Happiness Isn’t Luck, It’s Science. Here’s How to Use It.
Rich Roll
Jun 30, 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Invest in time to boost happiness
To increase happiness, use discretionary income to buy back your time, as being 'time famished' is as detrimental to well-being as being unemployed.
Transform any job into a calling by leveraging your strengths
You can turn any job into a calling by identifying your 'signature strengths,' like humor or creativity, and finding novel ways to infuse them into your daily work.
Use distant self-talk to combat negative thoughts
To stop negative self-talk, use 'distant self-talk' by addressing yourself in the second or third person to shift into a more objective, problem-solving mindset.
Practice negative visualization to enhance gratitude
The stoic practice of 'negative visualization,' briefly imagining losing the good things in your life, can instantly increase your gratitude for them once you return to reality.
Appreciate bronze for happiness over silver
Silver medalists are often unhappier than bronze medalists because they compare themselves upward to gold, while bronze medalists compare downward and are happy just to be on the podium.
Use mental practice to build habits and reduce cravings
Mentally practicing an action, like eating M&Ms, can trick your brain into feeling like it has already happened, which can be used to build habits or reduce cravings.
Visualize obstacles to enhance goal achievement
Fantasizing about achieving a goal can reduce motivation, whereas visualizing the obstacles and planning how to overcome them makes you more likely to succeed.
Build supportive habits and structures for effective behavior change
The 'GI Joe Fallacy' highlights that simply knowing what to do for your health or happiness is insufficient for behavior change without supportive habits and social structures.
Implement WWW check to improve phone usage habits
To build a healthier relationship with your phone, use the 'WWW' check: What for?, Why now?, and What else could I be doing?.
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