Ep. 594: Try Becoming a Fan, Plus Tips for Dealing with Travel Bores

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

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

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