Podcast Summary: Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Episode: More Happier: Do You Need Help Taking a Good Photo? Or Making a Tough Decision?
Date: December 27, 2025
Hosts: Gretchen Rubin & Elizabeth Craft

Episode Overview

In this lively "More Happier" episode, Gretchen Rubin and her sister/co-host Elizabeth Craft dive into small joys and practical wisdom that enrich day-to-day happiness. They share personal stories, laugh about viral photo hacks, and continue their ongoing conversation about how to make tough decisions. The tone is warm, candid, and gently humorous, with an emphasis on small changes and self-knowledge as drivers of happiness.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What’s Making Us Happier This Week?

Gift Lists – A Source of Happiness for Elizabeth

• Elizabeth shares her unexpected joy in both reading and making gift lists, appreciating the creativity and personalization these offer.
  • "I love perusing a gift list whether I have any intention of, you know, buying something or not." (02:57)
• She prefers curated lists from individuals over brands, as it offers a window into things she wouldn’t discover otherwise.
• Screenshotting gifts to remember them, even if she almost never buys impulsively.
• Gretchen links this to the idea of “healthy treats” being different for everyone—what's a cheerful browsing session for one may spark impulsive spending for another.
  • “Something could be a healthy treat for one person and not a healthy treat for another person.” (05:35)

Making Gift Lists – A Year-Long Practice

• Elizabeth notes how making gift lists keeps her paying attention to what she likes throughout the year, enhancing her daily experience.
  • "Making gift lists makes me happier...it makes me really pay attention to what I like, and that enhances the experience just of living.” (06:24)
• Gretchen enjoys making suggestions so much she sometimes becomes a "happiness bully," especially about products she loves, like the phone bandolier and electric hard-boiled egg cooker.

The Simple Joy of Field Trips

• Gretchen shares her happiness observing schoolchildren on field trips at the Metropolitan Museum, reminiscing on how those excursions felt transformative and fun as a kid.
  • "The idea that you have a field trip, it’s so great. You’re out of the usual routine of school. You’re going someplace interesting or at least different." (09:05)
• Elizabeth echoes this joy, even feeling excitement for her own son’s school trips.
• Brief reflection on the responsibility of being a field trip chaperone – both agree it’s a stressful, high-alert job.
• Gold star to parents who do overnight chaperoning:
  • “That is truly next level parenting.” (12:07)

Happiness Project Course (Short Mention)

• Gretchen plugs her new course for 2026: a guided, self-paced year-long “happiness project” that covers different monthly themes with habits, worksheets, and reflection prompts. (12:33)

2. Photo Hack: The “Prancing” TikTok Trend

Segment Start: 17:41

• Gretchen brings up a hilarious photo Elizabeth sent, asking for backstory on the technique.
• Elizabeth explains the viral TikTok “prancing” technique for taking fun, natural group photos.
  • "The idea is to get a good photo...where you look like you’re having fun and smiling and natural...you should get in a row, potentially link arms, and move toward the camera, prancing and laughing." (18:16)
• Her group's attempt was a comic failure; the photos “did not look natural” but were “hilarious.”
• Discussion pivots to how the idea of “prancing” itself is joyous and might work as an icebreaker or party game.
• Gretchen suggests “prancing” as an absurd way to break tension during an argument:
  • “If you’re in the middle of a big fight, just like, say, okay, we’re gonna take a prancing break and prance for 10 seconds. Would Jamie do this? No, he would not. But... I think it would change the mood for sure.” (21:40)
• Elizabeth invites listener tips for successfully executing the prancing photo, acknowledging their technique might need work.
• Fun aside: Gretchen delights in the word “prancing” and links it to the quirky internet term “glazing.” (21:10, 21:36)

3. Spotlight on a Tool

Moment of Happiness Page-A-Day Calendar

• Gretchen highlights her refreshed 2026 “Moment of Happiness” calendar, featuring daily quotes about happiness and human nature.
  • “I love putting this together...it’s a page a day with quotations from writers, artists, thinkers.” (22:39)
• Elizabeth reminisces about giving their dad a Gary Larson “Far Side” page-a-day calendar each year: “He loved ripping off every day and having a new cartoon.” (23:13)

4. Making Tough Decisions: A New Question to Ask

Segment Start: 27:42

Established Wisdom:

• “Choose the bigger life.”
• “Step into the future.”
• Be aware of “false choices” (where you believe you’re forced to choose between two things but could do both).

New Insight:

If You’re Concerned Enough to Ask, Pay Attention to That Concern

• Gretchen shares a personal anecdote: her dog Barnaby was whimpering, and although he had a vet appointment the next day, she deliberated whether to take him in immediately.
• The emergency vet advised:
  • “If you’re worried enough to call me, you probably might want to bring him in.” (30:00 approx.)
• Gretchen realized the question itself was a signal—since she’s not a natural worrier, her concern was a clear indicator to take action.
  • “If you’re asking, maybe you should think about the fact that you are asking, and just the question itself is the information that you need to make a decision.” (31:25)
• Barnaby did need urgent care for a burst cyst, underscoring the point.

Elizabeth’s Take:

• Reminds listeners: Don’t judge a decision solely by its result. A good process can lead to a bad outcome and vice versa.
  • “The result doesn’t mean something was a good or bad decision... You make the decision and what will happen will happen.” (32:27)
• Cites their father-in-law’s advice: “You can’t judge the quality of a decision by the outcome.” (32:44)

5. Secret of Adulthood

Segment Start: 33:07

• With some life questions, “the very inclination to consider the question suggests the answer.”
  • For example, if you’re asking “Should I take an umbrella?”, the answer is probably yes.
  • For others, like “Should I hit send on this angry email?”, the answer is probably no.
  • Gretchen’s classic warning: “You’ll never regret the email you don’t send. Don’t do it.” (34:07)

6. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Elizabeth on gift lists:
  • “Making gift lists makes me happier...it makes me really pay attention to what I like, and that enhances the experience just of living.” (06:24)
• Gretchen on happiness treats:
  • “Something could be a healthy treat for one person and not a healthy treat for another person.” (05:35)
• Gretchen on field trips:
  • "When you’re young, the idea that you have a field trip, it’s so great. You’re out of the usual routine of school. You’re going someplace interesting or at least different." (09:05)
• Gretchen on tough decisions:
  • “If you’re worried enough to call me, you probably might want to bring him in.” (Paraphrasing the vet, 30:00)
• Elizabeth on decision outcomes:
  • “The result doesn’t mean something was a good or bad decision...” (32:27)

7. Engagement with Listeners

• Elizabeth invites tips from listeners who have succeeded at the prancing photo technique. (22:11)
• Both welcome ideas for other “hard decision” questions or tools. (32:22)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Gift Lists & Healthy Treats: 02:47 – 07:33
• Field Trips & Chaperoning: 08:14 – 12:07
• Prancing Photo Hack: 17:41 – 22:32
• Moment of Happiness Calendar: 22:39 – 23:56
• Making Tough Decisions (Barnaby story): 27:42 – 32:10
• Secret of Adulthood: 33:07 – 34:07

Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is playful and affectionate, blending practical tips with stories of everyday life. Both hosts openly reference their quirks, successes, and “failures”—especially around viral trends and family traditions—creating an inviting, relatable tone. Humor—in everything from failed prancing photos to self-admitted “happiness bullying”—keeps the episode light, while the deeper reflections on decision-making provide substance.

Takeaways

• Happiness can be found in small rituals and explorations—browsing a gift list, visiting a museum, making a game out of photo-taking.
• Self-awareness helps tailor joy and avoid pitfalls (like impulse spending or false choices).
• When making hard decisions, sometimes the fact that you’re “agonizing” is itself the answer—listening to your concern or inclination can provide needed clarity.
• Don’t judge your choices solely by the outcome; focus on good decision-making processes.
• Sometimes, the best way to turn a tense moment or awkward group photo into a happy memory is to "prance"—literally or metaphorically.

Interested in more? Visit happiercast.com for resources, courses, and Gretchen's calendar, and share your own prancing photo successes—or decision-making tips—with the hosts!