
It’s the first podcast episode of More Happier…for everyone who wants to get more Happier! We’ll be doing this episode every other Saturday in 2022, in addition to the usual episodes of Happier with Gretchen Rubin and A Little Happier.
Gold star to K. J. Dell’Antonia, author of the novel The Chicken Sisters (Amazon, Bookshop) and co-host of the podcast #AmWriting, for giving us the idea for the name “More Happier.”
Something Making Us More Happier
Elizabeth: The Disney+ Get Back documentary about the Beatles and the making of their album Let It Be.
Gretchen: The New York Botanical Garden, and in particular, the Haupt Conservatory. I mention my book Happier at Home and the resolution to “Be a tourist in your hometown.” It was a wonderful experience, plus I made the family plan (usually Jamie makes the plans). Elizabeth mentions the Huntington Botanical Gardens.
I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You
We discuss Elizabeth’s new life philosophy that “Everyone over the age of 18 should do exactly what they want.”
Spotlight on a Tool
The Don’t Break the Chain Habit Tracker.
The pages provide structure and flexibility, with space to visualize progress in different ways, “pass” stickers if you need to take a day off, gold-star stickers to celebrate your milestones, and suggestions for ways to use this tracker effectively.

Learn more about this tool here.
Happiness Lesson from the Real Housewives
Change into your pajamas and take a nap every day. Inspiration for #Rest22in22!
I mention my biography of Winston Churchill, Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill.

Quotation
It occurred to her how nice it was to live once more in a confined space which one was free to organize, with small resources, as one pleased.
LATEST episodes
Becoming a fan—of sports or anything—can improve your happiness. We share listener tips for dealing with people who share every boring detail of their latest trip.
Episode highlights:
- Try This at Home: Become a fan— Research shows that fandom reduces loneliness and gives your life more structure, connection, and ritual [04:37]
- Happiness Hack: Cross off the common denominator—When you’re anxious about a decision, ask yourself: does this worry apply to every option? [14:45]
- Listener strategies for dealing with travel bores: How to redirect the conversation and ask targeted questions that make travel stories actually interesting. [17:41]
- Demerits & Gold Stars: Elizabeth’s demerit: return timing regret; Gretchen’s gold star: a perfect souvenir find. [25:03]
Mentioned in this Episode:
- “Why Watching Sports Makes People Happy” — Time Magazine
- Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John (Amazon, Bookshop)
- There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood by Rasheed Newson (Amazon, Bookshop)
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Amazon, Bookshop)
- Summer Bingo card + Design Your Summer tool — Happier App
Connect with Us:
- Email: podcast@gretchenrubin.com
- Website: gretchenrubin.com
- Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft
- Take the free Four Tendencies quiz
Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify — it helps other listeners find the show!
Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.
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