The Science of Happiness

Happiness Break: A Meditation For Connecting In Polarized Times

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.How To Do This Practice: Ground Yourself: Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take three slow, deep breaths, noticing the sensation of each inhale and exhale. Let your body begin to settle. Picture the Conversation: Bring to mind an upcoming interaction that may feel challenging and visualize where it’s happening and what the setting looks like. See yourself arriving there. Lead with Curiosity: Imagine yourself speaking with a calm, open tone and asking thoughtful, genuine questions. Picture your body language expressing interest and care. See It Going Well: Visualize the other person responding positively—softening, engaging, or opening up. Notice how connection feels in your body. Rehearse the Hard Moment: Imagine a tense moment arising and observe what happens inside you without reacting. See yourself choosing a curious question instead of a defensive response. Close with Intention: Picture the conversation ending with appreciation and mutual respect. Take three more slow breaths, then gently open your eyes. Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.Today’s Happiness Break Guide:SCOTT SHIGEOKA is an author and storyteller who focuses on themes of curiosity and well-being.Learn More About Scott’s work here: https://tinyurl.com/y5xyxky7Related Happiness Break episodes:Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhxA Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy: https://tinyurl.com/4utrkyh5Related Science of Happiness episodes:Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xcHow Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPodWe’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/2p9h5aapHelp us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aapTranscription: https://tinyurl.com/s5atfjm7

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.Summary: On this episode of The Science of Happiness, we explore a research-backed practice in 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 with your genuine strengths and passions. We learn 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.How To Do This Practice: Take a “Before” Snapshot: Write down everything you regularly do in a typical week, from major responsibilities to small recurring tasks. Label Time and Energy: Next to each activity, mark whether it requires low, medium, or high time and energy so you can see where your resources are going. Notice How It Feels: Pay attention to what drains, stresses, or creates guilt—and what energizes or uplifts you. Reconnect with What Matters: Ask yourself what you most care about right now and what activities make you feel most alive. Sketch an “After” Version: Imagine how you’d ideally spend your time and where you might reduce, release, or expand commitments. Make One Small Change: Choose one realistic shift you can try this week to better align your days with what brings meaning and joy. Scroll down for a transcription of this episode. 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 here: https://tinyurl.com/2jn3juttMARIA TIMS is a professor of Management and Organization at the University of Amsterdam School of Business and Economics. Learn more about her work here: https://tinyurl.com/mtp7tpy3Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xcHow To Feel Better About Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/42fn62a2How to Feel More Hopeful: https://tinyurl.com/4tfwhbpbRelated Happiness Breaks:A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y5 Minutes of Gratitude: https://tinyurl.com/r6pkw2xxA Meditation to Connect With Your Roots: https://tinyurl.com/ycy9xazcTell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or follow on Instagram @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/2p9h5aapTranscription: https://tinyurl.com/568punx8

Happiness Break: How to Feel More Connected to Others

Research shows that reflecting on our shared humanity can increase self-compassion and life satisfaction while reducing feelings of isolation. In this practice, Dacher Keltner guides us to look beneath our differences and connect with the qualities that make us human together.This guided exercise draws on a meditation by Sean Fargo, a mindfulness teacher and former Buddhist monk.How To Do This Practice: Settle your body: Sit comfortably and take a few slow, steady breaths. Let your shoulders drop, soften your jaw, and allow your body to feel supported by the ground or chair beneath you. Notice what’s here: Briefly scan your body and emotions. Whatever you’re feeling—calm, tense, distracted, open—simply acknowledge it without trying to change it. Bring someone to mind: Think of someone you don’t know well, feel distant from, or have mild tension with. Picture them as if they were in front of you. Reflect on your similarities: Silently repeat phrases like: This person has a body and mind, just like me; this person has felt sadness, joy, and pain, just like me; this person wants to be safe, loved, and understood, just like me. Gently extend kind intentions toward them: May you be well. May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease. Return and reflect: Bring your attention back to your breath and body. Notice if anything has shifted—perhaps a softening, a little more space, or a sense of connection—and carry that awareness into your day. This episode was supported by a grant from The John Templeton Foundation on Spreading Love Through the Media.Related Happiness Break episodes:A Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy: https://tinyurl.com/4x27ut3pA Meditation to Connect With Your Roots: https://tinyurl.com/ycy9xazcA Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22krRelated The Science of Happiness episodes:  Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/yxw4uhpfHow to Feel More Hopeful: https://tinyurl.com/4tfwhbpbHow Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPodWe’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/2p9h5aapHelp us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aapTranscription: https://tinyurl.com/4ju7rmtd

