The Science of Happiness

Take a moment to connect with your body and make space for difficult emotions with compassion and care. This embodiment practice is guided by Lyla June Johnston, a Diné musician, scholar of Indigenous land management, and community organizer.
How To Do This Practice: 

Ground yourself in the present: Find a comfortable seated position and take four slow, deep breaths. Notice the feeling of your body supported by the chair or the floor, bringing your attention fully into the present moment.

Reflect on a difficult truth: Gently bring to mind a challenging truth—such as the lasting impacts of colonization or another painful reality. Approach it with curiosity rather than judgment, allowing yourself to stay present instead of becoming overwhelmed.

Notice where your emotions live in your body: As you reflect, pay attention to your physical sensations. You might notice tightness in your chest, heaviness in your stomach, warmth in your heart, or another sensation. Simply observe where your emotions show up.

Hold your feelings with compassion: Rather than pushing difficult emotions away or getting lost in them, imagine holding them with the same care you would offer a crying child. Let each feeling be seen, heard, and acknowledged without trying to fix it.

Replace shame with love and solidarity: If guilt or shame arises, gently set it down. Instead, invite feelings of compassion, hope, and connection. Consider one way you can move toward repair, understanding, or solidarity—even if it's simply bearing witness with an open heart.

Return to the present with intention: Bring your awareness back to your breath, your body, and your surroundings. Relax your shoulders, soften your muscles, and take four more deep breaths. As you finish, carry forward an intention to meet difficult truths with courage, love, and compassionate action.

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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
LYLA JUNE JOHNSTON is the founder and Dean of Instruction at The Rehuman School.
Learn about Lyla June Johnston's work: https://www.lylajune.com/
Related The Science of Happiness episodes:  
How to Feel Less Lonely and More Connected: https://tinyurl.com/2s3tbchd
When It's Hard To Connect, Try Being Curious: https://tinyurl.com/mr32nwtv
An Awe Walk Through History and Possibility: https://tinyurl.com/mr3arrbc
Related Happiness Breaks:
A Meditation on the Uniqueness of Your Own Voice: https://tinyurl.com/36x3fbk7
A Meditation on Original Love and Interconnectedness:https://tinyurl.com/mu2uzs2c
Our Deep Interconnectedness: https://tinyurl.com/y2epxyxn
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/3v76jcs8

Neuroscience reveals revenge can become a powerful habit—and that forgiveness may be one of the most effective ways to break the cycle.
Summary: After years of bullying led him to almost committing an act of violence, James Kimmel Jr., an assistant clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine, set out to understand why revenge can be so compelling—and how forgiveness can interrupt that cycle, easing emotional pain and strengthening self-control. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, we explore what science can teach us about healing ourselves and creating a less violent world.
How To Do This Practice: 

Think of a Grievance: Bring to mind a person or situation that still causes you hurt or resentment.

Notice How It Feels: Take a moment to observe any tension, anger, or pain that arises without judging it.

Imagine Forgiveness: Without forcing yourself to forgive, simply imagine what it would feel like to let go of the hurt.

Notice the Shift: Pay attention to any sense of relief, ease, or softening—even if it's subtle.

Return to the Feeling: When the grievance comes back, revisit that imagined sense of forgiveness as a way of caring for yourself.

Practice Often: Repeat this exercise whenever resentment resurfaces, allowing forgiveness to become a habit that supports your own healing.

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JAMES KIMMEL JR. is a lawyer, lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and co-founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies.
Learn more about James Kimmel Jr. here: https://www.jameskimmeljr.com/
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsad33
Nine Steps to Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/5xwztnsx
The Science of Letting Go: https://tinyurl.com/ykc2uex4
Related Happiness Break episodes:
A Science-Backed Path to Self-Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/2js59anm
A Note to Self on Forgiveness: https://tinyurl.com/ycymxh3h
A Breathing Technique To Help You Relax: https://tinyurl.com/59y4sf5y
This episode was supported by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation as part of a Greater Good Science Center project on "Putting the Science of Forgiveness into Practice."
Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. 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
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/4ubmrwyr

Try a practice in accepting difficult feelings like anger or irritation to help keep your cool, feel better overall, and find calm with contemplative social scientist Eve Ekman. 
How To Do This Practice:

Settle with your breath: Take a few slow, deep breaths, lengthening your spine as you inhale and relaxing your face and body as you exhale.

Notice your body: Scan your body with curiosity and observe any sensations without trying to change them.

Recall a mild frustration: Bring to mind a recent situation that made you feel slightly irritated or frustrated.

Release the story: Let go of the memory and focus only on where you feel the emotion in your body.

Give the emotion space: Allow the sensations to exist without judging or resisting them, noticing how they naturally shift over time.

