10% Happier with Dan Harris

Six steps to reclaim your brain, find purpose, and escape the doom loop.
 
Arthur Brooks is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. Brooks is the author of 15 books, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers, Build the Life You Want, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, and From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. His latest book is The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness. 



In this episode we talk about:
The three essential components of a meaningful life
Getting comfortable with boredom 
Why we need to be asking questions that google can't answer
The neuroscience behind "authentic love" 
Strategies for finding meaning in your work 
What Arthur means when he says "don't waste your suffering"

 
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Additional Resources: 
Office Hours with Arthur Brooks


 
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
 
This episode is sponsored by:
LinkedIn Ads — Reach the right professionals with precision targeting. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit at http://www.linkedin.com/happier
BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier
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Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson — A podcast exploring ADHD, neurodivergence, and mental health through conversations with scientists, doctors, and researchers. Search for Hyperfocus with Rae Jacobson wherever you get your podcasts.
To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

The Dalai Lama's longtime collaborator on achieving fundamental okayness, transforming daily annoyances, and rewiring your brain.
Richard J. Davidson, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds and Founder of the non-profit Humin.
Cortland Dahl, PhD, is a scientist, author, translator, and meditation teacher for the Tergar community. 
Davidson and Dahl's latest book is Born to Flourish. They also author the Substack newsletter, Dharma Lab.
In this episode we talk about:
What it really means to flourish 
How difficult emotions like anxiety, fear, or grief can coexist with well-being
Why flourishing is a trainable skill set, not a personality trait or a self-improvement project
An introduction to the Healthy Minds Framework and its four pillars: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose
Why short, informal "micro-practices" can be just as effective as formal meditation
How to cultivate purpose
Related Episodes:
How a Buddhist Monk Deals With Anxiety | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
The View of American Turmoil from the Other Side of the World | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here
Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here
Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here. 
This episode is sponsored by:
Fast Growing Trees — America's largest online nursery, with plants guaranteed to arrive healthy. Get 20% off your first purchase with code HAPPIER at https://www.fastgrowingtrees.com
BetterHelp — Online therapy, matched to your needs. Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/happier
Spark — Clean energy and focus with zero sugar. Get 30% off and free shipping with code HAPPIER at https://www.drinkspark.com

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

What if the most meaningful thing you did for your mental health wasn't something new — but a return to what already brings you joy?
Dan recently sat down with journalist and broadcaster Sam Sanders on the Sam Sanders Show to explore exactly that idea. Sam has a concept he calls "modern scriptures": the movies, albums, and TV shows you return to again and again because they ground you, center you, and remind you what matters. Dan shares the pop culture that never fails to lift his spirits — and along the way, the two get into why beauty and art are actually central to human flourishing, why Ferris Bueller is more Buddhist than you might think, and what the research says about making resolutions stick — including the one upstream habit that makes everything else easier.
The Sam Sanders Show is a co-production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions. Sign up for Sam's newsletter for behind-the-scenes extras from every episode.



Join Dan's online community here
Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.

Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Plus, how the bestselling author writes his way out of despair.
 
John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. With his brother, Hank, John has co-created many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. His most recent book is Everything Is Tuberculosis.

 
In this episode we talk about:
John's toolkit for managing thought spirals and dispair
Why he wrote a whole book about the thing that terrifies him 
How he maintains hope in a chaotic and unfair world
Finding the "self"
 Shame reduction through naming
What John learned from his time as a chaplain in a pediatric hospital 
His current view of God
And the question of how much––or how little––we should be sharing about ourselves with other people
 
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Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
 
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
This episode is sponsored by:
Paleo Valley — 100% grass-fed beef sticks made without preservatives or additives. Get 15% off at https://www.paleovalley.com/happier or use code HAPPIER at checkout
Square — Business tools with AI, smart reporting, and payments all in one place. Get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://www.square.com/go/happier
Gainbridge — Guaranteed-rate financial products with no hidden fees. Learn more at https://www.gainbridge.com
LinkedIn Ads — Reach the right professionals with precision targeting. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit at http://www.linkedin.com/happier
 
To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Practical strategies for navigating difficult relationships and building new connections.
 
Shankar Vedantam is host of the Hidden Brain podcast and radio show, where he explores the hidden patterns that drive human behavior. He is the author of the books, The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Wage Wars, Control Markets and Save Our Lives, and Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self- Deceiving Brain.
 
In this episode we talk about:
How to stop trying to change your partner
Useful tools for overcoming conflict
The challenging practice of "eating the blame" 
The concept of "useful delusions"
How to manage a breakup (of any kind)
The real secret to finding closure
The value of micro interactions with strangers
And more
 
Related Episodes:
The Surprising Upsides of Self-Deception

 
Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here
Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here
Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
 
Additional Resources: 
Shankar's TED Talks
Hidden Brain Live Tour



Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris