10% Happier with Dan Harris

A surprisingly uplifting conversation on aging, sickness, and death. Plus: why you get happier as you get older, hard-earned tips for handling tough diagnoses, and how to think about AI in your health care.
Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, is a surgeon, author, and public health innovator. He holds the Fish Chair in Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is the Samuel O. Thier Professor of the Practice of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Professor of the Practice at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 
Dr. Gawande was Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID from 2022-2025. He is a longtime writer for The New Yorker and has written four books: Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, and Being Mortal.
In this episode we talk about:
Why the best doctors ask patients what matters before choosing treatment
The simple question that reveals what makes life worth living
Why patients who get less aggressive care sometimes live longer
His father's answer to "what's worth living for" changed three times
Why staying independent and staying safe often pull in different directions
Research showing people get emotionally calmer, not sadder, as they age
What happened when the U.S. shut down its global health aid programs
Why he sees AI as a helpful second opinion, not a replacement, for doctors
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Additional Resources: 
Being Mortal, the book
Being Mortal, the documentary
This episode is sponsored by:

Warby Parker: Buy one pair of glasses and get 20% off any additional pairs at WarbyParker.com/HAPPIER — and using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #ad
BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/HAPPIER.
Notion: Learn more about how Notion can support your business, at notion.com/happier
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The legendary comedian says you don't have to be tortured to be an artist, he doesn't need an index card of achievements in his pocket anymore, and even the bad trips have led to good destinations.
Neal Brennan is a three-time Emmy-nominated writer, director, producer, and standup comedian known for his critically acclaimed Netflix specials 3 Mics, Blocks, and Crazy Good and for co-creating Comedy Central's iconic Chappelle's Show. He also hosts the hit Blocks podcast, where he talks with guests about their own personal blocks.
In this episode we talk about:
Talking back to your inner critic
Why the worst psychedelic trips might do more good than the beautiful ones
The myth that comedians have to be miserable to be funny
The "decoy" that keeps smart people chasing validation forever
Why achievement became Neal's most embarrassing addiction
What Neal wants now that success wasn't enough
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How to understand your tendencies and identify what's keeping you stuck. Plus: advice on treating resistance as data, reclaiming time affluence, and avoiding "procrasticlearing."
Laurie Santos is the Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at Yale University. In addition to her work on the evolutionary origins of human cognition, Laurie is an expert on the science of happiness and the ways in which our minds lie to us about what makes us happy. Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted 150+ million downloads since its launch.
Gretchen Rubin is one of today's most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She's the author of many bestselling books, such as The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, The Four Tendencies, and Life in Five Senses which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Secrets of Adulthood. She's also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin.

In this episode we talk about:
Why your intuitions often make stuckness worse, not better
The difference between mindless drift and mindful, deliberate delay
How to treat resistance as useful data instead of laziness
Kristin Neff's three-part framework for practicing real self-compassion
Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies and how they shape what gets you unstuck
Why clearing physical space creates a felt sense of agency
The "liking gap" and why reaching out matters more than you think
How to satisfice instead of optimize when a decision feels stuck
Related Episodes:
Past appearances of Gretchen and Laurie

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Additional Resources: 
This episode is sponsored by:
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Plus: the benefits of a "reverse bucket list"; clear formulas for happiness, enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose; and how to engage in the world's problems without being miserable.
Professor and writer Arthur Brooks on his recent book (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey): Build The Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Arthur has seen the themes of this book play out in his own life. He started his career as a classical French horn player, then got his PhD in public policy analysis, and went on to run a think tank called the American Enterprise Institute. He is currently a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. He also does work with The Atlantic, where he writes a column and hosts a podcast called How to Build a Happy Life. Arthur was formerly on Ten Percent Happier to discuss his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. 
In this episode we talk about:
Myth busting about happiness
The three macronutrients of happiness
The perils of pursuing pleasure
How to be effectively and wisely ambitious
How to ascertain if you have meaning in your life
How to manage your emotions
The difference between healthy and unhealthy envy 
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This episode is sponsored by:
BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/HAPPIER.
Fitnexa: You can learn more about Fitnexa SomniPods 3 at go.fitnexa.com/n6PD9i, and use code HAPPIER10 for $10 off your order.
Master Class: Get 15% off any annual membership at masterclass.com/happier.
Northwest Registered Agent: Visit northwestregisteredagent.com/happierfree and start using free resources to build something amazing.
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A podcast pioneer on failure, resilience, luck, work/life balance, and the power of questions.
Guy Raz has been instrumental in creating some of the most iconic podcasts in the world, including Wondery's How I Built This, Wow in the World and TED Radio Hour. The New York Times has described him as "one of the most popular podcasters in history." 
We talk about:
The challenge – and gift – of failure
Getting comfortable with discomfort and risk
The notion of luck 
The balance between your relationships and your work 
Why scale isn't always the answer 
Success vs. happiness 
And much more
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
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris