Tune Into Happiness; Janice Kaplan

Janice Kaplan is the guest of Tune Into Happiness, today’s MIndfulness Mode episode. She is a journalist, TV producer, and the author of fifteen popular books, including the New York Times bestseller The Gratitude Diaries. Her upcoming book, What Your Body Knows About Happiness: How to Use Your Body to Change Your Mind, releasing January 7, 2025, explores the groundbreaking connection between body and mind in creating joy. A former editor-in-chief of Parade magazine, Janice has produced over thirty primetime TV specials and appeared frequently on national TV shows. With her signature humor and storytelling, she brings science to life, empowering readers to use their bodies to unlock creativity, positivity, and everyday happiness.

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Contact Info

Most Influential Person

Daniel Gilbert, Harvard Psychology Department
Daniel Kahneman, nobel prize winner and behavioral psychologist

Effect on Emotions

I have been able to deal with my emotions differently as a result of my research.
That started with The Gratitude Diaries because I realize that we can control the way we feel about things. Classically, we can't control the things that happen but we can control how we deal with them.

Thoughts on Breathing

I don't personally have a breath-work practice but I know it can help enormously.
I was with some folks the other day who had two little kids, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. The kids were running around and the parents stopped the children and ask them to breathe in 1,2,3 and breathe out 1,2,3. The kids had obviously done this before. The 4-year-old said, no Daddy, we breathe in for 4 counts.

Suggested Resources

Book: The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness by Antonio Damasio
Book: How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain Lisa Feldman Barrett
Book: A Philosophy of Walking by Frederick Gros
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