The Science of Spooky Happiness With Michelle Palmer Jones and Paula Felps

Live Happy Now

Live Happy LLC

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Health & Fitness:mental Health

4.7 • 522 Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Halloween might be all about ghosts, costumes, and candy—but science says it’s also a powerful happiness booster. In this episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps and social media manager Michelle Palmer Jones explore the surprising research behind why the spooky season lifts our spirits. From the nostalgia of childhood traditions to the thrill of a safe scare, Halloween taps into the emotions that help us feel more playful, connected, and calm — just when we need it most. In this episode you’ll learn: How nostalgia and play during Halloween boost joy and reduce stress. Why even a small piece of candy can trigger big feelings of happiness. How safe scares — like haunted houses — can actually make us less anxious afterward.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for joining us for episode 542 of Live Happy Now.
0:09.1	Spooky season is officially upon us, and that means it's time to scare up a little Halloween happiness.
0:15.6	I'm your host, Paula Phelps, and this week I'm joined by Live Happy's social media manager, Michelle Palmer Jones,
0:21.7	who spearheaded this year's Halloween Happy Acts campaign.
0:25.6	Michelle's here to talk with me about some of the fun research we discovered about why Halloween is so good for us,
0:31.2	and she'll also tell us about this year's Halloween Happy Acts campaign and how you can be a part of it.
0:36.9	Let's have a listen.
0:38.6	Michelle, thank you for coming on. Live Happy Now. Oh, yeah, happy to be here, Paula.
0:43.5	I'm excited. People haven't met you. I've known you for quite some time. We're now working together.
0:49.6	Looking forward to seeing your face and hearing your voice on this podcast more, but this seemed like
0:55.1	the perfect time to bring you on the air for the first time because it's Halloween. And, you know,
1:00.4	it's like we're 10 days away from my favorite holiday. I know there's a lot of people out there who
1:04.0	love it as much or maybe even more than I do. And I know you're a fan too. So I wanted to start
1:10.0	by asking you how you usually celebrate Halloween.
1:13.6	Ooh, okay.
1:14.5	Well, I think that that has definitely changed over the years.
1:17.9	As a kid, you know, you just put on your favorite dance recital costume from that year.
1:23.3	That's what I did.
1:24.6	And then you just grab a pillowcase because we all know that the
1:27.6	pillowcase just holds the most candy. And then you hit the town, you know,
1:32.4	that was it. High school, a little different. I remember throwing a Halloween party.
1:37.1	My parents actually love to tell this story and here I am sharing it. I told them I wanted to
	...

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