10% Happier with Dan Harris

Plus: maximizing the benefits of sleep, exercise, and meditation.
To celebrate the show's 10th anniversary, we're producing episodes that share top 10 lists of practices, strategies and more from our favorite experts. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has listened and supported the show over the years. None of this would be possible without you.
Amishi Jha, PhD is the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. She is also the author of the bestselling book Peak Mind and the creator of the app Pushups for the Mind.
Wendy Suzuki, PhD is the Dean of New York University College of Arts & Science and a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University. She is the author of the books Healthy Brain, Happy Life and Good Anxiety.

In this episode:
What neuroplasticity is, and why your brain is not fixed
How exercise changes your brain, including mood, memory, and attention
Reframing the burden of optimization 
The minimum effective dose for meditation to improve attention
Why sleep is essential for memory, brain cleanup, and long-term brain health
The myth of multitasking
How anxiety can be used as a tool instead of just something to avoid
How your daily habits are shaping the brain you'll have tomorrow
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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:
Gainbridge — Guaranteed-rate financial products with no hidden fees. Learn more at https://www.gainbridge.com
Warby Parker — Prescription glasses, contacts, and sunglasses with virtual try-on. Buy one prescription pair and get 20% off additional pairs at https://www.warbyparker.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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The way you talk to other people (and yourself) can reduce dysregulation and distraction--and lead to better decisions.
Maryellen MacDonald is the Donald P. Hayes Professor (emerit) of Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Wisconsin−Madison. She is a cognitive scientist with a focus on psycholinguistics, the study of how we comprehend, produce, and learn languages. Her latest book is More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World.
In this episode we talk about:
The hidden benefits of talking, including self-talk and writing
How talking helps focus attention and clarify your thinking
Why talking can help regulate emotions and improve decision-making
Why talking is actually harder than listening
Why we shouldn't rush to finish other people's sentences
How deliberate talking can help protect against dementia
Why understanding something doesn't necessarily mean you've learned it
How talking about new information helps your brain remember it
Why explaining things to other people deepens your own learning
Why kids need chances to talk and not just watch screens
Why you shouldn't judge people by how they talk
Related Episodes:
The Science Of Journaling: How Writing Reduces Overthinking, Rumination, And Anxiety | Dr. James Pennebaker (Co-Interviewed By Dr. Bianca Harris)


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

What does it actually mean to "trust life" — especially when life is handing you something genuinely hard? In this Meditation Party episode (originally aired in 2024), Dan, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren dig into that question from multiple angles: as a personal mantra, a philosophical stance, and a daily practice. Plus: listener questions on rumination, work-life balance, and the eternal napping-vs.-meditating debate.
"Trust Life" vs. "This Is the Curriculum" — Sebene shares the origin of her tattoo and what the mantra has meant through years of health challenges. 

The three timescales of practice — Jeff breaks down how meditation works in the moment, over months and years, and across the arc of a whole life. The third one is where things get interesting.

Obsessive thinking / rumination — Practical tools from all three, including one from Sebene involving a trampoline, and one from a clinical psychologist that will make you feel ridiculous in the best way.

Sebene Selassie describes herself as a "writer, teacher, and immigrant-weirdo." She teaches meditation on the ten percent happier app and is the author of a great book called You Belong. She's based in Brooklyn. 
Jeff Warren is also a writer and a meditation teacher. He and Dan co-wrote the book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. He also hosts the Consciousness Explorers podcast. He's based in Toronto. 
Related episodes: 
How to Stay Calm No Matter What's Happening | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren
Science-Based Tools for When You're Stressed, Obsessed, or Overthinking | Dr. Jenny Taitz
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Strategies for getting out of your head and thriving in a chaotic world.
Prentis Hemphill is a writer, political organizer, therapist and somatic facilitator. They are the author of the national bestseller What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World, and host of the acclaimed podcasts Finding Our Way and Becoming the People. Prentis is also the Co-founder of The Embodiment Institute (TEI), a training and research organization that applies somatic practices to individual, organizational and collective care through a healing justice framework.
In this episode we talk about:
What embodiment really means  
How our bodies may be communicating more information to our brains than we realize
Practices to feel more at home in your body and regulate your nervous system
The "head, heart, gut" way of listening to different kinds of intelligence
Why so many of us are pulled out of our center in modern life
Micro-interdependence 
Simple, everyday ways to humanize one another in an era of mass vilification 
How cultural pressures contribute to anxiety and burnout
How to set boundaries
Identifying what you truly care about

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. 
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
This episode is sponsored by:
Rosetta Stone — Language learning that's immersive and intuitive. Start your journey at https://www.rosettastone.com/happier
Fatty 15 — The first essential fatty acid discovered in over 90 years, designed to support healthy aging at the cellular level. Get 15% off a 90-day starter kit at https://www.fatty15.com/happier with code HAPPIER
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Practical tools to break "automatic habits" and take back your agency.
 
Gabor Maté is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver's Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. 
 
In this episode we talk about:
Practical strategies for dealing with both our addictive tendencies and scattered minds
The real question to ask yourself when it comes to addiction 
Maté's relationship with ADHD
The relationship between ADHD and addiction
Tools for conscious harm reduction 
The practice of "Compassionate Curiosity"
"Re-parenting" practices for your nervous system 
And more
 
Related Episodes:
Modern Life Is Making You Sick, but It Doesn't Have To

 
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:
Rethinking ADHD
The Myth of Normal
Scattered Minds



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