Close with kindness: Take one final breath and remind yourself to meet future moments of anger with curiosity, acceptance, and compassion.

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Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
EVE EKMAN is a contemplative social scientist and meditation teacher from San Francisco, California.
Learn more about Eve’s work: https://tinyurl.com/2vhuarh8
More Happiness Breaks like this one:
A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/ye24rz4k
The Healing Power of Your Own Touch: https://tinyurl.com/rrtpje2x
A Breathing Technique To Help You Relax: https://tinyurl.com/59y4sf5y
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Why Compassion Requires Vulnerability: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsad33
How To Feel Better About Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/3jave7h2
What To Do When Stress Takes Over: https://tinyurl.com/yxf3jawn
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2zh8uewh

Choosing joy over guilt and shame can make climate-friendly habits easier to sustain while improving your own well-being along the way.
Summary: Fear may grab our attention, but research suggests joy is what helps us make meaningful, sustainable climate choices. On this episode of The Science of Happiness, discover how small shifts can have a big impact. Scientists Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying Zhao share how reframing climate action around happiness instead of guilt can help us build healthier habits, strengthen our communities, and care for the Earth.
How To Do This Practice:

Choose one everyday habit: Pick a part of your routine like eating, commuting, shopping, or reducing food waste where you'd like to make a climate-friendly change.

Focus on what you can add: Instead of thinking about what to give up, ask yourself what you can enjoy more, such as eating more seasonal produce, walking outdoors, or spending time tending a garden.

Notice how it feels: As you try your new habit, pay attention to moments of enjoyment, connection, pride, or calm. Positive emotions help make new behaviors stick.

Make it easy: Remove small barriers that get in your way. For example, keep fresh fruits and vegetables where you’ll see them first so they don’t go bad, and pack light when you fly to avoid the extra carbon emissions from checked bags.

Share it with someone else: Invite a friend or family member to join you or tell them about a climate-friendly habit you've enjoyed. Positive experiences are more likely to spread than guilt.

Reflect on the impact: Consider how your small change affected both your well-being and the planet, and choose one joyful habit you'd like to continue.

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Today’s Guests:
DR. ELIZABETH DUNN is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, who studies the ways that time, money and technology affect our wellbeing.
Learn more about Dr. Elizabeth Dunn here: https://dunn.psych.ubc.ca/
DR. JIAYING ZHAO is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability, and UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar.
Learn more about Dr. Jiaying Zhao here: https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/jiaying-zhao/
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
Climate, Hope, & Science Series: https://tinyurl.com/pb27rep
The Case for Hope, with Rebecca Solnit: https://tinyurl.com/4cj3umbz
Related Happiness Break episodes:
How To Ground Yourself in Nature: https://tinyurl.com/25ftdxpm
How to Be in Harmony in Nature—Wherever You Are, With Yuria Celidwen: https://tinyurl.com/5n6pfsn2
Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. 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
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/2s4ft9fc

Indigenous artist Dr. Lyla June Johnston leads a 5-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help do better in relationships and feel more satisfied in life.
How to Do This Practice:

Ground yourself: Sit in a comfortable position and take a few slow breaths. Notice the inhale and exhale without trying to change anything. Let your attention settle into your body and the present moment.

Set a simple intention: Bring to mind the idea of observing your story with curiosity rather than judgment. You’re not trying to write something “good,” just something honest.

Write the sentence: “I come from a place where…” and pause briefly before continuing. Let the words that follow come from memory, feeling, or imagery—whatever shows up first.

Free-write without stopping: Keep your pen moving for several minutes (around 3–5 minutes, or longer if you like). Don’t edit, filter, or worry about grammar or meaning. If you get stuck, repeat the prompt and continue.

Notice what emerged: When time is up, read what you wrote slowly. Notice any themes, emotions, memories, or insights that stand out—without trying to fix or interpret them immediately.

Reflect and return: Take a moment to acknowledge your experience of the exercise. You might ask: What surprised me? What feels important? Revisit this practice every few weeks or months to notice how your sense of origin and story evolves

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guide:
DR. LYLA JUNE JOHNSTON is an Indigenous artist and scholar from the Diné Nation.
Learn about Dr. Lyla June Johnston's work: https://www.lylajune.com/
More Happiness Breaks like this one:
A Compassionate Letter to Yourself: https://tinyurl.com/3j6vtwh3
Finding Yourself in Silence: https://tinyurl.com/3w76t94a
An Affirmation Practice for the New Year: https://tinyurl.com/4f9epzbw
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How To Tap Your Way to Calm and Clarity: https://tinyurl.com/vtfrt8b7
The Science of Letting Go: https://tinyurl.com/34u2fu48
How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/88y5r4vr
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Help us share Happiness Break! Leave a 5-star review and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/36m7wn3m