’s hard to imagine saying “no.” “People do get this warm glow from helping,” Bohns says. “People enjoy being helpful.” This Happiness Practice might benefit you as much as the person you ask. Try this week’s practice, Ask for Help at Work at GGIA.berkeley.edu Today’s guests: Emanuel Hahn is a freelance photographer and director in Los Angeles. He just released his first book, Koreatown Dreaming, which documents 40 small businesses in LA’s Koreatown as they weather the pandemic and encroaching gentrification. He joins us today after trying a practice where he makes a commitment to ask for help whenever he needs it. Follow Emanuel on Twitter and Instagram. Vanessa Bohns is an associate professor of social psychology at Cornell University and the author of the book You Have More Influence Than You Think. She did an experiment to see why it’s so hard for people to ask for help. Follow Vanessa Bohns on Twitter. More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How Love and Connection Exist in Micro-Moments Is Stress Making You Withdraw from People? Try Our One-Month Pathway to Happiness Program Tell us about your experiences and struggles with asking for help by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod. Help us share The Science of Happiness! Copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607

Fear is a normal part of our lives — but there are ways we can safely challenge and conquer it. Our guest tries a research-backed way to tackle a fear she's had since elementary school. **Vote for The Science of Happiness in The Webby’s!** https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/limited-series-specials/health-science-education\ You’ll have to make an account, but we promise it takes less time than it does to say “The Science of Happiness.” Don’t forget to verify your account! CLICK HERE to make an account and vote. Or, go to webbyawards.com. Click "Start Voting." Click "categories," then select "Podcasts," then "Limited Series & Specials" at the bottom. Click "Health, Science and Education" and click The Science of Happiness and Music to make an account and vote!

Comedian Marilyn Pittman takes stock of what she really wants in life – and makes a plan to get it.

High expectations can lead to disappointment, but expecting the worst doesn't feel great, either. This week we explore how to find the balance.

Part of life is experiencing pain and loss. And sometimes, finding meaning in it. We explore a writing practice shown to help us come out stronger after difficult times.

A NYT restaurant critic puts down her pen and grabs her camera to capture the beauty of the outdoors.

What happens when we feel compassion for the things that scare us? Shabazz Larkin shares what it's like to face some of his deepest fears.

What does your best possible self look like? Our guest tries a practice in optimism by imagining her brightest future.

Feeling burned out? Our guest, a nurse, explores how cultivating gratitude helps people in high stress jobs.

Can taking a few photos really make you happier? Afghan rocker Sulyman Qardash tries a practice to find meaning through snapping photos of daily life.

Thank you. Gracias. Merci. Every language has a word for gratitude. But why do we feel it? How can we experience more of it? We revisit some of our favorite episodes about the science of gratitude. 

What happens when we share our time? Our guest, chef and author Bryant Terry, pauses to be present with the ones who matter most.

Comedian Paula Poundstone tries to take on a messy and daunting task, one small step at a time.

Anna Sale, host of Death, Sex, and Money, practices awe as an antidote to her anxiety.

They were childhood best friends until one came out as queer. Now, two college students reconnect and try to see the world through one another's eyes.

For our 100th episode, host Dacher Keltner sits in the guest chair and tries one of the most popular happiness practices. 

When was the last time you went down a slide? Our guest tries a practice to bring more play into his life and explores what that means as a Black man in the U.S.

What would life be like without the people you care most about? Our guest tries a practice to help appreciate loved ones.

Our guest uses her breath to find calm in some of Los Angeles' noisiest neighborhoods.

What happens when we suppress our anger? And what if we tried to work with it instead? Our guest tries a practice to harness her inner fierceness to care for herself.

Michael Pollan tries to get more out of life by temporarily giving up one of his pleasure.

When the world around you changes, so can your goals. This week's guest tries a practice to tap into a new sense of purpose.

Trees don't just compete with one another for resources, they also cooperate. Scientist and author Suzanne Simard explains the surprising science of trees.

A doctor who serves communities in dire need shares how gratitude helps him find light in the darkness.

Focusing on funny things can reduce stress, anxiety, and make us feel more connected to others. Our guests, who were high school sweethearts, learn how humor can also strengthen relationships.

