Explore every episode of the podcast The Science of Happiness

Can anyone truly succeed alone? We explore how role models, mentors, and strong social support make upward mobility far more possible than grit alone.

Summary: What role do the people around us play in shaping our success? Brothers Danny and Gilbert Murillo share how education, mentorship, and their evolving relationship helped them overcome incarceration and systemic barriers to build lives of purpose. Then, Social Mobility Lab founder Bob McKinnon explains why success is never a solo journey and how recognizing our own "dream team" can expand what's possible for ourselves and others.

How To Do This Practice: 

1. Reflect on your journey: Think about where you are today and the moments that shaped your path. Consider both the opportunities you had and the challenges you overcame.
2. Identify your dream team: Write down the people who have encouraged, protected, guided, or inspired you throughout your life. They might be family members, teachers, friends, mentors, coaches, or colleagues.
3. Recognize their impact: For each person, note one way they helped you grow or see new possibilities. Notice how your achievements are connected not only to your own efforts, but also to the support you received.
4. Look ahead with intention: Ask yourself what kind of support you need right now. Is there someone you could learn from, ask for advice, or build a stronger relationship with as you work toward your next goal?
5. Move forward with self-compassion: As you pursue your goals, remember that success and setbacks are never yours alone. Focus on what you can control, ask for help when you need it, and offer yourself the same grace you'd extend to someone you care about.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

DANNY MURILLO is the co-founder of Underground Scholars, a program that creates pathways to higher education for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and system-impacted people. 

Learn more about Danny here: https://undergroundscholars.berkeley.edu/members

GILBERT MURILLO is a policy advocate and researcher who draws on his own  experience with incarceration to reform California's criminal justice system.

Learn more about Gilbert here: https://capolicylab.org/staff/gilbert-murillo/

BOB MCKINNON is an author, teacher, and Director of the Social Mobility Lab at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York

Learn more about Bob here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/bob_mckinnon

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsad33

Related Happiness Break episodes:

A Science-Backed Path to Self-Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/2js59anm

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail 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

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3j352txy

Take a moment to connect with your body and make space for difficult emotions with compassion and care. This embodiment practice is guided by Lyla June Johnston, a Diné musician, scholar of Indigenous land management, and community organizer.

How To Do This Practice: 

1. Ground yourself in the present: Find a comfortable seated position and take four slow, deep breaths. Notice the feeling of your body supported by the chair or the floor, bringing your attention fully into the present moment.
2. Reflect on a difficult truth: Gently bring to mind a challenging truth—such as the lasting impacts of colonization or another painful reality. Approach it with curiosity rather than judgment, allowing yourself to stay present instead of becoming overwhelmed.
3. Notice where your emotions live in your body: As you reflect, pay attention to your physical sensations. You might notice tightness in your chest, heaviness in your stomach, warmth in your heart, or another sensation. Simply observe where your emotions show up.
4. Hold your feelings with compassion: Rather than pushing difficult emotions away or getting lost in them, imagine holding them with the same care you would offer a crying child. Let each feeling be seen, heard, and acknowledged without trying to fix it.
5. Replace shame with love and solidarity: If guilt or shame arises, gently set it down. Instead, invite feelings of compassion, hope, and connection. Consider one way you can move toward repair, understanding, or solidarity—even if it's simply bearing witness with an open heart.
6. Return to the present with intention: Bring your awareness back to your breath, your body, and your surroundings. Relax your shoulders, soften your muscles, and take four more deep breaths. As you finish, carry forward an intention to meet difficult truths with courage, love, and compassionate action.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

LYLA JUNE JOHNSTON is the founder and Dean of Instruction at The Rehuman School.

Learn about Lyla June Johnston's work: https://www.lylajune.com/

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  

How to Feel Less Lonely and More Connected: https://tinyurl.com/2s3tbchd

When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/mr32nwtv

An Awe Walk Through History and Possibility: https://tinyurl.com/mr3arrbc

Related Happiness Breaks:

A Meditation on the Uniqueness of Your Own Voice: https://tinyurl.com/36x3fbk7

A Meditation on Original Love and Interconnectedness:https://tinyurl.com/mu2uzs2c

Our Deep Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/y2epxyxn

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3v76jcs8

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.

Summary: In this episode of The Science of Happiness, bestselling graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier reflects on growing up with anxiety, panic attacks, and emetophobia—the fear of throwing up—and shares how transforming those experiences into stories helped her feel less alone and inspired young readers to seek support. Through a week-long walking meditation practice, Raina explores what it means to slow down, reconnect with her body, and face discomfort with curiosity rather than avoidance. 

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose a small, quiet space: Find a place where you can walk slowly back and forth for about 10–15 steps without interruption. This could be a hallway, living room, backyard, or even a hotel room.
2. Set a timer for 10 minutes: Giving yourself a set amount of time helps you stop checking the clock and allows you to settle more fully into the practice.
3. Begin walking slowly and naturally: Walk at a comfortable pace, paying attention to the sensation of each step—your heel touching the ground, the shift of your weight, and the movement of your body.
4. Focus on your breath: As you walk, gently notice your breathing. You might take a slow breath before turning around at the end of each pass, letting your breath help anchor your attention.
5. When your mind wanders, return to the movement: Thoughts, worries, memories, or distractions will come up. Rather than judging yourself, simply guide your attention back to your steps and breathing.
6. Notice how you feel afterward: When the timer ends, pause for a moment before moving on with your day. Take note of any shifts in your body, mood, or pace of mind, even subtle ones can matter.

Try the full practice here: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/walking_meditation

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Guests:

RAINA TELGEMEIER is an American cartoonist and New York Times bestselling author. Her books have received many awards, including multiple Eisner Awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor and a Stonewall Honor.

Learn more about Raina Telgemeier here: https://goraina.com/ 

RICHARD DAVIDSON is the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Learn more about Richard Davidson here: https://www.richardjdavidson.com/

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  

How to Find Calm Through Walking: https://tinyurl.com/43dr26re

Related Happiness Breaks:

Walk Your Way to Calm, with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y8md2759

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail 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

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/mrxkfvkj

It’s important to take a moment to pause and take a long, slow exhale as we navigate life. In our podcast series, "Breathe Away Anxiety," we explore ancient breathing techniques alongside cutting-edge research that reveals the powerful effects of slow, controlled breathing on our mental and physical well-being. We also share Happiness Break meditations to guide you through these science-backed methods, helping you reduce anxiety and cultivate calm in your everyday life.

We explore cyclic sighing, a simple breathing technique that can help lift your mood and lower anxiety.

Summary: Cyclic sighing is a breathing exercise that involves inhaling through your nose, filling your lungs, and then slowly exhaling through your mouth. The idea is to inhale briefly but deeply, and then exhale for longer. Research suggests that the slow exhale is what's most relaxing. We hear from pro-surfer Sarah Gerhardt about and Stanford scientist David Spiegel. 

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5

Time: 5 minutes

1. Prepare: Find a comfortable seated or standing position in a quiet environment. Relax your shoulders and jaw. 
2. First Inhale: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Start with your abdomen, allowing it to expand (diaphragmatic breathing) as you fill your lungs about halfway. Hold this breath briefly. 
3. Second Inhale: Continue inhaling through your nose, now expanding your chest to completely fill your lungs. Hold this combined breath (abdomen and chest filled) for a moment. 
4. Exhale: Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth. Make sure the exhale is gentle and lasts about twice as long as the combined inhales. 
   Repeat the Cycle: Repeat the inhale sequence for a total of 3 cycles (or as desired): Start with a diaphragmatic inhale through your nose, expanding your abdomen. Follow with a chest expansion inhale through your nose to fill your lungs completely. Hold briefly after each combined inhale. Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth, ensuring it's twice as long as the inhales. 
5. Reflect and Relax: After completing the cycles, take a moment to observe how your body feels. Notice any sensations of relaxation, reduced tension, or a calmer state of mind.

Guest: Sarah Gerhardt is a pro-surfer chemistry professor based out of Santa Cruz, California

Guest: Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is also the co-founder of the clinically backed self-hypnosis app Reveri.  

Read Dr. Spiegel’s cyclic sighing study here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxbkyr2

Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh 

Related Happiness Break episodes:
A Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr

Dr. Kristin Neff guides us in a self-compassionate touch exercise, and shares the many research-backed reasons to cultivate kindness towards oneself.

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5xt3mz3h

Summary: Dr. Kristin Neff guides us through various practices of self-compassionate touch, such as placing hands over the heart or cradling the face, to provide comfort and support. Research shows that self-compassion can improve mental and physical well-being and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress. 

Guest: Dr. Kristin Neff is an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin's department of educational psychology. She's also the co-author of 'Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout,' which offers tools to help individuals heal and recharge from burnout.

How To Do This Self-Compassionate Touch Practice:
 
Take a moment to try these different touches and see which feels most supportive to you. Whenever you feel stressed or upset, or just need some extra support, use this compassionate touch to remind yourself that you’re here for you. Research shows the practice works best when practiced regularly.

Duration: 20 seconds, practiced daily or as often as you can.

Find a comfortable space. Sit or stand somewhere you feel relaxed and at ease. Try out these practices while thinking kind words to yourself, as though you were comforting a dear friend in distress.

1. Touch Your Heart: Place both hands gently over the center of your chest, one on top of the other. Apply just enough pressure to feel connected, but not uncomfortable. Focus on the warmth of your touch.  

2. Feel Your Strength: If it feels right, make a gentle fist with your left hand, symbolizing strength, and place it over your heart. Rest your right hand on top of the fist to combine the feeling of strength and love.  

3. Cradle Your Face: Gently cup each of your cheeks with your hands, holding your face as you would a loved one in distress. Let the touch be soft and caring.  

4. Support Your Core: Place both hands over your solar plexus, just below your ribcage, and imagine you're holding and supporting your core. This can be particularly comforting if you're feeling fear or deep emotions.  

5. Give Yourself a Hug: Cross your arms, resting each hand on the opposite shoulder. Gently squeeze yourself, adjusting the pressure to feel comforting but not overwhelming.

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

• How to Feel Better About Yourself
• Give Yourself A Break
• If You Want to Be More Productive, Cut Yourself Some Slack

Related Happiness Break mediations:

• What to do When you're Struggling, With Spring Washam

We explore the science behind how self-compassionate touch can help us feel better about ourselves.

Link to transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4nm5827f

Summary:  Brittany Luce, host of NPR's "It's Been A Minute," shares her experience with self-compassionate touch. She did it for 20 seconds, almost daily. to quiet her inner critic and foster self-compassion, especially during moments of stress or self-judgment. 

Researcher Eli Susman also shares the fascinating science behind this practice, and how despite being short and sweet —it may still be an effective way to cultivate self compassion -- especially if you find ways to make it a habit.

How To Do This Self-Compassionate Touch Practice:
Take a moment to try these different touches and see which feels most supportive to you. Whenever you feel stressed or upset, or just need some extra support, use this compassionate touch to remind yourself that you’re here for you. Research shows the practice works best when practiced regularly.

Duration: 20 seconds, practiced daily or as often as you can.

Find a comfortable space. Sit or stand somewhere you feel relaxed and at ease. Try out these micro practices while thinking kind words to yourself, as though you were comforting a dear friend in distress.

1. Touch Your Heart: Place both hands gently over the center of your chest, one on top of the other. Apply just enough pressure to feel connected, but not uncomfortable. Focus on the warmth of your touch.  

2. Feel Your Strength: If it feels right, make a gentle fist with your left hand, symbolizing strength, and place it over your heart. Rest your right hand on top of the fist to combine the feeling of strength and love.  

3. Cradle Your Face: Gently cup each of your cheeks with your hands, holding your face as you would a loved one in distress. Let the touch be soft and caring.  

4. Support Your Core: Place both hands over your solar plexus, just below your ribcage, and imagine you're holding and supporting your core. This can be particularly comforting if you're feeling fear or deep emotions.  

5. Give Yourself a Hug: Cross your arms, resting each hand on the opposite shoulder. Gently squeeze yourself, adjusting the pressure to feel comforting but not overwhelming.

Guest: Brittany Luse is an award-winning journalist, cultural critic. and host of the NPR podcast “It's Been a Minute.”

Learn more about Luse: https://tinyurl.com/3bjt6v7m
Follow Luse on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmluse
Listen to the NPR podcast "It's Been A Minute": https://tinyurl.com/3uek8ey8

Guest: Eli Susman is a researcher and Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at UC Berkeley
Read Eli Susman's study on self-compassionate touch: https://tinyurl.com/2uh783z8

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

• How to Feel Better About Yourself
• Give Yourself A Break
• If You Want to Be More Productive, Cut Yourself Some Slack

Related Happiness Break mediations:

• What to do When you're Struggling, With Spring Washam

Letting go of our regrets can motivate us to improve and help us grow. Alex Elle, a certified breath work and writing coach, guides us through a meditation to forgive and accept ourselves.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5dzrzm4z

How to Do This Practice:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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 breath work 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

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Forgive Your Father: https://tinyurl.com/2p98e3cy
• Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/mwwhbrs6

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• A Meditation for Seeking Forgiveness, With Shelly Tygielski: https://tinyurl.com/yynvm6av
• Radical Acceptance, With Tara Brach: https://tinyurl.com/4k3f563m

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail 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

What if you had a magic wand and could better the world in any way? What would you do? We explore a practice shown to help you find your purpose and feel more motivated, resilient and fulfilled in life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bp7wv7ft

Episode Summary

What’s your greater purpose in life? It’s a tough question, especially if you’re feeling uncertain about your future. In this episode, our guest explores that very question—and gets handed a magic wand with the power to make the world a better place.

How To Do The Magic Wand Practice

1. Set aside 15 minutes to reflect and write. 
2. Think about the world you live in – your home, your community, and the world at large.
3. Imagine you’ve been given a magic wand, and you can change anything you want to change in the world. What would you want to be different? Why? Describe your ideal world in writing.
4. Now, reflect on what it would take to change the world in this way. Is there anything you can do to help move the world closer to this ideal? If so, explain how; if not, explain why not.

Guest: Selina Bilal is a UC Berkeley undergraduate student who is studying psychology, and a Fellow at Greater Good Science Center, where we produce The Science of Happiness

Expert Guest: Kendall Cotton Bronk is a professor of psychology in the Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences at Claremont University. 

• Learn more about Bronk’s work: https://tinyurl.com/3s9sjp2d
• Connect with Bronk: https://tinyurl.com/3p5cepy3

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Find Your Spark in Life: https://tinyurl.com/yc8j9a4u
• What’s Your “Why” in Life? https://tinyurl.com/2vnaswpt

Happiness Break Related Episodes

•  A Meditation to Inspire a Sense of Purpose: https://tinyurl.com/54uuvh7z
• Visualizing Your Purpose, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/3jvnv35y

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail 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

Our happiness is interconnected with the well-being of others, both people and the natural world. Step outside of you can, or imagine the outdoors from wherever you are now, and join us for a meditation that’ll help us be better stewards of the natural world.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y3yfjsxa

Episode Summary

A meditation on how we can give back to the earth, led by indigenous activist, artist, and scholar Dr. Lyla June Johnston.

How To Do This Practice

1. Sit and take four deep breaths to honor the four sacred directions.
2. Take a moment to stop, and step outside and see what  life flourishes from. 
3. Take notice of the little things – a bird bath that provides a safe place for the birds to drink and to bathe. 
4. Think about how you can give a small gift to life., Maybe you could plant fruit or nut-bearing trees that could feed you,your neighbors, and the wildlife around you.
5.  Following this meditation, think about ways that you can make this a reality. You could order a bird bath from your local feed store. 
6. Think of the metaphor of the bird bath. A bird bath is a human creation. And it's a gift to birds. It doesn't benefit us at all. It truly is just a gift to a species outside of our own. 
7. Reflect on how this is truly what human beings were born to do – born to be givers, stewards, and caretakers of the earth.

Guest Host: Dr. Lyla June Johnston is an indigenous activist, artist, and scholar from the Naaneesht'ezhi Taach'iinii clan of the Diné Nation. 

• For more on her work: https://www.lylajune.com/
• Watch her TED talk: https://tinyurl.com/frbe5ya9
• Follow her on instagram: https://tinyurl.com/bdfbf8yx
• Follow her on X: https://tinyurl.com/4jj57n25
• Follow her on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3cskuh7x

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How to Do Good for the Environment (And Yourself): https://tinyurl.com/dmsr2wkm
• The Healing Effects of Experiencing Wildlife: https://tinyurl.com/murmd98b

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/ynxeeb7a
• Contemplating Our Interdependence With Nature, With Dekila Chungyalpa: https://tinyurl.com/erz2f5de
• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod.  E-mail 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

With the U.S. election swiftly approaching, the political divide can feel overwhelming. But what happens when we recognize the limits of our knowledge? 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/83a5wbkp 

Episode Summary

When we internally acknowledge the limits of our knowledge, we create space to engage with other points of view. Allowing new perspectives in can help us better assess arguments, and decrease hubris. We will hear from psychologists Tania Israel and Daryl Van Tongeren about embracing opinions different from our own.

How To Do This Practice

Reflect on an issue you feel strongly about. Ask yourself the following questions when listening to someone’s opinion that differs from your own:

1. How can other people help me to develop a broader or deeper understanding of this topic?
2. Whose story isn't being told here?
3. What's the perspective I'm not seeing? 
4. Check in with yourself as you're reading the news, are you just saying, “I agree with that perspective” or are there moments in which you can say, “This challenges me.”

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.” To learn more, go to ggsc.berkeley.edu/ih.

Today’s guests: 

Our guest host today is Allison Briscoe-Smith, a psychologist and Senior Fellow at The Greater Good Science Center.

Tania Israel is a psychology professor at UC Santa Barbara and author of the new book Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation.

Daryl Van Tongeren is a psychology professor at Hope College and author of the book Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World.

• Learn more about Allison Briscoe-Smith: https://tinyurl.com/p3eexvkf
• Take BerkeleyX: Bridging Differences by Allison Briscoe-Smith: https://tinyurl.com/58z9vmvb
• Read Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation, by Tania Israel: https://tinyurl.com/yeyw7k6j
• Read Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World, by Daryl Van Tongeren: https://www.darylvantongeren.com/books

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one:

A Way to Make Work More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/mtpay9jw

The Questions to Ask Yourself in an Argument: https://tinyurl.com/3uajhp4t

When It’s Hard to Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/nhzj52vc

Making Difficult Interactions More Respectful: https://tinyurl.com/bddafcrw

Happiness Break Related Episodes:

A Meditation For Connecting In Polarized Times, With Scott Shigeoka: https://tinyurl.com/y6e4vdsd

Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

Loving-kindness meditation, or “metta,” has its roots in Buddhist traditions that date back thousands of years. Studies show it can help nourish your capacity to express love, feel more satisfied in life, and enhance brain areas involved in emotional processing and empathy. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5h3nfwjb

Episode Summary

Dacher guides us in a meditation that has been practiced over thousands of years. Together, we will mentally extend goodwill, kindness, and warmth towards others and ourselves, in a series of mantras. 

How To Do This Practice

1. Find a comfortable position, you may lie down or be seated.
2. Bring your attention and awareness to the breath at the belly. Inhale and exhale, noticing sensations of breath. 
3. Bring to mind someone who you really believe has your best interests in their heart.
4. Choose just one person and bring them to mind as though they were next to you.
5. Imagine them truly wishing for you to be happy and fulfilled. Imagine their smile. Feel their intention of goodness. 
6. For a couple more breaths, really take in this wish for your happiness and joy from this person who cares for you.
7. Now letting go of the image of this person, relax into these sensations and feelings for just a couple breaths.
8. With this feeling of support and happiness, bring to mind someone who could really use some extra love.
9. Now repeat to yourself, “May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.”
10. As you inhale, draw in this intention. And as you exhale, send it out.
11. Twice more—inhale, drawing in this intention. And then exhale, sending out.
12. Release the image of this person. And just notice the sensations in your own body.

Today’s Host: Dacher Keltner 

Science of Happiness episodes like this one:

• 24 Hours of Kindness: https://tinyurl.com/3dnye335
• Being Kind Is Good for Your Health: https://tinyurl.com/2afe5v79
• How to Love People You Don’t Like: https://tinyurl.com/5sj388yj

Happiness Break related episodes:

• Wrap Yourself in Kindness, With Jack Kornfield: https://tinyurl.com/3cd6xj23
• How to Be Your Own Best Friend, with Kristin Neff: https://tinyurl.com/yc8emecm
• Wishing Others Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle: https://tinyurl.com/3w2sn96m

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on "Spreading Love Through the Media".

Tell us about your experiences practicing loving-kindness meditation! 

Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

Have you ever known you were dreaming while you were asleep? Our guests try practices to help induce lucid dreams, and we hear what they can teach us about consciousness.

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/yc6trmsh

Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc5xfwp4

Practice:

1. Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky.
2. 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.
3. On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is. 
4.  Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light?
5. Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in.
6. 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

Tell us about your experiences with wildlife! Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

What happens when you linger and look closely at a piece of art? Nathalie Ryan, an educator from the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., guides us through a slow looking practice shown to help deepen your sense of awe, presence, and connection.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose an image to focus on: Pick a piece of art, photograph, postcard, or even a recent photo from your phone that captures a natural or urban scene. Don’t overthink it—choose something that draws your attention.
2. Begin with a few slow breaths: Take a moment to settle into the present. Deepen your inhale, lengthen your exhale, and allow your breathing to slow the pace of your day.
3. Let your eyes wander slowly: Scan the image without rushing. Notice the light, colors, shapes, patterns, textures, and details that begin to emerge as you spend more time looking.
4. Imagine yourself inside the scene: Engage all of your senses. What might you hear, smell, feel, or taste in this place? Allow yourself to step into the environment with your imagination.
5. Notice how the scene changes: Picture the image at different times of day and throughout the seasons. Reflect on how the light, colors, atmosphere, and activity might shift over time.
6. Reflect on what arises: Pause to notice any emotions, memories, thoughts, or sensations that surfaced during the practice. Consider what changed when you gave yourself permission to look more slowly.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

NATHALIE A. RYAN is a Senior Educator at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, where she has led programs for educators, families, teens, and the adult public since 2002.

Related Happiness Break episodes:

How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm

Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3

Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/mrutudeh

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Cities of Awe Series: https://tinyurl.com/2vyhxvny

How Cities Can Make Space for Awe: https://tinyurl.com/yr7m2zb5

What Humans Can Learn From Trees: https://tinyurl.com/48te84ps

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/mt4mcw3m

Safe encounters with wildlife can deepen our appreciation for nature, and for other people. Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” shares his transformational experiences with the animals of the ocean.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/murmd98b

Episode Summary
Venturing into nature and experiencing wildlife can be transformative. Safe interactions with wildlife encourage us to be more in relation with nature, and each other. In this episode, we hear from Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” and how his interactions with sea creatures have changed his life. We also hear from environmental researcher Liz Lev about the effect on our well-being that being in wild spaces provides.

How To Do This Practice:
The next time you want to explore the outdoors, find the “wildest” space you can think of. Explore the “wild spaces” in your neighborhood or city, and reflect on your experiences with wildlife. 

Today’s guests:
Craig Foster is the director of My Octopus Teacher, and the co-founder of Sea Change Project. 

Liz Lev is an environmental researcher and research associate at Harder+Company who that specializes in the intersections of environmental and climate justice issues, mental health, and urban planning.

• Learn more about Craig’s work:https://tinyurl.com/tyctr6fu
• Follow Sea Change Project on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2pzdx73z
• Watch My Octopus Teacher: https://tinyurl.com/e87edt4b
• Follow My Octopus Teacher on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/mryx4zum
• Learn more about Liz’s research: https://tinyurl.com/y2afdxpr 
• Read about Liz’s research on wild spaces: https://tinyurl.com/msjsz32t

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one:

Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher (Encore): https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585
How Exploring New Places Can Make You Feel Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4ufn2tpn
Why We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2t
How Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5

Happiness Break Related Episodes:

Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9
How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kws

This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on "Spreading Love Through the Media".

Tell us about your experiences with wildlife! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

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 your neighborhood.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find somewhere where you can focus on the natural environment, like your backyard.
2. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
3. Notice your belly and chest rise and fall as you breathe. Note the physical sensations of your breath.
4. If you closed your eyes, open them. Let your breath fall into its natural rhythm.
5. Look around you and let your eyes wander slowly through your surroundings: the plants, animals, and bugs.
6.  Let yourself be curious about anything that catches your eye and moves you. Rest your awareness there. Pause to appreciate it, and let it hold your attention for a few moments.
7. Turn your awareness to your emotions. How are you feeling? When something you see evokes an emotion, take a mental photo of it. What about it captivated you? What did it make you feel?
8.  Write that down in just a few words or sentences, or make a mental note of it. Let your gaze wander again whenever you’re ready, repeating these steps. 

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 GGSC and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these Happiness Breaks:

Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kws

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness 

Walk Outside with Inside Out’s Pete Docter: https://tinyurl.com/23vpuj8j

Why We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2t

How Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5

Tell us about your nature experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

Exploring novel places and having diverse experiences is important to our well-being and can make us feel happier. This week, Ike Sriskandarajah, a producer for This American Life, takes us with him as he explores new parts of New York City.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/seystc6c

Episode summary: 

Shaking yourself out of your normal routine can be hard–but studies show it’s worth it. Creating space for variety, novelty, and awe in our lives is essential for our well-being. Exploring new and diverse environments in our daily life can lead to better stress resilience and can make us feel better. In this episode, investigative journalist Ike Sriskandarajah, shares his experience exploring new places with his family in New York City. Then, we hear from Aaron Heller, a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology, who studies how exposure to novel places can make us happier. 

This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

Practice: 

Break out of your usual daily routine–take a route to work you have never taken before, or visit a park you’ve never gone to. Explore a place you have never been to.

Today’s guests: Ike Sriskandarajah is an investigative journalist and Producer at This American Life.

Aaron Heller is a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology.

• Learn more about Ike’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4auuk7pd
• Learn about Ike’s work at Reveal: https://tinyurl.com/serhuyt5
• Follow Ike on X: https://tinyurl.com/ycxz6xbr
• Connect with Ike on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/ydwztavw
• Learn more about Aaron’s research: https://tinyurl.com/yxrpm944
• Follow Aaron on X: https://tinyurl.com/rr3ac6jw
• Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/36trsaux

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one

• How Awe Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/bddavvbv
•  Can You Find Wonder in the Ordinary? https://tinyurl.com/4j8h4dzk

Happiness Break Related Episodes

• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9
• Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Tell us about your experience exploring new places! 

Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod, or e-mail 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

Connect to yourself and the land you stand on in under 10 minutes with this grounding practice led by Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3at8hrsu

How to Do This Practice:
 

1. 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. 
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 about your grounding practice experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail 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

Everyday activities, such as cleaning and gardening, can be sources of joy and opportunities for mindfulness. This week, our guest shares his experience practicing mindful sweeping on the temple stairs in Kyoto, Japan with Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3r6ju2wh

The Science of Happiness is now Instagram, and we'd love for you to follow us! You can find us at @ScienceofHappinessPod. We're going to go behind the scenes of our episodes, and share how to do the practices we talk about on the show. The first 100 followers will be included in a raffle to win a signed copy of host Dacher Keltner's newest book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.

Episode summary:
Many of us see yard work as a chore. But what if we shift our perspective and instead see it  as an opportunity to practice mindfulness? This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest  shares his experience of sweeping the steps of a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and the mindfulness and mental processes involved in the practice. Then, we hear from Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk and author, about the practice of cleaning as a form of mindfulness.

Practice:
The next time you’re tending to your garden, picking up trash on your sidewalk, watering the plants, or doing other chores, spend a few minutes practicing mindfulness by slowing down and really being present with the activity and your own body's movements while you do it. 

Today’s guests:

Matt Heron is a Canadian who has been living and working in Japan for five years. 

Shoukei Matsumoto is a Buddhist monk and cleaning enthusiast in Kyoto, Japan. He is the author of “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind,” which has been translated into 18 languages, including English 

• Follow Shoukei on instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4e2jk7xt
• Follow Shoukei on Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/48xkr9ew
• Learn more about Interbeing: https://www.interbeing.co.jp/en
• Read “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind” : https://tinyurl.com/7u3zhvcz

More episodes like this one:

How to Make Work More Satisfying: https://tinyurl.com/3fa925yf
Why We Should Seek Beauty in the Everyday Life: https://tinyurl.com/26dskv38

Related Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness) 

Contemplating Our Interdependence With Nature, With Dekila Chungyalpa: https://tinyurl.com/erz2f5de
Happiness Break: How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/ynxeeb7a

This episode is supported by Tianren Culture, whose vision is “One Wisdom, One Health.” Tianren Culture is a next-generation social platform that acts as a catalyst to foster positive global values and lifestyles.

Tell us about your mindful gardening experiences! 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

Last week on The Science of Happiness, we discussed the scientifically proven health benefits of the ancient Chinese practice of qigong with Harvard psychologist Peter Wayne. This week, we practice a standing meditation, with qigong master Sherry Zhang. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3t5wdexe

How to Do This Practice:

1. Take a moment to stand upright with your feet together and take a few deep breaths.
2. Have your eyes looking forward.
3. Soften your knee.
4. Gently shift your weight onto your left leg and step your right foot aside.
5. Face your palms inward, with your fingers relaxed and pointing down. 
6. With your chin slightly in, relax both shoulders, and tuck in your tailbone.
7. Ground your feet and relax your knees, armpits, and fingers.
8. Take a deep breath and exhale. 
9. Spend a few moments focused on your natural breathing and relaxed body.
10. Now, bring your right foot back, so both feet are together.
11. Lengthen your spine. 
12. Take a moment to observe how your body feels, until your breathing slows. 
13. Next, bring your hands together and rub them together vigorously, creating heat in between your palms.
14. Now "wash" your face with your hands.
15. "Wash" the side of your ears, to the back of your ears, the back of your neck.
16. Now relax both hands at the front of your chest.
17. Repeat this practice for one to five minutes.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Sherry Zhang is the founder of Tai Chi Solutions and a Master Teacher of Qigong. She is faculty at Pacific College of Health and Sciences in New York City. 

