Happiness: March 2020 listening list

This listening list is dedicated to Andi Paradise, who helped launch our chapter in Santa Cruz, California. We were heartbroken to learn that Andi was given a terminal cancer diagnosis and was given 6-24 months to live. In honor of her, we chose to focus on what’s important in life. We will also interview her on the Podcast Brunch Club podcast, so keep an eye out for that.

Happiness. It’s what we all strive for, yet it is so elusive. There are a lot of preconceived notions and competing viewpoints about the topic. Part of the problem is that happiness is subjective and difficult to define and measure. This listening list takes a look at happiness from what we can do as individuals to what governments can do, with a critical look at the industry that has popped up around the concept of happiness.

(This playlist was curated by PBC Founder, Adela Mizrachi, who also leads the Chicago chapter)

Podcast Listening List on HAPPINESS

Get the listening list on your podcast player of choice using these platforms:

Podcast: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Episode: Mistakenly Seeking Solitude (October 2019, 38 min)
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Other apps (via Podchaser or Podyssey)
With the proliferation of technology, we’ve become lonely. How can talking to strangers help?
Podcast: The Science of Happiness
Episode: Making Kindness Contagious (August 2019, 15 min)
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Other apps (via Podchaser or Podyssey)
Every episode features a Happiness Guinea Pig who chooses one thing that has been proven to increase happiness. This one chose to do five random acts of kindness.
Podcast: Life Kit: Health
Episode: Making Art Is Good For Your Health. Here’s How To Start A Habit (January 2020, 21 min)
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Other apps (via Podchaser or Podyssey)
Creating things can bolster happiness. Find out small ways to add art into your life.
Podcast: Upstream
Episode: Tho Ha Vinh: Gross National Happiness (In Conversation) (February 2016, 58 min)
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Other apps (via Podchaser or Podyssey)
Money doesn’t buy happiness. We all know this. So, why is Gross Domestic Product (GDP) the primary indicator our governments use to measure prosperity. What about Gross National Happiness? Bhutan, a small country in South Asia, started measuring happiness in 2008.
Podcast: Thinking Allowed
Episode: The ‘Happiness Industry’ – The ‘Wellness Syndrome’ (January 2020, 27 min)
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Other apps (via Podchaser or Podyssey)
Taking a critical look at the industries that have cropped up around wellness and happiness.

PBC Podcast Episodes on Happiness Listening List

• • Happiness Listening List Roundup
    Sara and Adela discuss the Happiness listening list, which offers perspectives on what we can do as individuals to achieve happiness, what governments can do, and how happiness has become an industry.
  • Meet Andi Paradise, chapter leader of PBC-Santa Cruz
    In this episode, we’re joined by Andi Paradise, the former leader of our chapter in Santa Cruz, California. Back in January, we learned that Andi was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given 6-24 months to live. To honor Andi and her contribution to PBC, we dedicated our March 2020 listening list on Happiness to her. In this episode, we talk to Andi about her life, her legacy, and her thoughts about happiness.

Conversation Starter Questions

1. What was your favorite/least favorite episode on this listening list? Why?
2. Let’s get vulnerable: Do you consider yourself happy? Why/why not?
3. Do you find yourself talking to strangers often? If so, is it something you make an effort to do or does it come naturally? If not, why not?
4. Have you ever committed or been the receiver of a random act of kindness? If so, tell us about it already!
5. Check out the “World Happiness Report 2019”. Figure 2.7 (page 28 of the pdf version) ranks countries by happiness. Where does your country rank? Does this surprise you? What other things of interest did you find in the report?
6. As a society, have we become too focused on happiness as an end goal?
7. How much of happiness do you think is internal versus external? How much control do we have over our own happiness?
8. Before listening to this listening list, had you ever heard of Gross National Happiness? What are your thoughts about using it as a measure for society?
9. Do you make art? If so, how much do you think the process contributes to your happiness?

Happiness Music Playlist from DJ RuggedAngel