Ten Percent Happier
April 24, 2023

#588. Gretchen Rubin on: How To Use Your Five Senses To Reduce Anxiety, Increase Creativity, and Improve Your Relationships

Today’s guest is a happiness expert and devout non-meditator. In her latest book Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, she describes how a routine visit to her eye doctor made her realize she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses. 

Gretchen Rubin is the author of many books, including the New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, and have been translated in more than thirty languages. She also hosts the top-ranking, award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin

In this episode we talk about:

  • What led Gretchen to explore the five senses
  • How we often take our senses for granted
  • How our senses work with the brain to impact our perception 
  • The relationship between the senses and nostalgia 
  • The surprising power of ketchup and vanilla when it comes to the sense of taste
  • The sense of hearing and what she calls her “Audio Apothecary” 
  • How to be a better listener
  • The interplay between the senses of taste and smell
  • The sense of touch and the use of comfort objects   
  • Why she decided to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art everyday to explore the five senses
  • And how she uses the five senses to boost creativity  

Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast-episode/gretchen-rubin-588 

Where to find Gretchen Rubin online: 

Website: gretchenrubin.com

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