Welcome to a Little Happier.

I'm Gretchen Rubin.

Today's many episodes is brought to you by Squarespace.

Building a website has never been easier.

Go to squarespace.com and enter offer code happier at checkout

to get 10% off your first purchase.

Now a phrase that you sometimes come across

when you're reading the newspaper, magazine,

or book or whatever is the Procrustian bid.

What is the Procrustian bid?

Well, there's a story in Greek mythology about Procrusties,

who was a bandit who had an iron bed,

and he forced travelers to fit into his bed,

either by stretching them out, if they were too short,

or by cutting off their limbs if they were too long.

So when people talk about a Procrustian bid,

it's when people are forced to conform

to an arbitrary standard.

Now you might think, when does this ever come up?

But when I found it, it really comes up all the time,

the idea of the Procrustian bid,

when I'm thinking about habits and happiness,

...