• Learn more about Sherry’s work:https://www.taichisolution.org/
• Follow Sherry on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taichisolution/
• Follow Sherry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/taichisolution
• Follow Sherry on Linked-In: https://tinyurl.com/ywca6nd5
• Follow Sherry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherrytaichi/
• Follow Tai Chi Solutions on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taichisolution/

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these ones:

Walk Your Way to Calm (Guided Meditation), with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/4w37zwpy
A Walking Meditation With Dan Harris of 10% Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4dv4ckzc

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about movement-based practices: 

How Qigong Can Calm Your Mind and Body: https://tinyurl.com/2ywsck4e
Episode 5: Walk Outside with Inside Out’s Pete Docter: https://tinyurl.com/2nfc94zb

We love hearing from you! Tell us what movement based practice you’ve tried!

Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Share this Happiness Break!

Studies show qigong can strengthen your body and mind, and reduce cortisol levels. We explore this Chinese meditative movement practice that dates back over 4,000 years.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2ywsck4e

Episode summary: Finding calm in your day to day life can be stressful, especially in a world that seems to be moving at such a rapid pace. Your life can change in an instant– and it can be really difficult to get yourself on your feet again. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, Ace Boral, an Oakland-based chef, joins us to try Qigong. Ace talks about his health struggles over the past four years, and how incorporating Qigong into his life over the past few weeks has helped him find mental clarity, emotional balance, and confidence in himself. Then we hear from Harvard psychologist Peter Wayne who has practiced and studied the benefits of Xigong. 

Today’s guests: Ace Boral is an Oakland-based chef.

Peter Wayne is an Associate Professor of Medicine, and serves as the Director for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

• Learn more about Peter’s work: https://tinyurl.com/342xndna

More episodes like this one:

• Moving Through Space, with Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/3u844n4d
• The Science of Synchronized Movement: https://tinyurl.com/n4bcrb5j

Tell us about your experiences with Qigong. 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

Here's a favorite of ours: visualize your best possible self and tap into your inherent enough-ness with this guided meditation by Justin Michael Williams.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5xm9ckff

How to Do This Practice:

1. 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?
2. 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? 
3. 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.
4. 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 episodes like this one

How to Find Your Best Possible Self
https://tinyurl.com/6t3uws8d

Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships,  With Dacher Keltner
https://tinyurl.com/5cx6cd5z

Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Purpose, With Dacher
https://tinyurl.com/39apt7tb

We love hearing from you! Tell us what brings you feelings of awe. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! 

She's the world's leading animal behaviorist and an autism advocacy leader. Guest Temple Grandin shares what kind of support systems led her to success, and we hear about how community, and lack thereof, affects our health and ability to succeed.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/y82vw4dv
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. Feeling socially disconnected can lead to a higher risk of dementia, cardiovascular disease, cancer and more.

Today’s guests:
Temple Grandin is a leading scientist, 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

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

Transcript to come.

Experiencing awe can help us slow down and connect to the world around us. So how can we harness the power of this feeling? Host Dacher Keltner leads us in a colorful meditation to bring about awe. 

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3e9cyky5

Practice:

1. Please find a space, either inside or outside, where you can take a moment and pause and look slowly at a scene in front of you. 
2. Settle into a pattern of deep breathing and ease. Really focusing on how that pattern of inhalation and exhalation relaxes your body and slows your heart rate down.
3. Now cast your gaze over the space around you. Take in what you see in the scene in front of you.
4. You may shift your attention to colors present in the things around you or step back and get a sense of the scene in a more holistic way.
5. Notice the variations and differences in the various colors in your visual field. 
6. What feelings do the colors evoke in you? 
7. Now, gently close and then open your eyes and notice how you feel. 

Today’s guests:
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.

More episodes like this one:

How Awe Brings Us Together

https://tinyurl.com/bdhy4sj5

How Music Evokes Awe

https://tinyurl.com/mpkww4j9

Happiness Break: Awe for Others, With Dacher

https://tinyurl.com/3ptwh66j

Feeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, with Dacher Keltner

https://tinyurl.com/4r7rjaxf

We love hearing from you! Tell us what brings you feelings of awe. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break!
Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Rate us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

What happens when we slow down enough to really experience art? We visit a museum to discover how slow looking at art can cultivate awe, empathy, and a greater sense of connection in a distracted world.

Summary: Art has the power to move us emotionally, physically, and socially—but only if we take the time to truly engage with it. As part of our Cities of Awe series, this episode of The Science of Happiness explores what happens when we slow down and really look at a piece of art. We visit the Nevada Museum of Art to look at the science and practice of slow looking—how it can deepen empathy, presence, and everyday meaning.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose One Piece and Commit to Staying With It: Pick a single artwork, photograph, object, or even a scene in nature. Set aside about 15 minutes and put away distractions—especially your phone. The goal is not to “figure it out,” but to stay present long enough for your experience to deepen.
2. Spend Time Noticing the Form: For the first five minutes, focus only on what you see. Notice the shapes, textures, colors, lines, patterns, shadows, movement, or composition. Let your eyes wander slowly across the piece and observe details you might normally miss.
3. Pay Attention to Your Emotional Response: For the next five minutes, shift inward. What feelings arise as you look? Curiosity, comfort, sadness, awe, tension, delight, nostalgia? Instead of labeling the experience as simply “I like it” or “I don’t,” explore the full range of emotions and reactions that emerge.
4. Let Your Mind Make Associations: For the last five minutes, allow the artwork to lead your thoughts elsewhere. What memories, people, places, or ideas come to mind? Does it remind you of something from your own life or spark questions about the world, history, or humanity? Follow the associations without judging them.
5. Stay Open to Complexity and Discomfort: Some works may bring up conflicting or uncomfortable emotions. Rather than rushing past them, give yourself permission to sit with them. 

Read the full study here.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Guests: 

COLIN ROBERTSON is the Senior Vice President of Education and Research at the Nevada Museum of Art. 

Learn more about Colin Robertson here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinmrobertson/

DR. ANJAN CHATTERJEE is a professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture and the founding Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. 

Learn more about Dr. Anjan Chatterjee here: https://tinyurl.com/yw2fs364

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Cities of Awe Series: https://tinyurl.com/2vyhxvny

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/5b5prh4t

Hearing birdsong can help us feel less anxious, recover from stress faster, and even reduce muscle tension ... but can it help us fall asleep? Drew Ackerman of Sleep With Me podcast listens to recordings of birdsongs to see if it'll help with insomnia.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n7sxjtb

Episode summary:

Drew Ackerman, aka Scooter of Sleep With Me Podcast, has always struggled to get to sleep. Even as an anxious kid, worries would keep his mind churning as the night wore on. For our show, he tried a science-backed practice for easing stress: listening to the twitter of birds. He discovered the recordings reminded him of easeful summer afternoons, transporting him to another time and place. The research bears this out: different sounds affect us in different ways. For many, birdsong lowers our body’s stress responses. And for Drew, that helped him get a little sleepier.

Practice:

1. Listen to a recording of birdsong that appeals to you.

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/

Emil Stobbe is a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany.

Jesper Alvarsson is a professor of Psychology at Södertörn University in Sweden.

Eleanor Ratcliffe is a professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey in the UK.

More episodes like this one:

The Science of a Good Night's Sleep (Sleep Tips, With Drew Ackerman) - https://tinyurl.com/3wrwzrxy

Why You Should Snap Pictures of Nature (Appreciating The Outdoors, With Tejal Rao) - https://tinyurl.com/erwdvwrw

Related Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness)

Restore Through Silence, With Tricia Hersey - https://tinyurl.com/4h8ww8ub

Feeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/43v74ryn

Tell us what sounds relax you! You can even send us a recording, we’d love to hear it. 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 and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Pilina is an indigenous Hawaiian word, or concept, that describes our deep interconnectedness. Harvard Clinical Psychology Fellow Jo Qina'au guides us through a contemplation of our profound interrelationships.

Link to Episode Transcript: https://shorturl.at/npAM9

How to Do This Practice:

Pilina comes from the indigenous Hawaiian language and culture. Pilina means connection, or interconnectedness.

1. Settle into a comfortable position and observe your breath.

2. Visualize someone to whom you feel meaningfully connected and acknowledge the feeling of Pilina, or deep interconnectedness, between you two.

3. Reflect on what it is that connects you, what impact that connection has had on your life, and what it may have had on theirs.

4. Notice how it feels to acknowledge these things.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with as many people as you wish.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jo Qina’au is an indigenous Hawaiian meditation teacher and a Clinical Psychology Fellow at Harvard Medical School.

• Learn more about Jo’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2wfcma5f

• Follow Jo on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3v8ubn6a

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these Happiness Breaks:

• 5 Minutes of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, With Jo Qina’au - https://tinyurl.com/4f3fd97f

• Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/4dzpatx7

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about connection:

• How to Feel Less Lonely and More Connected - https://tinyurl.com/36t6urte

• When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious - https://tinyurl.com/3778r4h9

We love hearing from you! Tell us who you feel Pilina with, and what it means to you to reflect on it. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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 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.

Thinking about happy memories activates reward centers in our brains, and can help us feel more connected and accepted. Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye discovers the joy-bringing power of recalling her good childhood memories.

Link to Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2r63e6tn

Episode summary: Whether it’s news notifications or work emails, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the stresses of our time every moment of every day. But what if there was something we could do to rekindle the greatest joys of our pasts? How might that shift how we feel in the present moment? Simply reflecting on happy memories has been shown in a lab to reduce stress, activate the reward center in our brain, and uplift our mood. This week, Palestinian-American poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye reminisces on happy memories from her youth and finds the practice soothes her and sparks joyfulness. We also hear from neuroscientist Mauricio Delgado about how the practice changes the way we think and feel, and which types of happy memories serve us best.

This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

Practice: For one week or more, spend 5-10 minutes each day writing in response to the following prompt:

Think about good memories you have from your past. Write a few paragraphs describing them and one event that you still remember to this date. Please provide as many details as possible, including who was there, so that another person reading what you wrote could understand how you felt at that time.

Today’s guests: Naomi Shihab Nye is a Palestinian-American poet and author. Her new book of poetry, Grace Notes, will be available May 7.

Order Grace Notes: https://tinyurl.com/st3w6n8t

Check out Naomi’s children’s book about a child visiting her Palestinian grandmother, Sitti’s Secrets: https://tinyurl.com/5embjxuj

Follow Naomi on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/5hddcf8k

Mauricio Delgado is a psychology professor at Rutgers University who studies social and cognitive neuroscience.

Learn more about Mauricio’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4tt7bp2d

Follow Mauricio on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/27kvv6j7

More episodes like this one:

Why We Should Look Up at the Sky - https://tinyurl.com/4xs88sye

Why We Need Friends with Shared Interests - https://tinyurl.com/bdesh3he

Related Happiness Breaks:

A Meditation to Connect to Your Roots, With Yuria Celidwen - https://tinyurl.com/3ae3w3z3

Where Did You Come From? Guided Writing, With Lyla June - https://tinyurl.com/ytypxn5t

Tell us about your happiest childhood memories, and what they bring to you now. 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 and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

A walking meditation led by 10% Happier Host Dan Harris

How to Do This Practice:

1. Begin walking.
2. Bring your awareness to the present moment, noticing sights and sounds around you. When your mind wanders to worries or other thoughts, gently bring yourself back to what you notice around you.
3. See if you can notice the sensations in your leg as you take each step.
4. Continue walking this way as long as you wish.

Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc2kpzmy

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dan Harris the host of 10% Happier, a podcast about mindfulness and other practices and thoughts that can support our well-being.

Check out Dan’s podcast, 10% Happier:  https://tinyurl.com/48cxcbjm\

Order his most recent book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book: https://tinyurl.com/44cmjuvd

Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/danbharris

Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/

If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like:

Moving Through Space, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/5n8dj5v6

Check out these episodes of The Science of Happiness about walking and mind-body awareness.

How To Do Good For The Environment (And Yourself) (Walking, With Diana Gameros) - https://tinyurl.com/3zfhhpus

How To Focus Under Pressure (Mindful Body Scan, With Amy Schneider) - https://tinyurl.com/5fkdre2v

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experiences with mindful walking. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Finding ways to bend tasks toward your strengths and passions can make you happier, more productive and find more meaning in your life — no matter your job.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/4ky325rs

Episode summary:

When the poet and former professor Susan Glass first retired, she stacked her days with so many volunteer gigs and passion projects, she felt like she was working harder than ever before. Now, she wants to prioritize living a life of meaning and enjoyment. Susan tried a lab-tested practice called Job Crafting, where you take stock of the tasks that fill your day, how much time and energy they require, what really lights you up, and what changes you can make to better align your efforts at work (or in your free time) with your genuine strengths and passions. Then we hear from researcher Maria Tims about how Job Crafting doesn’t just benefit your own well-being and help to guard against burnout, it can also boost your whole team’s productivity and morale.

Practice:

1. Create a “before” sketch: List all your regular tasks, and note each one as low, medium, or high in terms of the time and energy you actually devote to them.

2. Reflect on and write down what motivates you, what your strengths are, and what you’re passionate about.

3. Create a more ideal (but still realistic) "after" diagram, shifting draining tasks from “high” to “low” or “medium” if possible, and boosting energizing and enjoyable tasks where you can.

4. Create an action plan: What are some concrete changes that are in your power to make? Are there places where you need to ask for the support of a colleague or supervisor to make a change?

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/job_crafting

Today’s guests:

Susan Glass is a retired English professor and visually impaired, Bay Area-based poet. She’s the author of the poetry book “The Wild Language of Deer.”

Read Susan’s book: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me

Learn more about Susan’s life and work: https://tinyurl.com/j3pcjn6r

Maria Tims is a professor of Management and Organization at the University of Amsterdam School of Business and Economics.

Learn more about her work: https://tinyurl.com/mtp7tpy3

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Make Life More Meaningful (The Science of Happiness Podcast) https://tinyurl.com/39pth57f

How to Be More Engaged at Work: https://tinyurl.com/2s3t5x2c

How Oxytocin Can Make Your Job More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8458h

Four Keys to a Healthy Workplace Hierarchy: https://tinyurl.com/788m6tme

More Resources for Improving the Job You Have:

HBR - What Job Crafting Looks Like: https://tinyurl.com/453yamac

LSE - Can workers really craft their own happiness in the job? https://tinyurl.com/yjavhda9

TED - The Power of Personalising Our Work: https://tinyurl.com/4cvznn8v

Tell us about your experiences finding meaning in your day-to-day tasks. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Leave us a 5-star review and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Accepting difficult feelings like anger or irritation can help us keep our cool, feel better overall, and find calm on the other side.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/n6hm5yhz

How to Do This Practice:

1. Begin the practice by settling your mind and body. Notice your breath and any sensations that arise in your body,

2. Shift your attention away from your body, recalling an instance where you felt mildly irritated or frustrated. Give yourself a few moments to fully feel this emotion. 

3. Notice any physical sensations that arise. Then, release that memory, refocusing your attention on the body. 

4. Allow these sensations to shift and move, giving them the space to change and observing them with a sense of curiosity and kindness.

5. Consider shaking hands with the emotion the next time it arises in your daily life.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Eve Ekman is a contemplative social scientist and meditation teacher from San Francisco, California.

Learn more about Eve’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2vhuarh8

Find out about Eve’s Emotional trainings with Cultivating Emotional Balance: https://tinyurl.com/5n95m7yx

Explore Eve’s Project, The Atlas of Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/mt75ytm3

Follow Eve on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3txahape

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Regulate Your Emotions Without Suppressing Them: https://tinyurl.com/4x29denx

What to Do When You Feel Stuck in Negative Emotions: https://tinyurl.com/mwczxfya

How to Turn Your Brain from Anger to Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/57upkcfa

How to Overcome Destructive Anger: https://tinyurl.com/49zu6whw

We love hearing from you! How do you manage your emotions? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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 learn techniques for working across the aisle without compromising our values from a Democratic politician in one of the most conservative states, Oklahoma.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/w2a9a42p

Episode summary:

Trying to have a conversation with someone who has an opposing view can be exhausting. This week, we explore what it means to have productive discussions when we disagree. Democratic Oklahoma State Senator Jo Anna Dossett recounts her experience bridging political divides with Republican senators in her state with  active listening and self-compassion. Later, we hear from political science professor Lilliana Mason about the blurred line between personal and political identities, and how connecting with individuals on an emotional and social level can lead to more fruitful discussions than just focusing on facts.

Today’s guests:

Jo Anna Dossett is an Oklahoma State Senator.

Learn about Jo Anna Dossett: https://tinyurl.com/muxw7yvz

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dossett4ok

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/293n98fc

Follow Jo Anna Dossett on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/yc3mszhx

Lilliana Mason is a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Learn about Lilliana Mason’s work: https://tinyurl.com/w2hy6fhk

Follow Lilliana Mason on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/29sumyxb

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Eight Keys to Bridging Our Differences: https://tinyurl.com/45ntehyp

Four Lessons From Mediators for Bridging Differences: https://tinyurl.com/bdhf68te

What Will It Take to Bridge Our Differences? https://tinyurl.com/3sua8uz5

Six Techniques to Help You Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/ypsbycf4

15 Practices to Help Kids Bridge Differences: https://tinyurl.com/mvw4s649

More Resources on Bridging Differences

TIME - How Americans Can Tackle Political Division Together: https://tinyurl.com/3phj6y7j

APA - Healing the political divide: https://tinyurl.com/38kzvm5k

BBC - Crossing Divides: What the research tells us: https://tinyurl.com/yahmwdth

Stanford - How to Bridge Political Divides: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ha55p

Tell us about your experiences and struggles bridging differences. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/d3mc7e6t

Beyond just feeling good, studies show experiencing other people's joy makes us more compassionate and satisfied with life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/kycnk4ca

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin this practice, focusing on your breath.
2. Visualize a person or situation that brings you a sense of joy or happiness. It might be a child laughing, the success of a friend, or even a dog wagging its tail.
3. Connect with their joy and happiness, wishing them well.
4. Expand your focus to larger groups of people, like a team winning a match, wishing them well.
5. Consider repeating this practice when you want to connect your sense of happiness with others.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Anushka Fernandopulle is a Buddhist meditation teacher and leadership coach. 

Learn More about Anushka: https://www.anushkaf.org/about/

Follow Anushka on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anushka_dharma/

Follow Anushka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/anushkaf

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Wishing Others’ Well, With Anushka Fernandopulle: https://tinyurl.com/jrkewjs8

What Is Sympathetic Joy and How Can You Feel More of It? https://tinyurl.com/yuzmykct

How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy: https://tinyurl.com/4csukyd5

Can Little Steps Lead to Big Joy? https://tinyurl.com/3e5yt3hp

Why Experiencing Joy and Pain in a Group Is So Powerful: https://tinyurl.com/3trjtzfm

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of appreciating others’ joy. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3bj4637f

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 we remember the times someone had our back, it changes the way we view ourselves and the world. Our guest explores what happens when trying a practice to feel more supported.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yt3ejj6w

Episode summary:

Ever since he was a young child, José Valladares has spent his life caring for others and has taken pride in supporting his family and community, For our show, he tried a practice where he recalled people in his life who he can turn to during a difficult moment — the people who support him. As he wrote about their admirable qualities and specific instances where they helped him, José felt a renewed sense of gratitude and energy to persist forward in helping others. Later, we hear from psychologist Angela Rowe about how feeling supported can impact our relationships and sense of personal empowerment.

