Habits, Happiness and Human Nature – Gretchen Rubin – #636

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I have the pleasure of talking with Gretchen Rubin, who is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s known for her ability to distill and convey complex ideas with humor and clarity, in a way that’s accessible and relevant.

She’s been interviewed by Oprah, walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama, had her work written up in a medical journal, been the subject of a “The Talk of the Town” piece in The New Yorker magazine, and been an answer on the game show Jeopardy!

She’s the author of numerous books, including the “New York Times” bestsellers, “The Four Tendencies” and “Better Than Before.”” Her book The Happiness Project” spent more than two years on the ”New York Times” bestseller list, including at No. 1. Combined, her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide and have been published in more than 30 languages.

Here are a few “Gretchen says” moments from our discussion: 

• About habits: “ ‘We know these things will make us happier. Why don’t we do them?’ and that’s often a problem with habit formation.”

• About happiness: “There are some things that we can’t really affect, and then there are some things that we really can affect with our conscious thoughts and actions, and so, to me, it’s much more interesting to think like, “Whoever I am, wherever I’m coming from, can I be happier?” 

• About human nature: “It really shines a spotlight on some aspect of your character, your nature that is very, very helpful, so I think sometimes it’s just that showing you something about yourself that maybe you weren’t keyed into.”

Gretchen draws from cutting-edge science, the wisdom of the ages, lessons from popular culture, and her own experiences to explore how we can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

Enjoy the show!