The Science of Happiness PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Take a moment to appreciate the beauty and vastness of the sky. Dacher Keltner guides us through a practice of pausing to turn your gaze to the sky as a pathway to awe, creativity and wonder.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc5xfwp4Practice:
Go someplace where you feel safe and also have a nice view of the sky.
First, focus on your breathing. Take a few slow inhales and even slower exhales. As you breathe in and out, relax your shoulders, your hands, and your face.
On the next breath in, look up at the sky. Notice how vast it is. 
 Breathing naturally, notice everything you can about the sky. What colors are present? Are there any clouds? Do you see any gradation of light?
Expand your gaze to get the fullest view and sense of the sky that you can. Spend a few moments taking it in.
On the final deep breaths in and out, reflect on how doing this practice has made you feel.
Today’s Happiness Break host:Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.Check out Dacher’s most recent book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/4j4hcvyt Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:Why we Should Look up at the Sky (Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/fn3bttw6Six Ways to Incorporate Awe into Your Daily Life: https://tinyurl.com/3j5hdtj7How to Choose a Type of Mindfulness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/py6b729hHow Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/2fmpdpkjWhy is Nature so Good For Your Mental Health? ​​https://tinyurl.com/23zavth3Tell us about your experiences with wildlife! Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Safe encounters with wildlife can deepen our appreciation for nature, and for other people. Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” shares his transformational experiences with the animals of the ocean.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/murmd98bEpisode SummaryVenturing into nature and experiencing wildlife can be transformative. Safe interactions with wildlife encourage us to be more in relation with nature, and each other. In this episode, we hear from Craig Foster of “My Octopus Teacher” and how his interactions with sea creatures have changed his life. We also hear from environmental researcher Liz Lev about the effect on our well-being that being in wild spaces provides.How To Do This Practice:The next time you want to explore the outdoors, find the “wildest” space you can think of. Explore the “wild spaces” in your neighborhood or city, and reflect on your experiences with wildlife. Today’s guests: Craig Foster is the director of My Octopus Teacher, and the co-founder of Sea Change Project. Liz Lev is an environmental researcher and research associate at Harder+Company who that specializes in the intersections of environmental and climate justice issues, mental health, and urban planning.
Learn more about Craig’s work:https://tinyurl.com/tyctr6fu

Follow Sea Change Project on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/2pzdx73z
Watch My Octopus Teacher: https://tinyurl.com/e87edt4b

Follow My Octopus Teacher on Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/mryx4zum
Learn more about Liz’s research: https://tinyurl.com/y2afdxpr 
Read about Liz’s research on wild spaces: https://tinyurl.com/msjsz32t
Science of Happiness Episodes like this one:Experience Nature Wherever You Are, with Dacher (Encore): https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585How Exploring New Places Can Make You Feel Happier: https://tinyurl.com/4ufn2tpnWhy We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2tHow Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5Happiness Break Related Episodes:Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kwsTell us about your experiences with wildlife! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Just a few moments of tuning into nature can make you feel more inspired, connected, and less lonely. Let us guide you through a five-minute noticing nature practice — you don't even have to leave your neighborhood.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/aj34s585How to Do This Practice:
Find somewhere where you can focus on the natural environment, like your backyard.
Take a few slow, deep breaths. Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Notice your belly and chest rise and fall as you breathe. Note the physical sensations of your breath.
If you closed your eyes, open them. Let your breath fall into its natural rhythm.
Look around you and let your eyes wander slowly through your surroundings: the plants, animals, and bugs.
 Let yourself be curious about anything that catches your eye and moves you. Rest your awareness there. Pause to appreciate it, and let it hold your attention for a few moments.
Turn your awareness to your emotions. How are you feeling? When something you see evokes an emotion, take a mental photo of it. What about it captivated you? What did it make you feel?
 Write that down in just a few words or sentences, or make a mental note of it. Let your gaze wander again whenever you’re ready, repeating these steps. 
Today’s Happiness Break host:Dacher Keltner is the host of the Greater Good Science Center’s award-winning podcast, The Science of Happiness and is a co-instructor of the GGSC’s popular online course of the same name. He’s also the founding director of the GGSC and a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.If you enjoyed this Happiness Break, you may also like these Happiness Breaks:Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9How to Ground Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/2wv69kwsCheck out these episodes of The Science of Happiness Walk Outside with Inside Out’s Pete Docter: https://tinyurl.com/23vpuj8jWhy We Should Look up at the Sky: https://tinyurl.com/mpn9vj2tHow Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health: https://tinyurl.com/3tey4rb5Tell us about your nature experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Exploring novel places and having diverse experiences is important to our well-being and can make us feel happier. This week, Ike Sriskandarajah, a producer for This American Life, takes us with him as he explores new parts of New York City.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/seystc6cEpisode summary: Shaking yourself out of your normal routine can be hard–but studies show it’s worth it. Creating space for variety, novelty, and awe in our lives is essential for our well-being. Exploring new and diverse environments in our daily life can lead to better stress resilience and can make us feel better. In this episode, investigative journalist Ike Sriskandarajah, shares his experience exploring new places with his family in New York City. Then, we hear from Aaron Heller, a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology, who studies how exposure to novel places can make us happier. Practice: Break out of your usual daily routine–take a route to work you have never taken before, or visit a park you’ve never gone to. Explore a place you have never been to.Today’s guests: Ike Sriskandarajah is an investigative journalist and Producer at This American Life.Aaron Heller is a neuroscientist and assistant professor at the University of Miami's Department of Psychology.
Learn more about Ike’s work: https://tinyurl.com/4auuk7pd