The Science of Love (Episode 3)

Guest host Geena Davis guides us through the research on love that stretches beyond romance and friendship, showing up in our bonds with objects, nature, grief, and the collective moments that connect us to something larger than ourselves.Summary: In this final episode of our 3-part series on The Science of Love, researchers reveal how love expands our sense of self and strengthens our bond to humanity. We also explore why objects can feel meaningful, how love of nature can motivate care for the planet, he ways grief reshapes our capacity for connection, and our love of humanity.Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  The Science of Love Series: https://bit.ly/TheScienceofLoveThe Science of Love, with Geena Davis (Episode 1): https://tinyurl.com/bfave5wdHow 7 Days Can Transform Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2ezhrRelated Happiness Breaks:Visualizing Your Best Self in Relationships: https://tinyurl.com/4797z2vfA Guided Meditation on Embodied Love: https://tinyurl.com/3dmpfam6A Meditation on Love and Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/ye6baxv3Today’s Guests:AARON AHUVIA is the most widely published and cited academic expert on non-interpersonal love.Learn more about Aaron Ahuvia here: https://thethingswelove.com/about-aaron/JESSICA EISE is a social and environmental scientist and is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health with Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.Learn more about Jessica Eise here: https://jessicaeise.com/​​YURIA CELIDWEN is an indigenous scholar of contemplative studies, and author of the new book, Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Foundations For Collective Well-Being.Learn more about Yuria Celidwen here: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/MARY-FRANCES O'CONNOR is a psychologist and professor at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss, and Social Stress Lab.Learn more about Mary-Frances O’connor here: https://maryfrancesoconnor.org/SHIRA GABRIEL is a Professor of Psychology at SUNY, University at Buffalo.Learn more about Shira Gabriel here: https://tinyurl.com/2vvav8xjMessage 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/2p9h5aapFunding for this special was provided by the John Templeton Foundation, as part of the Greater Good Science Center's Spreading Love Through the Media initiative.Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/22d5nuyr

The Science of Love (Episode 2)

Guest host Geena Davis helps us explore how the love we feel —for our partners, friends, family, even our four legged companions—shapes our brains, bodies, and lives.Summary: On this episode of The Science of Love with Geena Davis, we delve into the many forms of love, and experts share research on how small daily actions, physical touch, and emotional attentiveness strengthen relationships, while evolutionary and neuroscience studies reveal why these bonds matter. We also explore practical strategies for cultivating deeper connections and understanding the biological and psychological roots of love.Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  The Science of Love Series: https://bit.ly/TheScienceofLoveThe Science of Love, with Geena Davis (Episode 1): https://tinyurl.com/bfave5wdHow 7 Days Can Transform Your Relationship: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2ezhrToday’s Guests:DANIEL LEVITIN is a neuroscientist, musician, and bestselling author of the books, Music as Medicine: How We Can Harness Its Therapeutic Power and I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music As Medicine. Follow Daniel Levitin on IG: https://www.instagram.com/daniellevitinofficialJOHN GOTTMAN is a psychologist and the co-founder of The Gottman Institute. JULIE GOTTMAN is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of The Gottman Institute and President of The Gottman Institute and co-founder of Affective Software, Inc. Learn more about John and Julie Gottman here: https://www.gottman.com/JUSTIN GARCIA is an evolutionary biologist and international authority on the science of sex and relationships. Learn more about Justin Garcia here: https://tinyurl.com/2c39cs6rANNA MACHIN is a British evolutionary anthropologist at the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University, England and author of the book Why We Love: The Definitive Guide to Our Most Fundamental Need. Learn more about Anna Machin here: https://annamachin.com/MARISA G. FRANCO is a psychologist and professor at The University of Maryland and author of the book “Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends.”Learn more about Marisa G. Franco here: https://drmarisagfranco.com/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/2p9h5aapFunding for this special was provided by the John Templeton Foundation, as part of the Greater Good Science Center's Spreading Love Through the Media initiative.Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4b52azja