meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Ep. 559: Feel Lonely? Out of Touch? Try This. Plus the Beautiful Pressure to “Use It Up”

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Lemonada Media

Education, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement

4.713.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We talk about the value of having a party (a party that’s not family- or child-centric). We share an easy hack for assembling furniture. Plus listeners give their examples of how they feel the pressure to “use up”—the beautiful offerings of the world. Resources & links related to this episode:  Here's a guide to help you generate thoughtful gift ideas Elizabeth is reading: The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: On the Beach by Nevil Shute (Amazon, Bookshop)  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Did you know that infants are ready to learn sign language?

0:03.5

Two-year-olds are ready to learn the basics of science, and three-year-olds are ready to learn coding?

0:08.9

Your child is ready to learn, and at Primrose schools, teachers make the most of this time by creating a joyful, purposeful learning experience unlike any other.

0:19.4

For instance, have you heard of the Primrose Friends? In every

0:23.8

Primrose school classroom, teachers use these 12 lovable puppets to make character development

0:30.2

joyful, meaningful, and memorable. From exploring generosity with Benjamin the Bear to practicing honesty with Peanut the Pony,

0:40.6

every friend plays a special part in helping children learn important values while having

0:46.9

plenty of fun along the way. We can all use some friends like that. You can learn more at primrose schools.com. Now enrolling infants through

0:57.7

children age five. That's primrose schools.com for more information. Elizabeth, you know that this year I am

1:06.8

hosting Thanksgiving for the second time, huge bucket list for me. And one of the things that

1:12.2

makes it easier to prepare for any kind of big gathering, whether it's Thanksgiving or

1:17.1

friendsgiving or any kind of celebration, is knowing that you can go to one place that you know

1:22.3

you're going to get high standards and good prices. And this is why I love going to Whole Foods market. I can look for the

1:29.0

365 brand and I know that I'm going to get everything that I need and want for good price

1:34.8

with the quality that I can count on. Yeah, they have everything from low price quality turkey to

1:40.6

pantry essentials. And Gretchen, I have to add frozen appetizers, which are perfect for

1:47.4

someone like me who is not a great cook. I love to get the Kish trio, their butterfly shrimp,

1:54.3

and breaded calamari. It's all so easy to prepare and so delicious. Enjoy so many ways to save on your Thanksgiving spread

2:04.7

at Whole Foods Market. Lemonada.

2:14.1

Hello and welcome to Happy, a podcast where we talk about how to be happier.

2:23.1

This week we'll talk about why it's a good idea to throw a party and how I discovered that it turns out that I am not alone in feeling a beautiful pressure to use things up.

2:39.0

I'm Gretchen Rubin, a writer who studies happiness, good habits, human nature, secrets of adulthood. I am today working from an undisclosed location.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Lemonada Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Lemonada Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.