From the Ship of Theseus to the Grand Shrine of Ise, from the Tin Woodman to our own constantly renewing bodies, humans have long wrestled with a profound question: When something is replaced piece by piece, is it still the same thing?

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As a holiday gift to listeners, I reading aloud “The Snow Queen,” one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous fairy tales. This week is Part One; next week is Part Two.

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We each review our “24 for 24 lists” and report on what we did, what we didn’t do, and why. We also reflect on which items made us happier, which ones fizzled out, and which ones we’ll repeat next year.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Happiness Project Shop 
• Tips for making a "25 for '25" list
• Print your own "25 for '25" list
• One-Sentence Journal 
• Happier in Hollywood newsletter sign-up
• Habits for Happiness quiz: What's the next new habit that will make you happier?
• Four Tendencies quiz: Are you an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel?
•  Gift-Giving quiz: What kind of gift makes you happy?
• "5 Things Making Me Happy" newsletters  
• Ethan Mollick’s newsletter “One Useful Thing"
• Hard Fork podcast
• Muse Machine
• Gretchen is reading: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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In Willa Cather’s novel “O Pioneers!” a sister and brother never forget the beautiful afternoon when they saw a wild duck playing in the river.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We debate how to decide if a movie counts as a “holiday” movie. We also discuss how the holiday season seems to be morphing into one long celebration, with Halloween flowing directly into Christmas. Plus, we share what's making us happier: the anticipation of hosting a holiday gathering and the special joy of having a child home from college for a long visit.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• #TheHappinessProjectCollection
• Bob Dylan, Chronicles: Volume One (Amazon, Bookshop) 

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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Choosing a one-word theme is one of the most fun and thought-provoking exercises within the “Design Your Year” set. Here, we review our themes for 2024 and reveal the themes we’ve chosen for 2025. We also share a hack for choosing a powerful theme, and include many of the themes chosen by listeners.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Habits for Happiness course 

Elizabeth is rereading: The Winner by Teddy Wayne (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: North Woods by Daniel Mason (Amazon, Bookshop)

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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My reflections about artificial intelligence reminded me of the climactic scene in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, a masterpiece of children’s literature. That scene illuminates a profound truth about the human power of being loved, and also of offering love.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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We revisit a conversation with TV writer and producer Mike Schur, who has created some of our favorite TV shows ever including "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," and "The Good Place." We also talk about Derby Names and how to spread birthday cheer through the whole year.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Don't Break the Chain Habit Tracker

"5 Things Making Me Happier" newsletter

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

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We share dozens of excellent hacks from listeners about how to make traveling more convenient and less stressful—plus we include some of our own travel-hack discoveries.

Resources and links related to this episode:

Black Friday Sale 

Life in Five Senses

Elizabeth is rereading: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Amazon, Bookshop) 

Gretchen is reading: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.

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Two teaching stories from very different contexts both illuminate a powerful truth: Our deepest source of resilience often comes from caring for others.

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Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

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Inspired by a friend, we discuss the question of what we wanted to accomplish in college (a question we never asked ourselves at the time). We also explore some helpful advice for the Metropolitan Museum—which the Met is definitely not interested in receiving. Plus why face-to-face meetings still hold special value in the age of screens.

Resources and links related to this episode:

• Super-Fans 
• Bookplates 
• Essays in Idleness by Kenkō (Amazon, Bookshop)

Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. 

Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. 

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

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