Have you ever been moved by music sung in a language you don't understand? We speak with Gambian musician Sona Jobarteh about how music can connect us across cultures.

What is it about certain melodies that can relax our nerves and rock us to sleep? We explore the science of calming music with pianist Rosey Chan.

Music helped former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne come out of his shell. Hear Byrne's story and learn how music creates social bonds in part one of our series, The Science of Music and Happiness.

Feeling awe can boost your mood and make you feel more connected with others. Comedian Chris Duffy learns how to tap into that sense.

What happens when we spend time outdoors? We explore how getting out in nature can restore peace of mind—and make us more creative.

Setting goals can sometimes feel like setting ourselves up for failure. But journalist Monica Campbell finds there's something magical that happens with certain kinds of goals.

A stranger helped her through the hardest day of her life. When she expresses her gratitude, our guest encounters the power of true connection.

The way we interact with people who come in and out of our lives has changed since COVID-19. Our guest tries a practice to connect with strangers while keeping a social distance.

Are you unable to be with your friends and family during the holiday season this year? These 36 questions can bring you closer to loved ones, even if you're separated.

Connecting across generations is one of the oldest happiness practices there is. We explore why to honor your elders, along with other practices from indigenous cultures often overlooked by Western science.

Can practicing mindfulness make us wiser? Judge Jeremy Fogel explores how being present in the moment helps him keep a clear mind and stay connected to his true values.

What does it really take to forgive someone? And why should we do it? Our guest, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, tries a practice to let go of anger.

Why do we vote? We explore the science behind what drives us to the polls, and the benefits we reap for ourselves and communities when we cast our ballots.

It's easy to be anxious and uncertain about the future—especially if you're eight months pregnant. Our guest tries practices to help her deal with whatever life throws her way.

Feeling hard on yourself? Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp learns to quiet his inner critic and tap into his highest potential.

Feeling lonely? Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy learns why focusing on the quality of our relationships, not the quantity, can be an antidote. 

Why should you be nice? Our guest explores how small, daily acts of kindness can produce meaningful life changes.

Do you obsess over negative feedback? Shereen Marisol Meraji, of NPR’s Code Switch, tries a better way to cope.

A couple try a practice to bring more excitement and passion into their relationship, even while sheltering-in-place.

We can be at our worst with the people we love best. Our guests try ways to be more calm and present with those closest to them.

Our guest tries a practice to help her feel compassion toward others — even those she disagrees with.

Adrian Michael Green asks big questions designed to help teens — and adults — find more meaning and purpose in their lives.

We speak with john a. powell, director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, about racial justice, well-being, and widening our circles of human connection and concern.

When our world is turned upside down, how do we keep moving forward? Our guest, award-winning author Christine Day, sets a new path for herself.

Do you want to be famous? What's a favorite memory? These 36 questions can bring you closer to loved ones, even if you're separated.

Want to calm your inner critic? Our guest tries a practice to find more self-compassion during uncertain times.

Sheltering-at-home with kids? These questions can help them, and us, focus on the good things in life.

How a doctor stays calm and centered during times of uncertainty, one breath at a time.

Our guest tries a practice to feel more connected to loved ones, and herself, while sheltering at home.

Think of an important person in your life. Now imagine you never met. Our guest practices counting his blessings by picturing his life without a special person from his past.

Do you have a hard time calming your nerves? Author Raina Telgemeier tries a practice to get out of her head, one step at a time.

He survived the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, two years ago and has been a student mental health advocate ever since. Now Kai Koerber finds a way to thank the person who helped him find his voice.

Are you actually listening when someone is talking to you, or just waiting for your turn to talk? Our guest, a veteran of the Iraq War, practices how to truly listen to others.

How can people from different groups get on the same page? Our guest, an educator and football coach, tries a strategy for building stronger, more inclusive teams.

Her New Year's resolution was to have more joyful and fulfilling experiences in her daily life. Our guest tried a practice to help make that happen.

There are millions of YouTube channels with people crinkling bubble wrap or whispering about folding laundry. Our guests talks about why autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) makes her, and many others, feel more calm and happy.

Do you beat yourself up over every mistake? A high school senior tries to be kinder to himself during an especially stressful time.

Comedian Maz Jobrani tries to be more thankful for the good things in his life by writing them down — and encourages his kids to do the same.

When was the last time you felt connected to something bigger than yourself? Award-winning cellist Yumi Kendall looks, and listens, for moments of awe.

It's easy to lose sight of what matters most. Our guest finds a way to reconnect with her values during stressful times.

Doctors are often trained to be emotionally detached. But our guest finds greater meaning in his work as a physician when he tries to connect more deeply with his patients, co-workers, and family.

A tree next to a bus stop, a flower poking through the sidewalk. Our guest, a veteran of the Iraq War, discovers how awe and wonder can be found anywhere —  if you just pay attention.

Do you fixate on what's going wrong in your life? Poet and "recovering pessimist" Maggie Smith practices looking on the bright side.

She's one of the most accomplished comedians of her generation. But Margaret Cho wants to find a different kind of happiness.

Should we try to find common ground with the villains in our lives? Comedian Zahra Noorbahksh tries to understand a "zombie" from her past.

We gave our Happiness Guinea Pig a mission: Do five random acts of kindness in one day.

Heights. Public speaking. Death. Our Happiness Guinea Pig explains how she overcomes her fears, one small step at a time.

How can you unearth humor in everyday life? Best-selling author Michael Lewis goes looking for laughs.

After more than a decade together, our Happiness Guinea Pig tries to bring the spark back into her marriage.

Our Happiness Guinea Pig, the creator of Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears, finds a way to feel close to a loved one he recently lost. Try this week’s happiness practice: Feeling Connected

Her husband has been in prison for 23 years. Our Happiness Guinea Pig tries a new approach to stay strong while working to get him released.

The loss of a job, the pain of a breakup -- it's easy to get down on ourselves when things aren't going well. Find out how our Happiness Guinea Pig tuned down the self-critic in her head.

A high-five from a stranger, a hummingbird on a busy city street. Poet Ross Gay shares his own happiness practice: savoring the everyday delights in life. ~ Try one of UC Berkeley's Greater Good in Action happiness practices.

Are you still mad at someone who hurt you in the past? That can eat away at your health and well-being. Our Happiness Guinea Pig tries a new approach to giving up a grudge.

What kinds of objects, images, and words surround your home or office? Our Happiness Guinea Pig surveys her apartment for items that spark connection and kindness.

Do you have trouble slowing down enough to actually enjoy your life? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, comedian and radio host Luke Burbank, finds a way to break free from his over-scheduled lifestyle.  Try this week’s happiness practice: Raisin Meditation

How can we feel connected to the world around us? Singer Diana Gameros tries to cultivate a sense of awe in the most unlikely of places. Try this episode’s happiness practice: Awe Walk

Do you fixate on your flaws and shortcomings? Our happiness guinea pig tries the opposite: focusing on her personal strengths. ~ Try this episode’s happiness practice: Use Your Strengths

Can you extend compassion toward a difficult person in your life? Congressman Tim Ryan tries a practice to help him reach across the aisle.

A junior high school teacher spent his life defying stereotypes about how men should express their emotions. Here he takes on a new challenge: getting his students to express gratitude.

Comedian Maz Jobrani tries to pay more attention to the good things in his life by writing them down -- and encourages his kids to do the same. Try this episodes happiness practice: Three Good Things

He started Afghanistan's first post-Taliban rock band when he was 18 years old. A decade later, our Happiness Guinea Pig takes on another challenge: writing about his emotions.

How do you build feelings of trust and security? Our Happiness Guinea Pig learns some truths about what it takes to feel supported.

When you’re helping others cope with stress and anxiety, how do you deal with your own? Psychiatrist Elizabeth Guinto tries a practice to be kinder to herself.

Comedian W. Kamau Bell discusses the challenges of finding common ground, even with people in your own family.

International megastar Daniel Wu tries a practice that brings him calm amidst the chaos. 

Did you know that you have the power to spark happiness in someone else's brain with just a few simple words? College student Eva Dickerson shares how she spread happiness across her campus, equipped with just her iPhone and some compliments.

