10% Happier With Dan Harris

Practical strategies for managing our emotional lives.   Dr. Ethan Kross, author of the international bestseller Chatter, is one of the world’s leading experts on emotion regulation. An award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he is the Director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory.     In this episode we talk about: What an emotion actually is  The myth that we should only experience positive emotions  Why sometimes avoidance is a smart strategy The six emotional "shifters" we can use to regulate our emotions The role of our senses How to use mental time travel to shift perspective And the role of our surroundings, relationships, and culture      Related Episodes: #365 The Voice in Your Head | Ethan Kross The Neuroscience Of: Emotional Regulation, Relationships, Body Image, And Intuition | Emma Seppälä     Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Sub

How your reliance on being liked, being comfortable, and being perfect is blocking you from making the change you want.   Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is one of the most influential doctors in the UK with over two decades of experience. He now hosts Europe's biggest health podcast, Feel Better, Live More, he is the author of 5 Sunday Times bestsellers, he regularly appears on BBC television, national radio and his TED talk, How To Make Disease Disappear, has almost 6 million views.    In this episode we talk about: Why we have an overreliance on experts and perfection Barriers and solutions to long term change How to stop people pleasing (or become a “people pleaser in recovery”) Tips for neutralizing emotional discomfort and stress The "life is an escalator" myth, and our relationship with complaining  How to adapt to adversity without feeding our bad habits Escaping the trap of busyness And much more     Related Episodes: Why Your Bad Habits (and Addictions) May Be Getting Worse - and How Mindfulness Can Help |

A Buddhist doctor/nun on how we’re all addicted to something—and how to reduce craving.   Sister Dang Nghiem, MD, (“Sister D”) was born in 1968 in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier. She lost her mother at the age of twelve and immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen with her brother. Living in various foster homes, she learned English and went on to earn a medical degree from the University of California – San Francisco. After suffering further tragedy and loss, she quit her practice as a doctor to travel to Plum Village monastery in France founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, where she was ordained a nun in 2000, and given the name Dang Nghiem, which means adornment with nondiscrimination. She is the author of a memoir, Healing: A Woman’s Journey from Doctor to Nun (2010), and Mindfulness as Medicine: A Story of Healing and Spirit (2015).   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.  We talk about:   Sister D’s B

How to use your innate mindfulness to turn the volume down, or even uproot, your everyday addictions.   Dr. Judson Brewer is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and professor in Behavioral and Social Sciences and Psychiatry at the Schools of Public Health & Medicine at Brown University. He is the author of several books, including The Craving Mind, Unwinding Anxiety, and The Hunger Habit.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.  We talk about: Jud’s definition of addiction The difference between the scientific view and the Buddhist view on addiction The buddhist concept of Dependent origination Dopamine and dopamine fasting A three gear plan for sticking to your resolutions  Judson’s disenchantment with the term “mindfulness” What we need to know about willpower The two types of stress – and its impact on our behavior  What makes us resilient – and why it matters How community plays a role in making habit changes And finally, a friendly debate on wheth

A podcast pioneer on failure, resilience, luck, work/life balance, and the power of questions.   Guy Raz has been instrumental in creating some of the most iconic podcasts in the world, including Wondery's How I Built This, Wow in the World and TED Radio Hour. The New York Times has described him as “one of the most popular podcasters in history.”    This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: The challenge–and gift–of failure Getting comfortable with discomfort and risk The notion of luck  The balance between your relationships and your work  Why scale isn’t always the answer  Success vs. happiness  And much more   Related Episodes: Do Life Better Sanely Ambitious  #321 The Joy of Being Wrong | Adam Grant Rethinking Success | Mia Birdsong   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Sh

How to be less stressed and more productive.   Nolitha Tsengiwe, a Dharma teacher and board member at Dharmagiri Retreat Center, in South Africa. She is also a graduate of Insight Meditation Society teacher training.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.  In this episode we talk about: How to weave mindfulness into your day without requiring a big formal sit How to have healthy conflict in the workplace Our attempts to explain the ineffable And much more   Related Episodes: Do Life Better Sanely Ambitious   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes     Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/nolitha-895     Additional Resources: Listen to Nolitha’s talks on DharmaSeed   

Burnout is on the rise. Two experts show us how to combat it.   Dr. Kristin Neff is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than twenty years ago.    Christopher Germer is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He also co-developed a highly impactful program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which has been taught to over 100,000 people across the world.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: How to know if you are burnt out The three main symptoms of burnout, their causes, and their health consequences The three components of self-compassion and how they can help  The inner critic and why we kick our own asses How to draw appropriate boundaries with your boss The difference between tender and fierce self-compassion Tools for dealing with perfectionism without letti

A candid conversation about money: How much is enough? How to find real security?   Sebene Selassie, an author and meditation teacher. She writes the popular newsletter Ancestors to Elements and her first book is called, You Belong.    Jeff Warren is also an author and meditation teacher. He writes the popular Substack newsletter Home Base and is the coauthor, along with me, of a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. And he is the co-host of the mind/bod adventure pod.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.  We talk about: How much is enough  The illusion of security  The importance of being able to talk to your friends about this stuff The power of identifying your own money story, in other words, finding the point of origination for your own neuroses on the subject     Related Episodes: Do Life Better How to Avoid the Toilet Vortex of Anxiety | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren How to Stay Calm No Matter What’s Happening | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren Meditation Party: The

A Wharton professor shares practical tips on increasing your financial security, and eradicating the taboo around financial conversations.   Dr. Wendy De La Rosa is an Assistant Professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She focuses on behavioral science to improve consumers’ financial well-being.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: Psychological and technological tools for taking control of your finances  How to get a handle on small frequent purchases The relationship between our environment and our finances Financial shame  How our parents relationship with money impacts us as adults The G.I. Joe Fallacy, and the misconception that “knowing is half the battle” when it comes to our financial health 10 financial questions to ask your romantic partner How to eliminate the taboo of financial conversations And much more   Related Episodes:  Do Life Better  543. The Psychology of Money | Morgan Housel #402. How To Work Around Your Own Irrati

The science and dharma of mindful eating. How it can stop over eating—and how to actually make the habit.   Brother Pháp Lưu is an ordained monk in the Plum Village tradition started by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. He’s worked with scientists at Dartmouth College and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to develop research on the effect of Plum Village mindfulness practices on children.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: The health benefits of mindful eating The line between moderation and restriction  The five contemplations before eating  The basic steps of mindful eating  How to ensure mindful eating doesn’t feel like a chore or burden Fasting and our culture's dysregulated relationship to food Mindful consumption in general The four nutriments And much more   Related Episodes: Do Life Better Get Fit Sanely The Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole The Science of Why You Eat When You're Not Hungry–And How to Stop | Judson Brewer   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter

What exercise does to your brain—and how to actually do it regularly.   Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, where she is also the first Asian-American Dean of the College of Arts and Science. She is the author of two books, Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, Happy Life.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.   We talk about: How exercise not only enhances cognitive function but also protects against age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.  The difference between cardio and strength training Whether it matters if you track your steps How to sustain your motivation to exercise And practical tips on how to start, restart or increase an exercise habit We also talk about the brain benefits of sleep, meditation, and healthy eating (with a detour into ways to counteract the potentially unhealthy obsession with being healthy) And finally, we talk about the counterintuitive benefits of anxiety   Related Episodes: Do Life Bet

Dan briefly whittles down his top 10 takeaways from the science of behavior change. In this episode we talk about: How our brain’s evolution for short-term survival makes long-term goals harder Picking the right goals Making it easy Leveraging fresh starts How to make goals a team sport The crucial role of mindfulness and self-compassion   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.   Related Episodes: The Science of Making – And Keeping – New Year’s Resolutions | Hal Hershfield How To Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman Why Your Bad Habits (And Addictions) May Be Getting Worse – And How Mindfulness Can Help | Dr. Jud Brewer   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/dan-solo-habit-formation   Additional Resources: Download the Happier Meditation app today.

Contemplating your own death can feel like a massive bummer at first, but there’s good news: how you react to that inescapable fact really matters.  Vinny Ferraro has practiced insight meditation (vipassanā) since the mid-90s. He’s the Guiding Teacher of the Big Heart City Sangha in San Francisco and has led a weekly sitting group for almost two decades. As a fully empowered Dharma Teacher thru Spirit Rock/IMS, he has taught residential retreats at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and the Esalen Institute. Currently, he leads Spirit Rock's Year to Live course and teaches retreats and daylongs through Big Heart City and meditation centers across the country. He is a respected leader in developing and implementing interventions for at-risk populations. leading groups in schools, juvenile halls and prisons since 1987. He has led emotional intelligence workshops for over 100,000 youth on four continents.   In this episode we talk about: Why it’s important to think about your own death even if you’re not

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- “Radical self-love” — what it is and how to do it. It is incredibly common for many of us humans, whatever our gender, to be at war with our bodies -- trying to live up to the people we see in the movies, on social media, or even the versions of ourselves in old pictures. This never-enough-ness can lead to an ambient level of self-loathing that can be incredibly destructive. That's where "radical self-love" comes in. Our guest today is Sonya Renee Taylor. She is the author of three books, including The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. She is the Founder and Radical Executive Officer of The Body is Not An Apology. She has come to this work as a result of her own personal pain, as a Black woman inhabiting a body that she says does not conform to societal norms.  In this conversation, we talk about defining radical self-love (and why she believes it's our natural state

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Very few of us relish chaos and disruption, but they are facts of life, given the nonnegotiable nature of change. In this episode with Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, we’re going to talk about how to tune into the value of disruption, and learn how to sit with the chaos.  Zenju Earthlyn Manuel is an ordained Zen priest, holds a Ph.D., and worked for decades as a social science researcher and development director for non-profit organizations. She is also a prolific author. In this conversation we’ll explore: what to do with the unknown and not having any answers the power of a “sip of silence” (her term) what she means by the phrase “death as a doorway to tenderness” how she defines tenderness - a word that can easily get bogged down in sloppy sentimentality and what she meant when she wrote “I'm not advocating love as an answer to all of the ills of the world. Then again, it is just that simple t

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Can mindfulness really pull you out of a spiral of self-judgment? Don’t you need to be judgmental sometimes? What’s the difference between being discerning and judgmental? Description:  Meditation and mindfulness doesn’t uproot your capacity to be judgmental, but it can help you see the value in being judgmental by learning how to work with the judging mind.  La Sarmiento has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1998. La is a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, a teacher with Cloud Sangha, and a contributor to the Happier Meditation app. In this episode we talk about: How mindfulness can help us identify when we’re being judgmental The difference between discernment and judgment How it can be so delicious to be judgmental of others – but why it’s actually harmful to ourselves and others The four questions to ask when we notice ourselves going into

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Equanimity: what it is, what it isn’t, and how to get it.  Guest Kamala Masters was one of the teachers at Dan’s first ever meditation retreat. In this episode she dives into how to develop equanimity and shares her story of learning how to practice meditation during her everyday life while raising three children on her own.  Kamala Masters has been meditating since the 1970s, first with Anagarika Munindra, who was Joseph Goldstein’s first teacher, and then with the Burmese master Sayadaw U Pandita with whom she twice temporarily ordained as a Buddhist nun. More recently, she’s been training with another Burmese master we’ve talked about here on the show, Sayadaw U Tejaniya. She is a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society, and the co-founder of the Vipassana Metta Foundation, which developed the Maui Dharma Sanctuary. In this conversation we talk about:  What is equanimity? Th

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- Dan and Executive Producer, DJ Cashmere, pull back the curtain on what we do, how we do it—and what’s coming next. In this episode we talk about: An exciting New Year's series reveal and upcoming meditation challenge What goes into making the show–and why we do it The ins and outs of starting a new business And much more Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes Full Shownotes: https://meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/bts-878

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- How your blindspots hurt your decision-making— and how to fix it. Anu Gupta is an educator, lawyer, scientist, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, an education technology benefit corporation that trains professionals across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to advance DEIB and wellness by breaking bias. His work has reached 300+ organizations training more than 80,000 professionals impacting over 30 million lives. Gupta holds a JD from NYU Law, MPhil in Development Studies from Cambridge University, and BA in International Relations and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies from NYU. As a gay immigrant of color, he came to the work of breaking bias after almost ending his life due to lifelong experiences with racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia. The realization that bias can be unlearned helped lead him out of that dark point and inspired a lifelong mission to build a

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- The upside of the often misunderstood "tribalism". Michael Morris is the Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership at Columbia Business School as well as a Professor in its Psychology Department. Outside of academia, Professor Morris has consulted with and conducted executive training workshops for hundreds of clients across the globe, including Fortune 100 firms, governments, and the Obama and Clinton campaigns. He lives in New York City. His latest book is called Tribal: How The Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together. Related Episodes: How Turning Habits Into Rituals Can Help You At Home, At Work, And When You're Anxious | Michael Norton Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes Full S