Happiness Break: How Poetry Helps Us Feel and Heal
The Science of Happiness
PRX and Greater Good Science Center
4.5 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 31 March 2026
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens in your brain when you read or write a poem? We listen to powerful poetry from you, our listeners, and uncover the neuroscience of why it helps us feel, process, and recover.
Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.
Today’s Happiness Break Guest:
SUSAN MAGSAMEN is a Neurology professor at John Hopkins, and author of the New York Times bestseller, Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us.
Find Susan’s book here: https://www.yourbrainonart.com/
Related Happiness Break episodes:
Using Art As Medicine Series: https://tinyurl.com/k3mneupx
Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv
How To Awaken Your Creative Energy: https://tinyurl.com/4fknd8ev
Related Science of Happiness episodes:
How Art Heals Us: https://tinyurl.com/yc77fkzu
Our Brains on Poetry: https://tinyurl.com/y9r9dyzd
Are You Following Your Inner Compass: https://tinyurl.com/y2bh8vvj
Follow us on Instagram: @ScienceOfHappinessPod
We’d love to hear about your experience with this practice! Share your thoughts at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap
Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/43p9jtny
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | We all have bad days and sometimes bad weeks and maybe even bad years. But the good news is we don't |
| 0:06.4 | have to figure out life all alone. I'm comedian Chris Duffy, host of Ted's How to Be a Better Human |
| 0:11.4 | podcast. And our show is about the little ways that you can improve your life, actual practical |
| 0:16.3 | tips that you can put into place that will make your day to day better. Whether it is setting |
| 0:20.7 | boundaries at work or rethinking how you clean your house, |
| 0:24.0 | each episode has conversations with experts who share tips on how to navigate life's ups and downs. |
| 0:30.0 | Find how to be a better human wherever you're listening to this. |
| 0:36.3 | Welcome to the Science of Happiness. |
| 0:38.3 | I'm Dacker Keltner. |
| 0:39.3 | April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, we have a special episode for you. |
| 0:45.3 | When we did a series on Art as Medicine, we spoke with award-winning poet, |
| 0:49.3 | Yursa Daily Ward, and put out a call to you to write and share your poetry with us. |
| 0:56.0 | And we receive poems from all over the world. |
| 0:59.0 | The other day I wrote this poem for a little bird. I'd like to share it with you. |
| 1:03.0 | This morning, before I see you, I hear your drumming. |
| 1:07.0 | Sporadic staccato, deep and hollow, such a big echoing sound from such a small feathered one, just pecking wood. |
| 1:15.6 | Today we're going to hear and reflect on some of the poetry. |
| 1:19.6 | We'll also dive deeper into what makes poetry a unique form of medicine for our minds with Dr. Susan Magsaman. |
| 1:33.7 | Poetry reduces anxiety and depression. It's significantly lower symptoms of mental health. |
| 1:38.4 | It boosts emotional expression and processing. And so, you know, we don't just want to survive. |
| 1:40.0 | We want to thrive, right? |
| 1:55.3 | More after the break. Welcome back to the |
... |
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