Hello and welcome to Happier, a podcast where we discuss cutting-edge science, lessons

from pop culture, and our own experiences in how to be happier.

This week we'll talk about how to make up your mind, why it's helpful to identify your

tell and will reveal the answer to the burning question, am I going to get a dog?

I'm Gretchen Ruben, a writer whose studies happiness, good habits, and human nature. I'm

a New York City and with me is my sister, Elizabeth Kraft, who has a cat, not a dog.

That's me, Elizabeth Kraft, a TV writer and producer, living in LA, and Brett, I am dying

to hear the resolution to the great dog debate. But before we get into that, we wanted to

give listeners an update. We talked about my blankie, Gretchen, on the podcast. I still sleep

with my blankie from childhood, and we asked people to tell us what their blankie objects

were, and we got a ton of response. And photos. And wonderful photos. A lot of people

also had blankies, which was interesting. One mom talked about writing an ode to blankie

to her son's blankie, which I thought was sweet. And a couple of people still also sleep

with their blankies. I am not alone. And teddy bears, pillows, someone has their spinning

ballerina jewelry box, and somebody has a Barbie doll. Somebody else said their books

were their precious object from childhood. Well, I totally feel that way. I love my books

from childhood. And in fact, this exercise reminds me of two children's books that I love

that are very apt. One is Rebecca Codill's The Best Love Doll, such a sweet book, and

dear rights uncanny books like Make Me Real and the Lonely Doll about very special blankie

type objects. Thanks to everyone for sending those in. And also to the person who said,

you don't have anything special from childhood, because you were the oldest in your younger

siblings destroyed everything. Sorry for that. Yeah, very sad.

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