How To Communicate Effectively With Other Human Beings

Sharing an episode featuring Dan from a podcast we love, Think Fast, Talk Smart. Whether presenting to millions on live television or talking to just one person, Dan Harris knows that the quality of every interaction depends on the presence you bring to it. Harris is a former national news anchor for ABC News and is now the host of the 10% Happier podcast and author of 10% Happier and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. As he knows from experience, there’s power in “Waking up to something fundamental, that the mind is out of control, and you don't want to be owned by it.” How do we break the pattern of being controlled by our thoughts? Mindfulness and self-awareness, he says, put “distance” between us and our “thoughts and urges and emotions,” enabling us to connect with ourselves and others with greater consciousness and clarity. In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Harris and host Matt Abrahams discuss how mindfulness can transform our communication, sharing strategies for deeper listening, responding versus reacting, and reflecting what others say back to them. “Relationships are the most important aspect of your happiness,” Harris says. “The quality of those connections goes up when you’re less stuck in your own head.” Episode References: Dan Harris: https://www.fastersmarter.io/guests/dan-harris/ Dan’s Books: http://fastersmarter.io/10-percent-happier https://fastersmarter.io/meditation-for-fidgety-skeptics https://www.fastersmarter.io/179-communication-happiness-wellbeing-finding-positive-in-negative-emotions/ https://www.fastersmarter.io/180-unlocking-your-future-self-communication-happiness-wellbeing/ https://www.fastersmarter.io/181-why-happiness-is-a-direction-not-a-destination-communication-happiness-wellbeing/ https://www.fastersmarter.io/182-stop-chasing-time-and-start-owning-it-communication-happiness-wellbeing/   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here! Tickets are now available for an intimate live event with Dan on November 23rd as part of the Troutbeck Luminary Series. Join the conversation, participate in a guided meditation, and ask your questions during the Q&A. Click here to buy your ticket! Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

If the idea of “sending love to all beings” makes you roll your eyes, this episode is for you. Dan leads a guided meditation, suitable for all levels of experience. Originally recorded during one of our live sangha gatherings on Substack, which are open to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com.  Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here! Tickets are now available for an intimate live event with Dan on November 23rd as part of the Troutbeck Luminary Series. Join the conversation, participate in a guided meditation, and ask your questions during the Q&A. Click here to buy your ticket! Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to today’s sponsor:  BetterHelp: If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/Happier.   

A performance coach and bestselling author shares practical tools for thriving in crisis, shaving down the ego, and designing the life you want.   #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Murphy is a Performance Coach to some of the best athletes and leaders in the world. In addition to coaching professional athletes and executives, Murphy is the president of the Inner Excellence Freedom Project whose mission is to build communities to alleviate spiritual and physical poverty around the world.   In this episode we talk about: A counterintuitive secret to performing under pressure How to “relanguage” the story you tell about yourself A crucial life question that everyone should be asking themselves Practical tools for “inner excellence” Jim’s Four Daily Goals Cultivating non-attachment to results  How to be less afraid of fear The “expect nothing” rule  And the role of faith in his life   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel   Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!   To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris   Thanks to our sponsors:  AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details. Function: Our first 1000 listeners get a $100 credit toward their membership. Visit www.functionhealth.com/Happier or use the gift code Happier100 at signup to own your health. Fabletics:  Treat yourself to gear that looks good, feels good, and doesn't break the bank. Go to fabletics.com/Happier, sign up as a VIP and get 80% off everything.

An acclaimed science writer on how to upgrade your mind by using more than your head. Annie Murphy Paul is a science writer and TED speaker. Her latest book is The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain. In this episode we talk about: Why upgrading your mind involves more than just using your head. How our bodies, surroundings, and relationships all have the power to enhance our thinking. Practical strategies for “thinking with the body,” including interoception, the role of intuition, movement breaks, and even fidgeting. The importance of gesture and movement—why sitting perfectly still actually makes thinking harder for many of us. Tips for “thinking with your surroundings”—from stepping outdoors to using evocative objects and whiteboards to organize your ideas. The social side of thinking: how to learn from experts, think with peers, and harness the intelligence of groups. The challenges—and potential—of group collaboration, avoiding the pitfalls of groupthink, and fostering what psychologists call “groupiness.” The concept of “extension inequality”: why access to the resources that enhance thinking—like nature, movement, and mentorship—is not distributed equally, and why that matters. And finally, why returning to the way kids learn—using hands, bodies, play, and connection—might actually be good for all of us.   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!   To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris.  