Practice:

1. Make a list of the people who offer you comfort or security.
2. Write down six positive qualities that are common to some or all of these people.
3. Next, recall and visualize a specific situation when you felt distressed or worried, and one of these people comforted and helped you.
4. Write a brief description of that situation and how you felt during it.

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/feeling_supported

Today’s guests:

José Valladares is a software engineer in Utah originally from Honduras.

Angela Rowe is a psychology professor at the University of Bristol.

Learn more about Angela’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4nh752ad

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Who Takes Care of You? With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/bdezwwyd

How to Let Someone Love You (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/5xtzbzj2

Four Ways Social Support Makes You More Resilient: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zkjpj

Just One Thing: Feel the Support: https://tinyurl.com/yrfnmwfv

Friend or Family? https://tinyurl.com/msbs2kuh

More Resources on Feeling Supported

NYT Times - Are You Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? https://tinyurl.com/yes746sv

The Atlantic - The Trait That ‘Super Friends’ Have in Common: https://tinyurl.com/bdheumdh

BBC - Why friendship makes us healthier: https://tinyurl.com/3596n4u7

Stanford - Asking for help is hard, but people want to help more than we realize, Stanford scholar says’: https://tinyurl.com/4n4hraj5'

Who do you turn to for support in your life? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/b6779syt

Indigenous artist Lyla June leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3622n5s6

How to Do This Practice:

You will need writing utensils for this practice.

1. Find a comfortable place to start this writing practice, taking a few moments to ground yourself.

2. Write the prompt, “I come from a place where…” 

3. For the next 5 minutes (or more), write whatever comes to mind, allowing your thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or filters. Trying keeping your pen to the paper the whole time. 

4. Take some time afterward to read and reflect on what you wrote. 

5. Consider repeating this exercise every few weeks or months to reflect on your past and prospective future. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Lyla June is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.

Learn about Lyla June’s work: [https://www.lylajune.com/>\
Watch Lyla June’s videos: [https://tinyurl.com/bdhbwyru>\
Follow Lyla June on Twitter: [https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6>\
Follow Lyla June on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4pj565d6

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

The Power of Expressing Your Deepest Emotions (The Science of Happiness Podcast): [https://tinyurl.com/2uzh3r67>\
How to Journal Through Your Struggles: [https://tinyurl.com/yua6wkwd>\
How Journaling Can Help You in Hard Times: [https://tinyurl.com/3zv3hunw>\
How Creative Writing Can Increase Students’ Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/4xw8xuff

How was your experience with this freewriting exercise? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ycukc4za

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.

Take a few minutes to reflect on someone who inspires you, and how you can embody the values you admire in them.

How To Do This Practice: 

1. Arrive and Settle: Find a quiet place to sit or stand. Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few slow, steady breaths, allowing your body to relax and the noise of the day to quiet.
2. Call to Mind Someone Who Inspires You: Think of a person whose character deeply moves you—someone whose courage, kindness, integrity, or compassion stands out. Let one specific moment come to mind when they embodied those qualities.
3. Replay the Moment: Picture what they did as clearly as you can. What action did they take? What values were they expressing? Stay with the details of that moment and what made it meaningful.
4. Notice How It Lands in Your Body: As you hold this image, turn your attention inward. What do you feel physically? Warmth, openness, a softening, maybe even emotion rising—just observe without judgment.
5. Name What Matters to You: Reflect on why this moment resonates so deeply. What value or sense of purpose does it point to—justice, care, truth, courage, love? Let yourself name what feels most true for you.
6. Ask yourself: What’s one small way I can live this value today? It might be in how you speak to someone, how you show up in your work, or how you care for yourself or others. Carry this intention with you as you move forward.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

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.

Related Happiness Break episodes:

Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx

A Meditation on Becoming a Gift to Life: https://tinyurl.com/yc76n7ur

Visualizing Your Purpose: https://tinyurl.com/3ndn95zr

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

What’s Your “Why” in Life?: https://tinyurl.com/b38kdt68

How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm

Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/33uyrykc

Playfulness can improve your relationships, help you excel at work, and reduce stress. We explore a strategy shown to help you become more playful.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/b5xc78r3

Episode summary:

Patricia Mebrahtu used to have so much fun as a child. Now, as a medical assistant and mother of two young children, she found herself feeling burnt out and irritable. For our show, Patricia tried a practice to infuse more playfulness into her life. From singing karaoke with her family to playing in the rain, she tapped into her inner child. Through this practice, Patricia recognized the importance of taking time out for yourself, and that she can carve out opportunities to have fun and be playful, even as a busy adult. Later, we hear from psychologist René Proyer about the different types of playfulness, and how incorporating play can benefit our sense of wellbeing.

This episode is made possible through the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation.

 Practice:

1. Each day for a week, incorporate one playful activity into your routine – it can be anything you find enjoyable and playful.
2. Every evening, write about the experience, and how it made you feel in the present moment.

Today’s guests:

Patricia Mebrahtu is a mother and medical assistant in California.

René Proyer is a psychologist from the Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Learn about René’s work: http://tinyurl.com/4sa9vye9

Follow René on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/3x5986u6

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Can We Play? http://tinyurl.com/prhv22rf

What Playfulness Can Do for Your Relationship: http://tinyurl.com/n9b3h7e4

Tuesday Tip: Play with Some Friends: http://tinyurl.com/mu837nwr

More Resources on Being Playful:

BBC - Playtime: Is it time we took 'play' more seriously? http://tinyurl.com/4jmx89vn

NYT - Why We All Need to Have More Fun: http://tinyurl.com/335z4bdu

Washington Post - Why it’s good for grown-ups to go play: http://tinyurl.com/5w8shen

TED - The Importance of PLAY in adulthood and childhood: http://tinyurl.com/4hsn9um4

How do you incorporate play into your life? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/up29j8zk

We all have a playful side, and research shows acting on it can help us when we need to move through challenging emotions, manage conflict, and be more creative.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/4bxtn9ek

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. Focus on breathing deeply.

2. Think back to a moment of play during your childhood. Recall specific details like your age, what you were doing and who you were with. As you remember, notice how the memory is affecting you in the present moment.

3. Next, focus on a recent memory of play – maybe with your partner, friends, or family. Fully recall the moment, again bringing to mind specific details. Notice how this memory makes you feel.

4. Take note of how reflecting on play has affected your breathing. Did it affect the tight areas in your body? How about the relaxed and open ones?

5. As you refocus your attention on your breath, make a commitment to add play into your busy schedule going forward.

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\](https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt)

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

What Happens When We Play (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/mrfm5pj5

Can We Play? http://tinyurl.com/prhv22rf

What Playfulness Can Do for Your Relationship: http://tinyurl.com/n9b3h7e4

For Black Children, Play Can Be Transformative: http://tinyurl.com/mwnfcu26

What memories of play came to your mind? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/ycydhyxz

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: http://tinyurl.com/ycydhyxz

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 devote a little time to the other people in our life, we actually feel like we have more of it. Our guest tried a practice to regain control of his time and schedule

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/mr3r6jfn

Episode summary:

Like many of us, our guest Bryant Terry felt like he never had enough time in his day. And while he was eager to reconnect with his family, his schedule was spiraling out of control. For our show, Bryant tried a practice proven to help you feel like you have more time, by specifically devoting some of your time to others. He set intentions to spend quality time with his children doing activities that they truly enjoy. By prioritizing those special moments with his family, Bryant felt more control over his schedule, recognizing that he has the power to make time for what truly matters to him. Later, we hear from professor Cassie Mogilner Holmes about why this practice works, and how being intentional with our time can reshape our relationship with it. 

Learn more about this practice at Greater Good In Action:

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gift_of_time

Practice

1. Think of a person whom you care about. 

2. What might you be able to do for this person that entails nothing more than the giving of your time? 

3. Plan a gift of time for this person and give it, whether it means doing something with them (in person or virtually). 

4. Spend as much time as needed to do the favor well and do not take any shortcuts. You might even consider taking off your watch or putting your smartphone away. 

Today’s guests:

Bryant Terry is an award winning chef, author and artist. 

Learn about Bryant’s work: http://tinyurl.com/3wf3264h

Follow Bryant on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/2w68z8bc

Learn about his imprint, 4 Color Books: http://tinyurl.com/yuhrsrp8

Cassie Mogilner Holmes is a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at UCLA. 

Learn about Cassie’s work: http://tinyurl.com/rb5r97s5

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Feel Like You Have More Time: http://tinyurl.com/p6ykm7y2

Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter: http://tinyurl.com/34dvwnv4

Why You Never Seem to Have Enough Time: http://tinyurl.com/4t8vyhy3

Can Awe Buy You More Time and Happiness? http://tinyurl.com/m28d8wcx

How to Spend Your Time on What Matters Most: http://tinyurl.com/ycw527tj

More Resources on spending quality time with others:

BBC - How to feel more in control of your time: http://tinyurl.com/nhbt7btm

Stanford - Jennifer Aaker: How to Feel Like You Have More Time: http://tinyurl.com/n8cc6yfk

Harvard -You’ll Feel Less Rushed If You Give Time Away:  http://tinyurl.com/yc86ymve

How do you devote time to others? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/yjdesnze

When we treat ourselves with kindness and gratitude, research shows we feel more motivated and less self-critical. Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield leads in a practice where we gently turn inward.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yfbz28h2

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position to begin the practice. Focus on taking deep breaths, relaxing your body.

2. As you recognize the different sensations in your body, consciously envelope yourself in kindness. Thank your body for providing and caring for you.

3. Redirect your loving kindness towards your heart and the varied emotions it carries.Thank your heart for all it does for you. Then, focus your kindness towards your mind and all the thoughts and worries it holds. Thank it for all that it does.

4. Next, turn towards your consciousness as a whole – your emotions, body, thoughts. Rest in a state of comfortable, loving-kindness.

5. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and reconnect with the world around you.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Jack Kornfield is a meditation teacher and author who is one of the leading voices to share Buddhist teachings with a Western audiences.

Learn more about Jack’s work: http://tinyurl.com/2wfth7v2

Follow Jack on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/3zs2bjvx

Follow Jack on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/bd5r9k4a

Follow Jack on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/mryr839y

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Take Our Self-Compassion Quiz: https://tinyurl.com/yysrf663

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain: http://tinyurl.com/2f78cywf

Is Gratitude Good for Your Health? http://tinyurl.com/yc86ve9d

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience of gratitude and self-compassion. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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.

Our guest tried a practice in Radical Acceptance, a Buddhist principle made popular by today's expert, psychologist Tara Brach. 

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/362m4n3b

Episode summary:

Sometimes, a setback in work or life can leave us feeling defeated and uninspired. Nadia Zafar is a neurobiology student who has been pursuing her PhD for the last 6 years. Recently, her lack of progress had her spiraling in thoughts of self-doubt and unworthiness. For our show, Nadia tried a practice rooted in radical acceptance, called RAIN. By actively recognizing emotions without judgment, investigating them further, and then nurturing those sensations, she started to approach her negative and anxious thoughts from a place of self-compassion instead of blame. Later, we speak with the creator of the RAIN practice, Tara Brach. She explains the elements of the practice that make it so effective, how approaching situations from a place of acceptance helps disrupt our reactive instincts — opening up more space for awareness and compassion for ourselves and others.

Practice:

When you come up against something challenging – you’re angry or frustrated or feeling any way about yourself, another person, or a situation – move through these steps. It might be helpful to sit somewhere you feel comfortable. Close your eyes for a few moments, and begin by taking a few deep, intentional breaths, to help settle the mind.

1. Recognize what’s happening. For example, “I am getting caught up in anger right now.”

2. Allow the emotion you recognize to be there: Accept that you are feeling the way you’re feeling. You may go a step further and forgive yourself for it, for example by saying to yourself, “Anger forgiven.”

3. Investigate what’s underneath whatever you’re feeling by directing a gentle curiosity towards it. For example, where there is anger, there is something we care deeply about.

4. Nurture: You might put your hand on your heart, remind yourself that many have struggled with the very thing you’re struggling with now, and send yourself a message of kindness and understanding.

Today’s guests:

Nadia Zafar is a 6th year neurobiology PhD student at the University of Toronto.

Tara Brach is a leading voice in the field of contemplative meditation practices.

Learn more about Tara and her work: https://www.tarabrach.com/

Read Tara’s book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha:  http://tinyurl.com/4csarvmf

Follow Tara on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/3arhy4uh

Follow Tara on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/2drpvp6c

Follow Tara on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/y743bkru

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: Radical Acceptance, With Tara Brach (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/msf5ccde

Can Self-Awareness Help You Be More Empathic? http://tinyurl.com/5yh8z2s2

How Does Mindfulness Help Cultivate Self-Compassion? http://tinyurl.com/yuhwmja4

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: http://tinyurl.com/2a3mm6pf

Want to Change Your Life? Try Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/2y2ryc6m

More Resources on Radical Acceptance:

Harvard - Greater self-acceptance improves emotional well-being: http://tinyurl.com/2ty58cbh

BBC - Why self-compassion – not self-esteem – leads to success: http://tinyurl.com/yj2zax8x

Ted - Dare to rewire your brain for self-compassion: http://tinyurl.com/yc2ru73p

Tell us about your experiences and struggles with accepting difficult situations. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/v6j42zu7

A meditation in meeting our most difficult emotions — like anger, disappointment, or fear — with mindfulness and gentle care.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/48jas955

How to Do This Practice:

When you come up against something challenging – you’re angry or frustrated or feeling any way about yourself, another person, or a situation, move through these steps. It might be helpful to sit somewhere you feel comfortable closing your eyes for a few moments, and begin by taking a few deep, intentional breaths, to help settle the mind.

1. Recognize what’s happening. For example, “I am getting caught up in anger right now.”

2. Allow the emotion you recognize to be there: Accept that you are feeling the way you’re feeling. You may go a step further and forgive yourself for it, for example by saying to yourself, “Anger forgiven.”

3. Investigate what’s underneath whatever you’re feeling by directing a gentle curiosity towards it. For example, where there is anger, there is something we care deeply about.

4. Nurture: Send yourself a message of kindness. You might put your hand on your heart, for example, and remind yourself that everyone experiences reactivity, and send yourself a message of kindness and understanding.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Tara Brach is a psychologist and leading voice in contemporary meditative practices and the author of numerous popular books on contemplative practice.

Read Tara’s seminal book, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of the Buddha: http://tinyurl.com/4csarvmf

Learn more about Tara’s work: https://www.tarabrach.com/

Find classes taught by Dr. Neff: https://www.tarabrach.com/online-courses/

Follow Tara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarabrach/

Follow Tara on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarabrach

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Go Through Life with Love in Your Heart, A Q&A with Tara Brach: http://tinyurl.com/2ne65wed

The Mindfulness Skill That Is Crucial for Stress: http://tinyurl.com/3xmnekw2

How Self-Compassion Beats Rumination: http://tinyurl.com/yc7phxsc

Want to Change Your Life? Try Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/2y2ryc6m

Overcoming Objections to Self-Compassion: http://tinyurl.com/yc2wvusr

Self-Compassion Could Help You Be More Tolerant of Others: http://tinyurl.com/3kwrm88h

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with the Light RAIN practice. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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.

What happens when we intentionally look for beautiful things in our day-to-day lives? We explore a lab-tested practice shown to help you feel happier.

Link to Transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yretvrkp

Episode summary:

When was the last time you witnessed a beautiful moment? Maybe it was a striking sunset, a kind exchange between strangers, or a hearty laugh between two friends. Beautiful moments surround us, and research suggests that taking the time to admire them can actually benefit our health and happiness. For our show, restorative justice advocate Darnell Washington looked for 9 beautiful things each day and reflected on them. In doing so, he recognized how admiring different types of beauty from nature to the goodness of others, can have a powerful impact on his own humanity. Later, we hear from the psychologist who created the practice, René T. Proyer, about how making it a point to notice different kinds of beauty benefits our happiness and reduces depression.

Practice:

1. Every night for at least one week, set about 15 minutes before going to bed to think about nine beautiful things that happened during the day, 3 each in the following categories.

2. Write down three beautiful things in human behavior (morally, positively valued behavior, ie good deeds).

3. Write down three things you experienced as beautiful in nature and/or the environment.

4. Write down three beautiful things in general that you noticed during the day  (referring to aesthetics, like art, music, architecture, etc).

5. Note why you found each of these nine things beautiful.

Today’s guests:

Darnell Washington is a formerly incarcerated restorative justice advocate from California.

Listen to Darnell’s Ted Talk: http://tinyurl.com/cujz79fk

René T. Proyer is a professor and researcher at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.

Learn about René’s work: http://tinyurl.com/4sa9vye9

Follow René on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/3x5986u6

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Finding Beauty in the Everyday (The Science of Happiness Podcast): http://tinyurl.com/2w2ht55h

Why Seeing Beauty Matters, Even in the Midst of War: http://tinyurl.com/4zy436xk

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: http://tinyurl.com/d2vzpsaj

Finding Awe in the Ordinary: http://tinyurl.com/aavr2pkv

More Resources on Appreciating Beauty:

BBC - The neuroscience of beauty: What your brain finds beautiful – and how this shapes your thoughts: http://tinyurl.com/47s6zcre

TED - Nature. Beauty. Gratitude: http://tinyurl.com/upnrzthc

CNN - It’s the little things: Why animals, sunsets and coffee make us happy: http://tinyurl.com/yckephaf

We want to hear from you! What beautiful moment have you noticed recently? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rete us and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/yfsx9zwp

Research shows feeling connected with nature can lower our stress response. This visualization meditation can help you feel at ease, no matter where you are.

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/2k6pdh7n

How to Do This Practice:

It is encouraged to try this practice outdoors

1. Begin the practice by focusing on your breath, and relaxing your body, noticing how it feels supported, particularly by the earth.

2. Allow yourself to let go of anything you are mentally or emotionally carrying, visualizing it going into the earth, letting the ground continue to support you.

3. Draw on imagery from nature to cultivate feelings of strength and sturdiness to support you. For example, imagine that your own body is rooting into the earth to become as unshakable as a tree,   imagine that you are as steady as a mountain, your breath is the breeze and your mind is as open and boundless as the sky.

4. End the practice by placing your hand on your heart, offering yourself kindness, well-being and joy.

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Spring Washam is an author and meditation teacher based in Oakland, California.

Learn more about Spring’s work: http://tinyurl.com/3bbshnn7

Read Spring’s books here: http://tinyurl.com/4hkft4js

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Happiness Break: What To Do When You’re Struggling, With Spring Washam: http://tinyurl.com/mrx8t9st

What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: http://tinyurl.com/553xwm47

Why Is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health? http://tinyurl.com/ycx9ns4p

How Nature Helps Us Heal: http://tinyurl.com/2p93682j

Why You Need More Nature in Your Life: http://tinyurl.com/28z27wb2

We love hearing from you! How do you connect with nature? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

We explore how the science of behavior change can help us form new habits and be happier while doing it.Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/4e294mdt

Episode summary:

Many of us are heading into the new year with a resolution we want to live by — a new good habit we’d like to form. But actually sticking to those good habits isn’t always easy — one failure can have us losing the motivation to continue. For our show, we spoke with Cholpon Ramizova and Derick Gnonlonfoun, a couple who set out to create better food habits by cooking at home more and incorporating more vegetables into their meals. As they started to develop this new habit, the two realized that a mindful and kind attitude towards themselves was a key element to their success. Later, we hear from psychologists Katy Milkman and Kristin Neff, to learn about how failure can actually be beneficial when pursuing a goal, and how to cope with it.

Today’s guests:

Cholpon Ramizova and Derick Gnonlonfoun are a couple living in London.

Check out Derick’s artwork here: http://tinyurl.com/2kc9h478

Katy Milkman is a professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Co-Director of The Behavior Change for Good Initiative.

Learn more about Katy and her work: http://tinyurl.com/4ypvmvhf

Find more information on the Behavior Change for Good Initiative: http://tinyurl.com/mr94wh6f

Follow Katy on Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/mr25etdp

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Make New Year’s Resolutions That Feel Good: http://tinyurl.com/3bvs8zb5

Make Self-Compassion One of Your New Year’s Resolutions: http://tinyurl.com/yc2t42nt

Tips for Keeping New Year’s Resolutions: http://tinyurl.com/y2pt9uz2

How to Learn From Your Failures: http://tinyurl.com/5h7uybux

More Resources on Forming Good Habits:

BBC - 4 simple, science-backed ways to build habits that stick: http://tinyurl.com/2p8dk6wt

Harvard -What Does It Really Take to Build a New Habit?  http://tinyurl.com/ndrfybyb

Stanford - Building Habits: The Key to Lasting Behavior Change: http://tinyurl.com/4utw95sj

TED - The 1-minute secret to forming a new habit: http://tinyurl.com/mum8kzvj

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: http://tinyurl.com/2pxdw8vr

 When we imagine our best possible selves in our relationships, we feel more motivated to achieve our goals and a greater sense of control over our lives. This week, Dacher leads a visualization exercise in preparation for the new year.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

Link to episode transcript: http://tinyurl.com/yj43srye

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to begin the practice. Take deep breaths.

2. Focus on the person you are in a romantic relationship with, or a dear friend. Bring an image of them to mind, like how they look and their mannerisms.

3. Imagine your life in the future, and how you would like to be the best version of yourself in your relationship with them. Picture yourself interacting with them — what is happening? What are you doing and saying? What is the tone of the interaction?

4. Repeat this exercise by focusing on friendships and familial relationships. Take note of any common actions across all relationships that you would like to take. Set an intention about how you will interact within your relationships in the new year.

5. When you’re done, reground yourself in the present moment, focusing on the sensations in your body. 

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Dacher Keltner is the host of the 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 UC, 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

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Find Your Best Possible Self (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/265b34pj

How Thinking About the Future Makes Life More Meaningful: https://tinyurl.com/24mex4by

10 Pillars of a Strong Relationship:https://tinyurl.com/3zffc8x4

For the New Year, Try Imagining Your Best Possible Life: https://tinyurl.com/4carr6kv

We love hearing from you! How do you plan to be your best possible self in the new year? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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.

Noticing the history and beauty around us can shift how we see ourselves—and our communities. An awe walk through Harlem reveals how the stories embedded in public spaces can spark connection, perspective, and a sense of what’s possible.

Summary: Cities are full of quiet moments of wonder—if we know how to notice them. In this episode of The Science of Happiness we explore the science of awe while taking an awe walk with students at City University of New York in Harlem. We learn  how everyday urban spaces can deepen our sense of connection, belonging, and curiosity. 

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose a familiar place: Pick a street, park, campus, or neighborhood you move through often—somewhere ordinary.
2. Slow your pace: Walk more slowly than usual and give yourself permission to notice, rather than rush.
3. Look for signs of story: Pay attention to buildings, names, textures, and small details that hint at history, culture, or the people who’ve been there before.
4. Ask yourself: Who stood here before me? What happened here? What journeys passed through this space?
5. Notice your response: Pause when something catches you—a feeling of wonder, curiosity, or even goosebumps—and stay with it for a moment.
6. Reflect on connection: As you finish, consider how this place and the stories within it connect to your own life, sense of belonging, or what feels possible for you.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode. 

Today’s Guest:

BOB MCKINNON is an author, teacher, and Director of the Social Mobility Lab at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York

Learn more about Bob here: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/bob_mckinnon

This episode is supported by The Gambrell Foundation, who believe a great life grows from strong relationships, a sense of belonging, and moments of awe and wonder. Learn more about their work at gambrellfoundation.org

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

Cities of Awe Series: https://tinyurl.com/2vyhxvny

How Cities Can Make Space for Awe: https://tinyurl.com/yr7m2zb5

What Humans Can Learn From Trees: https://tinyurl.com/48te84ps

Related Happiness Break episodes:

How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm

Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3

Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/mrutudeh

Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4j5sveye

Join our limited newsletter, The Science of Habits, to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Year's resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

We explore how contemplating our heritage can make us feel more belonging, gratitude, and confidence in what we're capable of achieving.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5djerhbj

Episode summary:

Oral historian Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz knows the profound impact the past can have on the present. For our show, Mi’Jan tried a lab-tested writing practice that took the historical facts she knew about her own family further – by way of her imagination. She journaled about her great-great grandmother Emma, the last enslaved person in her family, and her late father, Njoroge , imagining what they might say to her today.We also hear from psychologist  Susan Moore about how learning about your ancestors can help you feel a sense of self-knowledge, gratitude and belonging.

Practice:

1. Imagine an ancestor in your family lineage. It can be someone you have known or someone from centuries ago.

2. Spend the next 5-15 minutes writing about them. If you don’t know the details, imagine how their life would have been. Write down anything that comes to mind such as their way of life, their profession or what they looked like.

3. Next imagine what they would tell you if they were alive today. What specific insights, advice or feedback would they give you? Write down your reflections.

Today’s guests:

Mi'Jan Celie Tho-Biaz is an artist, documentarian and oral historian.

Learn more about Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz’s work: http://tinyurl.com/5e8t9ha7

Follow Mi’Jan on Instagram: http://tinyurl.com/mr3yp3kz

Susan Moore is a psychology professor at the Swinburne University of Technology.

Follow Susan on Twitter:http://tinyurl.com/mr3vsr2k

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How Teens Today Are Different from Past Generations: http://tinyurl.com/y5ffwavr

Don’t Be So Quick to Stereotype Generations: http://tinyurl.com/mrxx7xfj

How Collective Trauma Can Hurt the Next Generation: http://tinyurl.com/2vunsm2z

Find Purpose by Connecting Across Generations: http://tinyurl.com/h4yyjesh

More Resources on Connecting with Ancestors:

NPR- 8 listeners share the powerful ways they keep in touch with their ancestors: http://tinyurl.com/48kjmenk

Harvard - How Family History Can Inspire Accountable Reparations and Foster Ancestral Healing: http://tinyurl.com/ta24x773

TED - How to be a good ancestor: http://tinyurl.com/54zvkzsv

How do you connect with your family history? Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

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Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

When we practice forgiveness, studies show we can have healthier relationships, higher self-esteem, and less anxiety and depression.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mt9uwad8

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable place to begin the practice. Soften your gaze and take a few slow, deep breaths.

2. Imagine there is a light made of compassion, love and understanding all around you.

3. As the light comforts you, think of a person you would like to seek forgiveness from. Take note of any emotions that arise. Imagine sincerely apologizing to them.

4. Visualize a bridge connecting you and the individual. Know that while forgiveness is not always immediately accepted, you've taken the first step towards healing.

5. Turn your forgiveness towards yourself, breathing in love and compassion.

6. End this practice by reconnecting with your body and refocusing your gaze, remembering that the journey of forgiveness is ongoing.

.Today’s Happiness Break host:

Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher based in Florida.

To get Shelly Tygielski and Justin Michael Williams’ book How We Ended Racism: go to howweendedracism.com or your favorite book seller.

Learn more about Shelly’s work: https://tinyurl.com/26xkdnku

Follow Shelly on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4k4bx3nn

Follow Shelly on Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdfsb9pt

Follow Shelly on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2edu2fzu

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Eight Keys to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/2s4hbz3a

The New Science of Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/5f2c7sfb

How to Overcome Barriers to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/22zteuyj

The Power of Forgiveness at Work: https://tinyurl.com/mrx5hzvh

How to Build a More Forgiving Community: https://tinyurl.com/5frja2h2

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with forgiveness. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/6s39rzus

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.

Join our limited newsletter The Science of Habits to get curated, science-backed tips to help make your New Years resolution stick in 2024.

https://ggsc.berkeley.edu/podcasts/habits

When we're more curious, we are more likely to be happier and have stronger relationships. Try deepening your curiosity with these science-backed practices from author Scott Shigeoka.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/276u4yxu

Episode summary:

As a cardiologist and immigrant in the United States, Stephanie Hsiao has always placed an emphasis on advancing her skills in order to succeed. So when she received the diagnosis that her son was neurodiverse, Stephanie went immediately into action mode to help her son — but she felt like she was missing something. For our show, Stephanie tried a practice to cultivate “deep curiosity,” and found that a curious outlook helped her to check her assumptions about parenting and discover her son’s strengths and interests. Later, we hear from curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka about the difference between shallow and deep curiosity, and how it can help us forge stronger connections with others.

Practice:

1. Before engaging in curiosity: Slow down, focus on your breathing. Set an intention to focus on curiosity and maybe visualize yourself being curious.

2. While in conversation: Be open to being wrong, continuously check your assumptions, and actively turn towards those who are seeking your attention.

3. Going forward: Make commitments to yourself and with others to engage in difficult, but open-minded interactions.

Today’s guests:

Stephanie Hsiao is a mother and cardiologist based in San Francisco, California.

Scott Shigeoka is an author and storyteller who focuses on themes of curiosity and well-being.

Order Scott Shigeoka’s book Seek: How Curiosity can Transform Your Life and Save the World: https://tinyurl.com/4jrxbupj

Learn More About Scott’s work: https://tinyurl.com/y5xyxky7

Follow Scott on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/3acu6jhm

Follow Scott on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/3m3k3bm9

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Six Surprising Benefits of Curiosity: https://tinyurl.com/7kcr32su

How to Stay Open and Curious in Hard Conversations: https://tinyurl.com/y2f2e9ce

Why Curious People Have Better Relationships: https://tinyurl.com/2xw5y9yr

Does Curiosity Have a Dark Side? https://tinyurl.com/5n88wzyd

How Curiosity Can Help Us Overcome Disconnection: https://tinyurl.com/9kaas6nz

More Resources on Curiosity:

BBC - Curiosity: The neglected trait that drives success: https://tinyurl.com/38bubaak

Harvard - A Curious Mind: https://tinyurl.com/324hyzv4

TED - How Curiosity Will Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/muswe2y5

Tell us about your experience with being curious. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness!

Rate us on Spotify and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/m6aezjce

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." To learn more, go to https://tinyurl.com/2dj6hw29