Little Happier: Easy Answers or Hard Truths: Whom Do You Trust?

21 April 2025 - 9 mins
Podcast Series Happier with Gretchen Rubin

When we’re trying to make a point, it’s often more effective to tell a story than to deliver a lecture. Example: an episode from the popular TV show “Better Call Saul” memorably illustrates the important truth that we’re probably better off assigning a complex problem to the person who acknowledges the difficulties rather than to the person who offers suspiciously easy answers.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Secrets of Adulthood  The Four Tendencies  Get in touch: [email protected]

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.

Find the transcript for this episode o...

9 mins

Series Episodes

Little Happier: A Lesson from the World Cup: Danger and Temptation Don’t Always Appear When We Expect Playing

Little Happier: A Lesson from the World Cup: Danger and Temptation Don’t Always Appear When We Expect

As the World Cup illustrated, in the happy moments of scoring a goal or celebrating, we may find it hard to stay focused on our aims. Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 mins

14 September Finished

Move Happier: Getting Unstuck: A Fresh Start for Your Move 26 Habit Playing

Move Happier: Getting Unstuck: A Fresh Start for Your Move 26 Habit

Not sticking to a habit that’s important to you? Dan Harris and Laurie Santos join Gretchen to share how to spot what's holding you back — and get moving again. Mentioned in This Episode: 10% Happier podcast  10% with Dan Harris app  The Happiness Lab podcast  Move 26 challenge & seasonal bingo card in the Happier app  The Move 26 in ‘26 Challenge Connect with us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft ⁠Learn more about Gretchen's Four Tendencies personality framework and take the free quiz⁠. Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify — it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 hour 8 mins

13 September Finished

More Happier: Four Tendencies Solutions to Real-Life Problems Playing

More Happier: Four Tendencies Solutions to Real-Life Problems

We revisit some of our most useful Four Tendencies listener questions, including how to help a Rebel stick to exercise, work with a Questioner boss, and keep Obliger people-pleasing from getting in the way of dating. Revisited Highlights: Episode 43: Listener Round-Up of the Four Tendencies Episode 120: Listener Questions about the Four Tendencies Episode 280: Questions from Listeners about the Four Tendencies Mentioned in This Episode: The Four Tendencies in Action Workbook  The Four Tendencies Quiz  Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

38 mins

12 September Finished

Ep. 603: Avoid the Sunk-Cost Fallacy, and Why it’s Hard to Plan for Emergencies Playing

Ep. 603: Avoid the Sunk-Cost Fallacy, and Why it’s Hard to Plan for Emergencies

We talk about how to avoid the mental trap of the “sunk-cost fallacy.” Plus, why it’s so hard to plan for emergencies and the biases that keep us from preparing for risk.  Episode highlights: Try This at Home: Avoid the sunk-cost fallacy—the mental trap that keeps us committed because of the time, money, or energy we’ve already spent [04:57] Happiness Hack: Create a personal reading syllabus with deadlines to help you read more [12:58] Happiness Stumbling Block: Six common biases that make it difficult to assess and prepare for rare but serious emergencies [16:03] Demerits and Gold Stars: Gretchen’s Demerit: Turning into a Knicks bore; Elizabeth’s Gold Star: To her friend Mindy for a new exercise experience [24:11] Mentioned in this episode: The Ostrich Paradox: Why We Underprepare for Disasters by Robert Meyer and Howard Kunreuther (Amazon, Bookshop) This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark by Craig Fehrman (Amazon, Bookshop) Audition by Katie Kitamura (Amazon, Bookshop) Rolling utility cart Happier Labor Day resources Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

32 mins

9 September Finished

Little Happier: After His Death, I Can Still Learn More About My Beloved Father Playing

Little Happier: After His Death, I Can Still Learn More About My Beloved Father

Even after a person has died, we can continue to understand them in new ways. Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 mins

7 September Finished

More Happier: How Do People Know What To Do? Plus Making Friends at the Gym Playing

More Happier: How Do People Know What To Do? Plus Making Friends at the Gym

We discuss how people know what to do in certain situations. Plus why you might–or might not–make friends at the gym.  Episode highlights: Something Making Us Happier: Elizabeth finds connection to our beloved father through reading history. Gretchen delights in discovering Jamie’s rock-skipping skills [00:48] I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You: How do people know what to do in certain situations? [07:29] Spotlight on a Tool: Check out my free 7-day email challenge designed to help you head into fall with more energy [13:03] I’ve Been Meaning to Ask You: Do you make friends at the gym? [14:40] Mentioned in this episode: This Vast Enterprise (Amazon, Bookshop) Check out Gretchen’s free 7-day movement challenge here Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Amazon, Bookshop) Connect with Us: Email: [email protected] Website: gretchenrubin.com Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or rate us on Spotify—it helps other listeners find the show! Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 mins

5 September Finished

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