Find Your Best Possible Self

FromThe Science of Happiness

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Find Your Best Possible Self

FromThe Science of Happiness

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Length:

23 minutes

Released:

Mar 19, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

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

Released:

Mar 19, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life, drawing on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe. Hosted by award-winning professor Dacher Keltner. Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.

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Trailer: Do you know the secrets to happiness? by The Science of Happiness
2 min listen
BONUS: The Science of Happiness at Work: What would make you happier at work? Featuring some of our happiness guinea pigs, we share the latest insights and research on well-being and happiness in the workplace. by The Science of Happiness
57 min listen
How to Fall in Love with Anyone: Can 36 questions help you fall in love--and stay in love? Best-selling author Kelly Corrigan tries a research-proven technique to feel closer to her husband. Plus, we learn how the same technique can actually reduce racism and prejudice. by The Science of Happiness
22 min listen
3 Good Things: Do you take the good things in life for granted? You’re not alone, and studies show it's very human. But here’s a way to find more joy in the everyday. by The Science of Happiness
13 min listen
What Are You Afraid Of?: Would you rather swim with sharks or give a speech before thousands of people? Discover how our happiness guinea pig tackled one of his many fears--and lived to talk about it. by The Science of Happiness
20 min listen
How to Forgive Your Father: Holding on to a grudge? Hear how our happiness guinea pig tried to let go of deep-seated anger and resentment. by The Science of Happiness
18 min listen
How Gratitude Benefits Your Brain: Can you train your brain to be more grateful? Todd Zwillich of The Takeaway takes on the challenge. by The Science of Happiness
22 min listen
3 Funny Things: What should you do when you thought you had it all -- but learn you've had it all wrong? Discover what our happiness guinea pig did to bring more joy and humor into his life. by The Science of Happiness
16 min listen
How to Find Your Purpose in Life: Did you know what you wanted when you were in high school? Our teen guinea pig takes on the challenge of figuring out her purpose in life. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
Let People Help You: In hard times, do you seek comfort from others or turn inwards? Find out how our Happiness Guinea Pig emerged from trauma by accepting others' support. Thank you for your emails, calls, and letters! We think your stories will inspire others and... by The Science of Happiness
19 min listen
Is There Someone You Need to Thank?: Is there someone important you've never properly thanked? Award-winning children's book author, Yuyi Morales, discovers the power of writing a "gratitude letter" to the librarian who changed her life. by The Science of Happiness
23 min listen
Why a Walk Works Wonders: Do you dwell on the negative and let moments of joy just pass you by? Discover how the Academy Award-winning director of Inside Out got out of his head and savored the good in his life. by The Science of Happiness
22 min listen
Find Your Best Possible Self: Does imagining your future make you more happy--or more anxious? Our happiness guinea pig looks ahead for inspiration to improve her life now. by The Science of Happiness
23 min listen
Quieting Your Inner Critic: Are you too hard on yourself? Our Happiness Guinea Pig spent most of his life behind bars. Discover the research-tested practice that helped him quiet his inner critic. by The Science of Happiness
15 min listen
A Simple Recipe for Happiness: Our Happiness Guinea Pig, children's author Joanne Rocklin, shares her happiness practice: bringing people together to share a meal. It took on a deeper meaning for her after a recent tragedy. by The Science of Happiness
22 min listen
Who's Got Your Back?: How do you build feelings of trust and security? Our Happiness Guinea Pig learns some truths about what it takes to feel supported. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
How to Make a Real Apology: "I'm sorry you feel that way." Some apologies can actually make things worse. Our Happiness Guinea Pigs, Jolenta Greenburg and Kristin Meinzer of the By the Book podcast, try a more effective way of saying... by The Science of Happiness
23 min listen
Krista Tippett on Being Grounded in Your Body: Are you so stressed that it wears you down physically as well as mentally? Discover how award-winning radio host Krista Tippett brought relief to her mind and body. by The Science of Happiness
18 min listen
Can You Predict What Will Make You Happy?: Do memories of your past affect your happiness today? Susannah Cahalan was young and healthy when she was stricken with a mysterious illness. Learn how writing about her “month of madness” in the bestselling book Brain on Fire helped her reclaim... by The Science of Happiness
20 min listen
How to Change Your Mind: Author Michael Pollan, shares his experiences on being a guinea pig for his new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. by The Science of Happiness
21 min listen
Find That Inner Calm: International megastar Daniel Wu tries a practice that brings him calm amidst the chaos. by The Science of Happiness
18 min listen
Listen Like It's Your First Date: Do you find yourself looking at your phone when you're supposed to be paying attention to a friend? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, The Takeaway's Tanzina Vega trades in her technology for some old school listening. by The Science of Happiness
13 min listen
Feeling Angry? Try This: For years, Dan Harris of ABC News was plagued by anxiety, depression, and streaks of anger. Here's how he learned to tame the voices in his head and get 10 percent happier. by The Science of Happiness
19 min listen
Can’t Relax? This Will Help: Why does a bath or swim feel so relaxing? Our guest shares her own happiness practice--spending time in water--which science is finding can make us happier and healthier. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
Do You Know How to Eat a Raisin?: Do you have trouble slowing down enough to actually enjoy your life? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, comedian and radio host Luke Burbank, finds a way to break free from his over-scheduled lifestyle. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
What if You Had Never Met?: Do you take your partner for granted? Our Happiness Guinea Pig, cartoonist Gene Luen Yang, imagines a life in which he never met his wife. by The Science of Happiness
15 min listen
These Words Cause Happiness: Did you know that you have the power to spark happiness in someone else's brain with just a few simple words? College student Eva Dickerson shares how she spread happiness across her campus, equipped with just her iPhone and some compliments. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
Why You Shouldn't Hate Small Talk: Many of us avoid chatting with strangers – isn't small talk tedious and dull? Listen as our happiness guinea pig discovers its surprising benefits. by The Science of Happiness
13 min listen
Creating Some Distance: Are you stuck ruminating about the past? Legendary skater Tommy Guerrero tries looking at negative events from a different perspective. by The Science of Happiness
17 min listen
Can Margaret Cho Get Any Better?: She's one of the most accomplished comedians of her generation. But Margaret Cho wants to find a different kind of happiness. by The Science of Happiness
19 min listen

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Are You Remembering The Good Times?: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Walking Meditation with Dan Harris of 10% Happier: Trouble sitting still? Learn to practice meditating by simply walking in this practice guided by 10% Happier host Dan Harris. by The Science of Happiness
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How To Make Work More Satisfying: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Meditation To Move Through Anger, With Eve Ekman: Accepting difficult feelings like anger or irritation can help us keep our cool, feel better overall, and find calm on the other side. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Tap into the Joy that Surrounds You, With Anushka Fernandopulle: Beyond just feeling good, studies show experiencing other people's joy makes us more compassionate and satisfied with life. by The Science of Happiness
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Who’s Always There for You?: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Where Did You Come From? Guided Writing With Lyla June: 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. by The Science of Happiness
9 min listen
Why Grownups Should Be Playful Too: Playfulness can improve your relationships, help you excel at work, and reduce stress. We explore a strategy shown to help you become more playful. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Meditation on Playfulness, With Dacher Keltner: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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Encore: How to Feel Less Pressed for Time: 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 by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Wrap Yourself in Kindness, With Jack Kornfield: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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What To Do When You Don’t Like The Way You Feel: Our guest tried a practice in Radical Acceptance, a Buddhist principle made popular by today's expert, psychologist Tara Brach. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Radical Acceptance, With Tara Brach: A meditation in meeting our most difficult emotions — like anger, disappointment, or fear — with mindfulness and gentle care. by The Science of Happiness
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How (And Why) To Find More Beauty in the Everyday: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Meditation to Find Grounding in the New Year, With Spring Washam: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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How to Stick to Your Resolutions in 2024: We explore how the science of behavior change can help us form new habits and be happier while doing it. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships, With Dacher Keltner: 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. by The Science of Happiness
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How Thinking About Your Ancestors Can Help You Thrive: We explore how contemplating our heritage can make us feel more belonging, gratitude, and confidence in what we're capable of achieving. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Meditation for Seeking Forgiveness, With Shelly Tygielski: When we practice forgiveness, studies show we can have healthier relationships, higher self-esteem, and less anxiety and depression. by The Science of Happiness
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When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious: When we're more curious, we are more likely to be happier and have stronger relationships. Try deeping your curiosity with these science-backed practices from author Scott Shigeoka. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: A Visualization to Connect With Your Heritage: Chef and author Bryant Terry leads us through a visualization to connect with our ancestors by appreciating our families' traditional foods. by The Science of Happiness
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Being Kind is Good for Your Health: Doing good for others benefits our own minds and bodies, as well. We explore the science of kindness. by The Science of Happiness
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Happiness Break: Feel more Gratitude, With Eve Ekman: Renew your sense of gratitude by remembering acts of kindness, with social scientist and meditation teacher Eve Ekman. by The Science of Happiness
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Encore: The Science of a Good Night's Sleep: This week we revisit our science-backed tips for a good night's sleep with sleep scientist Eti Ben Simon and host of the Sleep with Me podcast Drew Ackerman. by The Science of Happiness
20 min listen
Happiness Break: Find Calm When You Can't Clear Your Mind, With Lama Rod Owens: Take a break from ruminating with Lama Rod Owens as he leads you in a meditation to cultivate a sky-like mind. by The Science of Happiness
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The Science of Singing Along: For time immemorial, humans have connected deeply through singing with one another. We explore the science behind this, plus how group singing benefits other aspects of our health. by The Science of Happiness
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A Meditation For Connecting In Polarized Times, With Scott Shigeoka: Having a curious approach to life can improve our mood, creativity and relationships. Scott Shigeoka leads a visualization exercise to help you approach someone you might disagree with with an open and curious mind. by The Science of Happiness
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How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: Simple actions like consciously placing a hand on your heart or hugging yourself can lower your cortisol levels, heart rate, and help you feel less stressed. Our guest tries a practice in self-soothing touch. by The Science of Happiness
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How to Forgive Your Father: Holding on to a grudge? Hear how our happiness guinea pig tried to let go of deep-seated anger and resentment. by The Science of Happiness
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What Are You Afraid Of?: Would you rather swim with sharks or give a speech before thousands of people? Discover how our happiness guinea pig tackled one of his many fears--and lived to talk about it. by The Science of Happiness
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Can You Predict What Will Make You Happy?: Do memories of your past affect your happiness today? Susannah Cahalan was young and healthy when she was stricken with a mysterious illness. Learn how writing about her “month of madness” in the bestselling book Brain on Fire helped her reclaim... by The Science of Happiness
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Is There Someone You Need to Thank?: Is there someone important you've never properly thanked? Award-winning children's book author, Yuyi Morales, discovers the power of writing a "gratitude letter" to the librarian who changed her life. by The Science of Happiness
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How Gratitude Benefits Your Brain: Can you train your brain to be more grateful? Todd Zwillich of The Takeaway takes on the challenge. by The Science of Happiness
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Discover this podcast and so much more

Find Your Best Possible Self

Find Your Best Possible Self

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The Science of Happiness

Related podcast episodes