Learn about Ike’s work at Reveal: https://tinyurl.com/serhuyt5

Follow Ike on X: https://tinyurl.com/ycxz6xbr
Connect with Ike on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/ydwztavw
Learn more about Aaron’s research: https://tinyurl.com/yxrpm944

Follow Aaron on X: https://tinyurl.com/rr3ac6jw

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn: https://tinyurl.com/36trsaux

Science of Happiness Episodes like this one
How Awe Brings Us Together: https://tinyurl.com/bddavvbv

 Can You Find Wonder in the Ordinary? https://tinyurl.com/4j8h4dzk
Happiness Break Related Episodes
Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher: https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Feeling the Awe of Nature From Anywhere, With Dacher https://tinyurl.com/y4mm4wu9

Tell us about your experience exploring new places! Leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod, or e-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Connect to yourself and the land you stand on in under 10 minutes with this grounding practice led by Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3at8hrsuHow to Do This Practice: 
If possible, go outside and find some natural ground, like grass or dirt. If you're wearing shoes or socks, take them off and place the soles of your feet directly on the ground. 
Bring your attention to the earth beneath you. Allow it to hold you, paying attention to how it feels — soft, firm, reliable. Imagine you're starting to grow roots from the tip of your toes, digging deep into the earth.
Visualize energy and wellness flowing through your roots to your toes, into the soles of your feet, your thighs and knees, then base of the spine and upwards into your chest, expanding the whole center of your chest. Take a full, deep breath and contemplate the  openness you feel in your chest.
Look up towards the sky and open your eyes, allowing all of your senses to awaken to the sounds, smells, colors, and life around you. Feel their presence.
Today’s Happiness Break host:Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science scholar of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent. She also works at the United Nations to advance the rights of Indigenous peoples and the Earth.Learn more about Dr. Celidwen’s work: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/More resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center:
Listen to Dr. Yuria Celidwen on The Science of Happiness episode about listening to your elders: https://tinyurl.com/yr2ydk43

Does Nature Make You More Mindful? https://tinyurl.com/4wcreu9z

Why You Need More Nature in Your Life: ​​https://tinyurl.com/ye282e5d

Being Around Nature Helps You Love Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/57d5ntxm

How Modern Life Became Disconnected From Nature: https://tinyurl.com/yc6u73f9

Listen to The Science of Happiness episode featuring podcast host Krista Tippett, on Being Grounded in Your Body: https://tinyurl.com/8t7rr4yy

Tell us about your grounding practice experience! Direct message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. You can also e-mail us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Everyday activities, such as cleaning and gardening, can be sources of joy and opportunities for mindfulness. This week, our guest shares his experience practicing mindful sweeping on the temple stairs in Kyoto, Japan with Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk.Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3r6ju2whThe Science of Happiness is now Instagram, and we'd love for you to follow us! You can find us at @ScienceofHappinessPod. We're going to go behind the scenes of our episodes, and share how to do the practices we talk about on the show. The first 100 followers will be included in a raffle to win a signed copy of host Dacher Keltner's newest book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.Episode summary:Many of us see yard work as a chore. But what if we shift our perspective and instead see it  as an opportunity to practice mindfulness? This week on The Science of Happiness, our guest  shares his experience of sweeping the steps of a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and the mindfulness and mental processes involved in the practice. Then, we hear from Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk and author, about the practice of cleaning as a form of mindfulness.Practice:The next time you’re tending to your garden, picking up trash on your sidewalk, watering the plants, or doing other chores, spend a few minutes practicing mindfulness by slowing down and really being present with the activity and your own body's movements while you do it. Today’s guests:Matt Heron is a Canadian who has been living and working in Japan for five years. Shoukei Matsumoto is a Buddhist monk and cleaning enthusiast in Kyoto, Japan. He is the author of “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind,” which has been translated into 18 languages, including English 
Follow Shoukei on instagram: https://tinyurl.com/4e2jk7xt
Follow Shoukei on Linkedin: https://tinyurl.com/48xkr9ew
Learn more about Interbeing: https://www.interbeing.co.jp/en

Read “A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind” : https://tinyurl.com/7u3zhvcz
More episodes like this one:How to Make Work More Satisfying: https://tinyurl.com/3fa925yfWhy We Should Seek Beauty in the Everyday Life: https://tinyurl.com/26dskv38Related Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness) Contemplating Our Interdependence With Nature, With Dekila Chungyalpa: https://tinyurl.com/erz2f5deHappiness Break: How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/ynxeeb7aTell us about your mindful gardening experiences! Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.This episode is sponsored by Tianren Culture, whose vision is “One Health, One Wellness.” Tianren Culture is a next-generation social platform that acts as a catalyst to foster positive global values and lifestyles.Help us share The Science of Happiness!Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap