Learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life, drawing on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe. Hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner. Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center.
Discover what happens to our well-being when we respond to suffering with compassion, collective action, and why choosing to care can help us hold on to our shared humanity.
Summary: In the face of widespread suffering, many of us struggle with how to respond without becoming overwhelmed or numb. Drawing on research and real-world experience, this episode of The Science of Happiness examines the psychological impact of bearing witness, acting in alignment with our values, and showing up for others—even when it’s hard. We look at how compassion, agency, and a sense of common humanity can both strengthen resilience and carry real emotional costs, and why people continue to act anyway.
Take our 5-minute survey https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Guests:
DR. FEROZE SIDHWA is a trauma, and critical care surgeon in California. He has also worked as a physician in Haiti, Ukraine and Palestine.
Learn more about Dr. Feroze Sidhwa here: https://www.ferozesidhwa.org/
DR. AKIVA LEBOWITZ is a physician and critical care specialist.
Learn more about Dr. Akiva Lebowitz here: https://akivaforbrookline.com/
DR. SUNITA SAH is a social scientist, author, and psychologist.
Learn more about Dr. Sunita Sah here: https://www.sunitasah.com/
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] 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/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/48wz2vru
Psychologist and stress expert Elissa Epel leads us in a gentle, science-backed practice to calm our nervous systems and meet uncertainty with greater ease and acceptance.
We want to hear from you! Take our quick 5-minute survey to tell us what you love, what you want more of, and how we can make the show even more inspiring and useful. Everyone who completes the survey can enter a drawing to win a copy of The Science of Happiness Workbook: 10 Practices for a Meaningful Life. Click the survey link in the show notes wherever you’re listening, or go directly to: https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
ELISSA EPEL, PH.D, is a Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at University of California, San Francisco.
Learn more about Elissa Epel here: https://www.elissaepel.com/
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
Embodying Resilience: https://tinyurl.com/46383mhx
A Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy: https://tinyurl.com/4utrkyh5
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/2x4pe95j
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.
Summary: After a period of intense stress, loss, and physical disconnection, one guest turns to qigong—a gentle, meditative movement practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine—to reconnect with their body and calm their nervous system. This episode of The Science of Happiness explores the growing scientific evidence behind qigong, revealing how mindful movement can support both physical health and psychological well-being.
We want to hear from you! Take our 5-minute survey to enter a drawing to win a copy of The Science of Happiness Workbook: 10 Practices for a Meaningful Life. Tell us what you love, what you want more of, and how we can make the show even more inspiring and useful. Click the survey link in the show notes wherever you’re listening, or go directly to: https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
One Way To Do This Practice:
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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
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Breathe Away Anxiety (Cyclic Sighing): https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5
The Science of Synchronized Movement: https://tinyurl.com/n4bcrb5j
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] 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/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/yyxnsfy9
This New Year, affirm the wonderful qualities you already possess with this meditative writing practice with Chris Murchison called "I Am."
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
CHRIS MURCHISON is an artist and meditation teacher.
Check out Chris’s website: https://chrismurchison.com/
Follow Chris on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4nyjahj4
Related Happiness Break episodes:
The Healing Power of Your Own Touch: https://tinyurl.com/y4ze59h8
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y
How to Be Your Own Best Friend: https://tinyurl.com/y5kbecej
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How to Stick to Your Resolutions in 2024: https://tinyurl.com/mub9z9z4
How Holding Yourself Can Reduce Stress: https://tinyurl.com/2hvhkwe6
How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc
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/2d595rz3
Learn how the stories we tell and hear shape our relationships, values, and sense of belonging.
Summary: Storytelling is more than entertainment. It shapes how we think, feel, and relate to others. In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we dive into how immersive narratives calm stress, inspire reflection, and foster compassion across differences. We also explore how stories of resilience, joy, and tradition leave lasting impressions that influence our relationships and sense of self.
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Guests:
SAFA SULEIMAN is an elementary school teacher and author of the new children’s book Hilwa’s Gifts.
Learn more about Safa here: https://www.safasuleiman.com/
MELANIE GREEN is a social psychologist at the University at Buffalo who has published widely on narrative persuasion and the power of storytelling.
See more on Melanie’s work here: https://tinyurl.com/e5fd8bu5
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
How Thinking About Your Ancestors Can Help You Thrive: https://tinyurl.com/4u6vzs2w
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
How To Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc
Related Happiness Breaks:
A Meditation on Love and Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/ye6baxv3
Our Deep Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/jthxkpjd
Pause to Look at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/4jttkbw3
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] 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/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2tkvdyr8
También tenemos esta meditación en Español.
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4rjmambm
Take a few minutes to reflect on someone who inspires you, and how you can embody the values you admire in them.
You can also listen to this episode in Spanish here: https://tinyurl.com/4rjmambm
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
DIANA PARRA is professor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She is also a registered mindfulness and yoga teacher who focuses on sharing these practices with the Latino immigrant community in St Louis.