Our Happiness Guinea Pig, children's author Joanne Rocklin, shares her happiness practice: bringing people together to share a meal. It took on a deeper meaning for her after a recent tragedy.

Why does a bath or swim feel so relaxing? Our guest shares her own happiness practice--spending time in water--which science is finding can make us happier and healthier. 

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Some apologies can actually make things worse. Our Happiness Guinea Pigs, Jolenta Greenburg and Kristin Meinzer of the By the Book podcast, try a more effective way of saying sorry. 

How do you respond when you feel threatened or defensive? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, writer Wajahat Ali, discovers a way to keep himself centered amidst the challenges and chaos of life.

What would make you happier at work? Featuring some of our happiness guinea pigs, we share the latest insights and research on well-being and happiness in the workplace.

Do you take your partner for granted? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, cartoonist Gene Luen Yang, imagines a life in which he never met his wife.

Are you stuck ruminating about the past? Legendary skater Tommy Guerrero tries looking at negative events from a different perspective.

Do you find yourself looking at your phone when you're supposed to be paying attention to a friend? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, The Takeaway's Tanzina Vega trades in her technology for some old school listening. 

Many of us avoid chatting with strangers – isn't small talk tedious and dull? Listen as our happiness guinea pig discovers its surprising benefits.

Author Michael Pollan, shares his experiences on being a guinea pig for his new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence.

Did you know what you wanted when you were in high school? Our teen guinea pig takes on the challenge of figuring out her purpose in life.

Would you rather swim with sharks or give a speech before thousands of people? Discover how our happiness guinea pig tackled one of his many fears--and lived to talk about it.

Holding on to a grudge? Hear how our happiness guinea pig tried to let go of deep-seated anger and resentment.

For years, Dan Harris of ABC News was plagued by anxiety, depression, and streaks of anger. Here's how he learned to tame the voices in his head and get 10 percent happier.   

In hard times, do you seek comfort from others or turn inwards? Find out how our Happiness Guinea Pig emerged from trauma by accepting others' support.  Thank you for your emails, calls, and letters! We think your stories will inspire others and we’ll be sharing some of them on the show. So call us at (510) 519-4903 and let us know how doing the Feeling Supported practice went for you! Support for this podcast comes from Sun Basket. We all know that every part of our life is enhanced when we eat nourishing, healthy meals but always eating right can be hard to do. Sun Basket makes it easy. Go to SunBasket.com/SOH today to learn more and get $35 off your first order!  

Is there someone important you've never properly thanked? Award-winning children's book author, Yuyi Morales, discovers the power of writing a "gratitude letter" to the librarian who changed her life. 

Do memories of your past affect your happiness today? Susannah Cahalan was young and healthy when she was stricken with a mysterious illness. Learn how writing about her “month of madness” in the bestselling book Brain on Fire helped her reclaim her life.

Does imagining your future make you more happy--or more anxious?  Our happiness guinea pig looks ahead for inspiration to improve her life now.

Can you train your brain to be more grateful? Todd Zwillich of The Takeaway takes on the challenge.

Are you so stressed that it wears you down physically as well as mentally? Discover how award-winning radio host Krista Tippett brought relief to her mind and body.  

Do you dwell on the negative and let moments of joy just pass you by? Discover how the Academy Award-winning director of Inside Out got out of his head and savored the good in his life.

What should you do when you thought you had it all -- but learn you've had it all wrong? Discover what our happiness guinea pig did to bring more joy and humor into his life.

Can 36 questions help you fall in love--and stay in love? Best-selling author Kelly Corrigan tries a research-proven technique to feel closer to her husband. Plus, we learn how the same technique can actually reduce racism and prejudice.

Are you too hard on yourself? Our Happiness Guinea Pig spent most of his life behind bars. Discover the research-tested practice that helped him quiet his inner critic.

Do you take the good things in life for granted? You’re not alone, and studies show it's very human. But here’s a way to find more joy in the everyday. 

What does it take to live a happier life? Learn research-tested strategies that you can put into practice today. Hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner. Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.