This week, the paperback edition of my latest book, Life in Five Senses hit shelves.
Tomorrow, we’re releasing an excerpt from the audio book as a bonus podcast episode. The selection I chose was one of my favorite sections to write—and to experience. About taste!
On Wednesday, I went to Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side of Manhattan to discuss Life in Five Senses, meet readers, and sign books. I had a great time talking with speaker and author Lee Woodruff about visiting the Met, people’s different preferences for soundscapes while working, how to step away from screens—and, of course, the magic of ketchup. (I also got a question about the Four Tendencies personality framework, another subject I love.)
5 Things Making Me Happy
Good news: Dementia seems to be trending lower nationwide. Because more people are living longer, more people are developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease—but in the U.S. and elsewhere, the risk may actually be decreasing, at least for some people.
I simply can’t describe the breathtaking beauty in Central Park these days. The branches of this tree are loaded with blossoms, and with every breeze, a few petals swirl into the air. How I love New York City!
Even before I wrote Life in Five Senses, I was particularly enthusiastic about the sense of smell—and the more I’ve learned about smell, the more interested I’ve become, and the more mysterious it seems. I was fascinated to read about how AI is being used to try to discover the “geometry” of smell.
A few weeks ago, I watched the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix. “On a January night in 1985, music’s biggest stars gathered to record ‘We Are the World.’ This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.” If you loved the brilliant The Beatles: Get Back documentary, you’ll love this one. I am fascinated by process.
I love a gold star—I always want to see that mark of approval on my homework. And I know other people love getting gold stars, too. Nevertheless, I was astonished by the effectiveness of a gold-star system for a 2020 recycling scheme in the city of Christchurch in New Zealand. When successful recyclers got a large gold-star sticker on their curbside wheelie bins (and bins removed of repeated failed recyclers), recycling cooperation soared.
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This week on Happier with Gretchen Rubin
PODCAST EPISODE: 480
In this Very Special Episode, we share hilarious and insightful “proverbs of the professions”—the collective wisdom of people in particular roles or professions about how to manage the dilemmas of life. We include proverbs that come from parents, poker players, doctors, ski instructors, and many more.
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