What can a singing bird, a neighborhood walk, and a pair of puppet adventurers teach us about awe? Sit down with Wowsabout! creators Dorien Davies and Halle Stanford to discuss helping kids—and grownups—find wonder wherever they are.

Summary: Kids may be natural wonder-seekers, but how do we help them hold onto that sense of awe as they grow up? On this episode of The Science of Happiness, we talk with Wowsabout! creators Dorien Davies and Halle Stanford about creating a PBS Kids special inspired by awe, the science behind wonder, and why small moments—a bird singing at dawn, a blooming jasmine vine, or a walk around the block—can help us feel more connected to ourselves and the world around us. Together, they explore how cultivating awe can foster curiosity, resilience, creativity, and belonging for children and adults alike.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Slow down and set an intention: Pause your usual routine and decide to look for something that inspires wonder.
2. Notice what you feel: Tune into physical sensations, like the warmth of the sun, a cool breeze, or your feet touching the ground.
3. Look closely at your surroundings: Pay attention to colors, shapes, textures, or movement that you might normally overlook.
4. Listen with curiosity: Notice the sounds around you—the birds, the wind, distant voices, or the hum of your neighborhood.
5. Follow what captures your attention: If something sparks your interest or amazement, spend a moment with it instead of rushing on.
6. Reflect on your experience: At the end of your walk, consider what surprised you and how it made you feel more connected to the world around you.

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

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Guests:

HALLE STANFORD is the creator and writer of Wowsabout!, founder of 7 Crow Stories, Emmy® Award-winning, and twelve-time Emmy®-nominated executive producer of Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

DORIEN DAVIES is an Executive Producer, Co-Creator, Co-Writer and Principal Puppeteer on Wowsabout!, Word Party, and Julie’s Greenroom. 

Watch Wowsabout! here: https://pbskids.org/videos/wowsabout

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

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

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

Related Happiness Break episodes:

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

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

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at [email protected] 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/bdsn3n9e

Take less than 10 minutes to write yourself a letter of care, compassion, and encouragement with psychologist Kristin Neff in this research-backed practice.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Choose an area of self-judgment: Think of one aspect of yourself that makes you feel inadequate, stressed, or not quite good enough.
2. Name what you're feeling: Write a few sentences about the situation and the emotions it brings up, such as sadness, fear, frustration, shame, or loneliness.
3. Imagine an unconditionally compassionate friend: Picture someone who is wise, accepting, and deeply caring—someone who sees both your strengths and your struggles without judgment.
4. Write a letter from their perspective: Let this compassionate friend respond to your situation with understanding, kindness, and acceptance, recognizing that imperfection is part of being human.
5. Include gentle wisdom and encouragement: If it feels helpful, have your compassionate friend offer caring suggestions for growth or change—not because you need fixing, but because they want you to thrive.
6. Read the letter back to yourself: Set the letter aside for a while, then return to it and read it slowly, allowing the words of compassion and support to sink in.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Listen to the Full Practice Here: https://self-compassion.org/practices/noting-practice-2/

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

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.

More Happiness Breaks like this one:

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/ye24rz4k

The Healing Power of Your Own Touch: https://tinyurl.com/rrtpje2x

Take a Break With Our Loving-Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/3vn9t4jv

Related Science of Happiness episodes:

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

The Science of Letting Go: https://tinyurl.com/34u2fu48

The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/y6bpvbv5

We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at [email protected] 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

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

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4rcnm6s5

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Intention to Treat: The Race Equation is a new series from the New England Journal of Medicine, investigates how race-specific diagnostic tools harm Black patients and contribute to growing health inequities.

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/36bne7hd

Across school campuses and communities, students and educators are discovering how listening, curiosity, and everyday conversations can open pathways across differences and help restore a sense of shared humanity.

Summary: How do we learn to truly communicate with people who are deeply different than us? In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we follow students and educators practicing the skills of empathy and courageous listening in classrooms and on the road. Their experiences reveal how intentional conversations can open unexpected pathways toward understanding and shared humanity.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Observe Before You Interpret: Spend a few minutes noticing the environment around you and ask yourself: What do people here see, hear, say, think, and need?
2. Approach with Curiosity: Start with simple human connection—small talk, a question about their day, or genuine interest in their community.
3. Signal That You're There to Listen: Make it clear your goal is understanding, not persuading, debating, or changing anyone's mind.
4. Practice Democratic Listening: Give your full attention through eye contact, nodding, and brief acknowledgments, while resisting the urge to agree, disagree, or jump in with your own views.
5. Stay Relaxed Through Discomfort: When differences emerge, maintain "relaxed awareness"—remaining open, attentive, and calm rather than defensive or reactive.
6. Reflect and Learn: Afterward, ask yourself: What helped create connection? What got in the way? What might I try differently next time?

Scroll down for a transcript of this episode.

Today’s Guests: 

JESSE KELLY is a McNair and MacArthur fellow and a recent graduate of Bowie State University, Maryland's oldest historically black university.

Learn more about Jesse Kelly here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessekellyjr/

LIA HOWARD is the director of the Political Empathy Lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Learn more about Lia Howards here: https://snfpaideia.upenn.edu/people/lia-howard/

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 Original Love and Interconnectedness:https://tinyurl.com/mu2uzs2c

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

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at [email protected] 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/3bt8fpdj

Trouble sitting still? Learn to practice meditating by simply walking in this practice guided by 10% Happier host Dan Harris.

How To Do This Practice:

1. Start walking at a comfortable pace in a place where you can move without rushing.
2. Notice your body moving by paying attention to your feet, legs, and arms as you walk.
3. Tune into your senses by observing sounds, sights, temperature, and other details around you.
4. Notice when your mind wanders into planning, worrying, or distractions.
5. Gently return your attention to the sensations of walking and your surroundings each time you drift away.
6. Keep walking with curiosity and allow yourself to stay present without needing to do it perfectly.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode. 

Today’s Happiness Break Guide:

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/324xtuut

Related Happiness Break Episodes:

Moving Through Space, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/5f58jp42

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

Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yc42s6mv

Related Science of Happiness Episodes: 

How To Focus Under Pressure: https://tinyurl.com/3hpah4ss

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

How To Do Good For The Environment (And Yourself): https://tinyurl.com/26msewb8

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experiences with mindful walking. Email us at [email protected] 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

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/9n5xu96e

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

Description:

Sharing a new podcast called Stories from a Stranger, which features portraits of strangers connected by themes of love, loss, regret, inspiration, illness, family connections, and more. In each episode of Stories from a Stranger, host Hunter Prosper shares  raw, intimate, long-form conversations with real people. It’s a show that inspires empathy and connection, proving that “Every stranger has a story.”

In this episode, Hunter meets three strangers at three different stages of life and asks them what love means to them. You’ll hear how love looks and feels different at every age—from the dizzying rush of a first crush to the quiet comfort of a lifelong partner, and the ache of wondering if love will ever come at all. Today, yesterday, and tomorrow, love is in the air.

Listen to Stories from a Stranger at https://lnk.to/storiesfromastrangerSH

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/mu6sn8dp

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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

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 [email protected] 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