A longtime cancer survivor — and our Teacher of the Month — has some suggestions for working with pain.   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!    To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris   Thanks to our sponsor: Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host.  

Nobody makes it out of childhood unscathed. Here's a guide to letting go of the past.   Allison Sweet Grant, graduate with dual master’s degrees from the University of Michigan, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, turned author. She has been published in The New York Times and The Atlantic. She is the author of two children’s picture books, The Gift Inside the Box and Leif and the Fall, co-authored with her husband Adam Grant. I Am the Cage is her debut novel. In this episode we talk about: The impact of your childhood trauma on your adult relationships The concept of the “junk drawer” (a metaphor for all the pain, self-doubt, and anxiety you might try to compartmentalize) Writing as a tool for self-acceptance and self-compassion  How to re-write your own story and where to start  Practical meditation tools to quiet the mind  The role of cathartic visualization  Dealing with imposter syndrome  And more Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here! To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris.   Thanks to our sponsors:  Bumble: Thinking about dating again? Take this as your sign and start your love story on Bumble. Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host.  

A Buddhist recipe for speaking, working, and living in a way that will make you happy. JoAnna Hardy has practiced in multiple traditions since 1999. She is currently a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a visiting teacher at Black Being LA, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and about to embark on a new mystery journey!  In this episode we talk about: Sila, the Buddhist code of ethics Concepts such as right livelihood and right speech  Why we lie The power of Buddhist tattoos  Hiri and Otappa (AKA healthy shame and healthy embarrassment) Related Episodes: How to Speak Clearly, Calmly, and Without Alienating People | Dan Clurman and Mudita Nisker Oren Jay Sofer, Practicing Mindful Communication The Buddha’s 8-Part Manual for a Good Life | Brother Pháp Dung The Surprising Power of “Healthy Embarrassment” | Koshin Paley Ellison The Selfish Case for Being Ethical | Eugene Cash   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!   Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!  To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to our sponsors: Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host. AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details. Function: Our first 1000 listeners get a $100 credit toward their membership. Visit www.functionhealth.com/Happier or use the gift code Happier100 at signup to own your health.

How to do “shadow work,” interpret your dreams, and find your “self.” Satya Doyle Byock is a psychotherapist and educator focused on the relationship with the unconscious. She is the director of The Salome Institute of Jungian Studies and the author of the book Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood. She writes weekly and hosts regular workshops on her Substack, Self & Society.  In this episode we talk about: The vast impact of Carl Jung’s work What separates Freud and Jung The connection between Jung’s ideas and Buddhism Practical exercises to help us resolve the tension between safety and meaning – between stability and taking a walk on the wild side Dreamwork: what it is, why we should do it, and the “how to” The perks of making the unconscious feel seen  Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Additional Resources:  Satya’s Substack, Self & Society.  Satya’s new year-round program in Jungian Psychology and Myth (registration opens December 1; class begins February 2026) Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here! Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!  To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris  

Listening to your body… easier said than done? Sebene Selassie is here to help.  All this month, we’re sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Sebene Selassie exclusively available at DanHarris.com. Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – so today, we’re giving you a sample of what you can expect for the rest of the month. Related Episodes:  Sebene Selassie On: Resiliency, Rewriting Your Patterns and Finding a Teacher Who Speaks to You   Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025. Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to our sponsors:  Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host.  BetterHelp: If you're ready to find the right therapist for you, BetterHelp can help you start that journey. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at betterhelp.com/Happier. 

Every year, Joseph Goldstein does a three month silent meditation retreat by himself at his home in Massachusetts. In this conversation you're about to hear, Joseph had just emerged from one such retreat with a bunch of thoughts on what are called the three proliferating tendencies or three papañca to use the ancient Pali term.  These are three ways in which we perpetuate an unhealthy sense of self. Joseph has explained that you can think about the process of going deeper in meditation as a process of lightening up or getting less self-centered. You're about to get a masterclass in doing just that.  For the uninitiated, Joseph is one of the co-founders of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. His co-founders are two other meditation titans, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has been a teacher at IMS since it was founded in the seventies and he continues to be the resident guiding teacher there.  In this episode we talk about: The framework for understanding the three proliferating tendencies; the basic building blocks of our experience in the world Six things that make up what the Buddha called “the all”  What non-self means and why it's essential to the Buddhist teaching of liberation The two levels of truth: conventional and ultimate Why language is so important in conditioning how we experience things  How the three proliferating tendencies provide a very practical guide to understanding how we manufacture our own suffering   Join Dan’s online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel   Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here! Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here!  To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thank you to our sponsor: Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host.