Happiness Break: 36 Questions to Feel Connected, with Dacher Keltner
Having close bonds with others is one of the most important things to our happiness. Host Dacher Keltner walks you through a practice you can do with someone else to create new bonds or strengthen old ones. Plus, hear some of his answers to these questions alongside his wife, Molly.
\n\nLink to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5fchedsa
\n\nHow to Do the 36 Questions for Increasing Closeness Practice:
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Take a few deep breaths, and notice how you feel.
\nIdentify someone with whom you\u2019d like to become closer. Find a time where you both have about\xa0 45 minutes
\nTake 15 minutes answering the questions in Set I below. Each person should answer each question, but alternate who answers first. If you don\u2019t finish the set in 15 minutes, move on to Set II.
\nRepeat the steps above for sets II and III.
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Here\u2019s a sample of the questions:
\n\nSet I
\n\n1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
\n\n2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
\n\n3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
\n\n4. What would constitute a \u201cperfect\u201d day for you?
\n\n8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.
\n\nSet II
\n\n14. Is there something that you\u2019ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven\u2019t you done it?
\n\n15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
\n\n16. What do you value most in a friendship?
\n\n17. What is your most treasured memory?
\n\n18. What is your most terrible memory?
\n\n19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
\n\n20. What does friendship mean to you?
\n\nSet III
\n\n25. Make three true \u201cwe\u201d statements each. For instance, \u201cWe are both in this room feeling\u2026\u201d
\n\n26. Complete this sentence: \u201cI wish I had someone with whom I could share\u2026\u201d
\n\n28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you\u2019ve just met.
\n\n29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.
\n\n30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?
\n\n32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
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\nFind the full 36 Questions for Increasing Closeness practice at our Greater Good in Action website: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/36_questions_for_increasing_closeness
More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:
\n\nCan You Cultivate a More Secure Attachment Style? https://tinyurl.com/2p8ue7n6
\n\nMoments of Love and Connection May Help You Live Longer: https://tinyurl.com/3nyfbwwh
\n\nListen to our Science of Happiness episode about this practice: https://pod.link/1340505607/episode/f2ca309e37d261b86223bb52eab3ab08
\n\nToday\u2019s host:
\n\nDacher Keltner is the host of The Science of Happiness podcast and a co-instructor of GGSC\u2019s course by the same name. He\u2019s also the founding director of The Greater Good Science Center and a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley.
\n\nTell us about your experience asking these 36 questions by emailing us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or using the hashtag #happinesspod.
\n\nFind us on Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/28hcdfsd
\n\nHelp us share Happiness Break!
\n\nLeave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: pod.link/1340505607
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We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout \u2014 we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more \u2014 what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.