Learn more about Diana Parra’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4acc7nsv
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
How to Do Good for the Environment (And Yourself): https://tinyurl.com/5b26zwkx
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Why We Should Seek Beauty: https://tinyurl.com/yn7ry59j
We want to hear from you! Take our quick 5-minute survey to tell us what you love, what you want more of, and how we can make the show even more inspiring and useful. Everyone who completes the survey can enter a drawing to win a copy of The Science of Happiness Workbook: 10 Practices for a Meaningful Life. Click the survey link in the show notes wherever you’re listening, or go directly to: https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
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/4945b59w
Explore how students are using simple mindful breathing practices to navigate stress, stay grounded, and support their classmates.
Summary: Classrooms often are confronted with difficult topics that can leave students overwhelmed and anxious. In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we highlight how college student Evelyn Mata brought calm to herself and peers during an Immigration Studies class through simple collective breathing practices.
How to Do Box Breathing:
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Today’s Guests:
EVELYN MATA is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, studying Psychology and Public Policy.
DR. PABLO GONZALEZ is a professor in the Ethnic Studies department at UC Berkeley.
Learn more about Pablo here: https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/people/pablo-gonzalez
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Breathe Away Anxiety (Cyclic Sighing): https://tinyurl.com/3u7vsrr5
How To Tune Out The Noise: https://tinyurl.com/4hhekjuh
What To Do When Stress Takes Over: https://tinyurl.com/mskvfmv4
Related Happiness Breaks:
Make Uncertainty Part of the Process: https://tinyurl.com/234u5ds7
A Meditation for When You Feel Uneasy: https://tinyurl.com/4x27ut3p
A Mindful Breath Meditation, With Dacher Keltner: https://tinyurl.com/mr9d22kr
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] 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/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4wz4vbc3
Through a gentle ancestral meditation, discover how grounding in your roots can open the door to healing, meaning, and a deeper sense of belonging.
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
SARÁ KING is a neuroscientist, medical anthropologist and educator at UC San Diego.
Learn more about Sará King here: https://www.eomega.org/people/sara-king
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Where Did You Come From: https://tinyurl.com/2y9uyjj6
How To Tune Into Water’s Restorative Power: https://tinyurl.com/2k6ybzrs
A Meditation to Connect With Your Roots: https://tinyurl.com/ycy9xazc
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
How Water Heals: https://tinyurl.com/utuhrnh3
Who’s Always There for You: https://tinyurl.com/yt3ejj6w
We want to hear from you! Take our quick 5-minute survey to tell us what you love, what you want more of, and how we can make the show even more inspiring and useful. Everyone who completes the survey can enter a drawing to win a copy of The Science of Happiness Workbook: 10 Practices for a Meaningful Life. Click the survey link in the show notes wherever you’re listening, or go directly to: https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
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/mrsnwvrm
Self-compassion reduces our feelings of shame and self-doubt. We explore a practice to help quiet our inner critic with kindness.
Summary: What does your inner critic sound like? Many of us carry echoes of past misunderstandings, pressures, or expectations. Voices that show up as shame, self-judgment, or the belief that we’re not doing enough. This episode explores a self-compassionate writing practice that helps interrupt those patterns by noticing how we talk to ourselves and learning to respond with more kindness.
How To Do This Practice:
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Today’s Guests:
RENÉ BROOKS is the creator of the blog Black Girl, Lost Keys. She draws on her personal experiences to coach and assist adults with ADHD.
Visit René’s Blog: https://blackgirllostkeys.com/
SERENA CHEN is the Chair of the Psychology department at UC Berkeley. Her research is focused on self-compassion, wellbeing, and social interaction.
Learn more about Serena and her work: https://tinyurl.com/mry3vx3v
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:
Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/yxw4uhpf
Related Happiness Breaks:
Fierce Self-Compassion Break: https://tinyurl.com/yk9yzh9u
Tell us about your experience with this practice. Email us at [email protected] 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/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/et2spbbp
When gratitude feels distant, gently notice what’s here now— creating space for both heaviness and small moments of appreciation.
How To Do This Practice:
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
DACHER KELTNER is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and is a co-instructor of the Greater Good Science Center’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
Related Happiness Break episodes:
A Meditation on Original Love: https://tinyurl.com/5u298cv4
Loving Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5
Who Takes Care of You: https://tinyurl.com/5xmfkf73
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/vb7kk5ky
How to Show Up For Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/56ktb9xc
Who’s Always There for You: https://tinyurl.com/yt3ejj6w
We want to hear from you! Take our quick 5-minute survey to tell us what you love, what you want more of, and how we can make the show even more inspiring and useful. Everyone who completes the survey can enter a drawing to win a copy of The Science of Happiness Workbook: 10 Practices for a Meaningful Life. Click the survey link in the show notes wherever you’re listening, or go directly to: https://tinyurl.com/happyhappysurvey. Thank you for helping us make the podcast even better!
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/f6xa56mx