The melatonin factor

In this second class in our course on finding joy, host Cristina Quinn explores practical exercises to help you embrace joy in everyday life. Steven Petrow, author of “The Joy You Make” and a contributing columnist for The Post, shares how things like wandering without a destination and rediscovering play can open the door to more joy, even during life’s toughest moments.Steven helps you learn how to cultivate joy through presence and curiosity, the transformative power of “getting lost” to create unexpected moments of connection, and how to embrace play — without the pressure to win.For more of Steven’s work on joy, read about how he found joy during the most difficult times in his life and how he learned to build play into his life. Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

Happiness, it turns out, comes down to a science — even though what makes each of us happy can vary pretty widely. Host Cristina Quinn talks to happiness scientist Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director at UC-Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, about exactly what makes us happy and how much of our sense of joy is within our control. Drawing from the science of happiness, Emiliana explains that happiness isn’t about chasing fleeting positive emotions, but rather it’s about fostering an overarching sense of contentment, belonging and resilience. She also lays out how much of happiness is influenced by genetics, external circumstances and the choices we make.This course reminds us that happiness isn’t out of reach — it’s something we can cultivate every day. Emiliana and her colleagues at the Greater Good Science Center have been collecting data on happiness through the Big Joy Project, a seven-day online study where participants are assigned a micro-act of joy every day. Learn more about the project here. For some extra happiness tips, read about trying new things for joy and embracing “joy snacks.”Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

The electoral college has served as the system to elect U.S. presidents since the earliest days of the country. And while it has evolved over the years, Americans still use this complex representative system to choose their country’s leaders. The system, however, is not without its flaws — and many have pushed for alternatives over the years. In the third class about how the electoral college works, host Cristina Quinn talks with historian Alex Keyssar about potential alternatives to the way the United States elects presidents. The class explores the merits and flaws of the current system, and lays out the challenges to putting a different one in place.  Here are resources to help you learn more about attempts to overhaul the electoral college:National Popular Vote plan challenges undemocratic electoral collegeOne almost-successful attempt to reform the electoral collegeAnd don’t forget to vote! You can check the status of your 2024 voter registration here. Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

In the second class in our series about how the electoral college works, host Cristina Quinn talks to historian Alex Keyssar of the Harvard Kennedy School about the compromises that drove the Founding Fathers to land on a complex, winner-takes-all system rather than a straightforward popular vote. Keyssar walks listeners through the evolution of our voting system in the years following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and how things like electoral vote ties, the introduction of political parties and the end of slavery eventually led to the version of the voting system we have today. Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

Remembering all the complex details of how the electoral college works is not exactly easy. And just when you’ve mastered how it all adds up, you probably won’t need to think about it again for another four years — hardly a formula for cementing something in your brain. “Try This”  host Cristina Quinn is here to help. The first class in our three-part series on the electoral college explains how the system works, the complicated way electoral votes are assigned and awarded, and what happens between Election Day and Inauguration Day. Washington Post politics reporters Aaron Blake and Amy Gardner join Cristina to make the whole thing so accessible that your high school civics teacher would be proud. Here are some resources if you’d like to dive deeper into the electoral college:An explainer on how the electoral college votesHow the electoral college works, in visuals How fair is the electoral college?Mapping paths to victory in 2024 Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

The team behind “Try This” is dedicated to helping listeners learn new things, in ways that feel doable. So we're sharing a recent “Post Reports” episode about how polling works. On this episode of The Washington Post’s daily news podcast, “Post Reports,” Martine Powers speaks with The Post’s deputy polling director, Emily Guskin. Emily explains how a poll comes to be, details what to look for when trying to understand whether a poll is trustworthy, and breaks down once and for all what “margin of error” really means.As the U.S. presidential election gets closer, “Try This” will release a new audio course dedicated to bettering ourselves through civic engagement. Stick to this feed to find that course soon. Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Humans have a tendency to interpret information and experiences in ways that support our existing beliefs. Host Cristina Quinn returns to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo-Ryan to understand how you can change long-held beliefs by using confirmation bias in your favor. Datillo-Ryan explains how to identify a belief about the type of person you want to be and then figure out steps you can take to support that goal. For more on how to make affirmations work for you, read this from The Post’s Allyson Chiu.Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

Affirmations help buffer stress and can make you emotionally and mentally stronger. Host Cristina Quinn talks to clinical psychologist Natalie Dattilo-Ryan about what kinds of affirmations are most effective. She lays out an exercise to help get you started with identifying the right kinds of statements to shore up your sense of self. Next, Cristina dives into research on affirmations and stress levels with Carnegie Mellon University psychology and neuroscience professor David Creswell. Creswell’s work reveals how affirmations can activate the brain's reward system. For more on how to make affirmations work for you, read this from The Post’s Allyson Chiu.Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

In the last class in our course on how to enjoy cooking more, we bring you everything and the kitchen sink. From reliable shortcuts and suggestions for the most essential pantry staples, this class has all the scraps and tasty morsels that could have been left on the cutting-room floor but are too good to miss. For more on the relationship between food, cooking and mental health, read Mary Beth Albright’s book “Eat and Flourish.” Find more than 10,000 recipes – sortable by cuisine, course and time it takes to cook – in The Washington Post’s recipe finder. Try one of Cristina’s favorite recipes, Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Bake With Gruyere.Subscribe to The Washington Post and connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.

In the third class in our course on how to enjoy cooking more, we focus on reframing the way we think about the task. Food writer and finalist on “Food Network Star,” Mary Beth Albright, offers advice on how to understand cooking as less of an item on your to-do list and more of an act for you that can nourish your well-being in ways that are worth recognizing. Mary Beth lays out ways that the process of cooking has benefits for our mental and emotional health through meditative tasks, appreciating rituals, and having a little fun by naming the things you cook.For more on the relationship between food, cooking and mental health, read Mary Beth’s book, “Eat and Flourish.” Find more than 10,000 recipes – sortable by cuisine, course and time it takes to cook – in The Washington Post’s recipe finder. Try one of Cristina’s favorite recipes, Smothered Chicken.Subscribe to The Washington Post and connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts..