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Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

More Happier: Design Your Summer & Why a Teammate's Touch Can Change an Outcome

Happier with Gretchen Rubin · Jul 11, 2026 · 32:13

0:0032:13

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Practical ways to build more play into your summer and the surprising research on how physical touch improves athletic performance.


Design Your Summer check-in: How Gretchen and Liz are spending their summers: reading lists, doodling-sketching, and no worry! [08:25]

Spotlight on a Tool:Daily Recess: Adults need unstructured play too. How to figure out what kind of recess actually works for you [18:45]

The Science of Touch: Research shows that in basketball, physical touch from teammates reduces stress and boosts performance [19:46]


Mentioned in This Episode:


Daily Recess guide with prompts and ideas 

Download the Happier app to track your Design Your Summer reading list 

Physical touch improves free-throw performance 

Tactile communication and NBA performance 

Josh Hart moment, Game Four 


Connect with Us:


Email: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Website: gretchenrubin.com

Instagram: @gretchenrubin | @lizcraft

Take Gretchen's free Four Tendencies quiz → gretchenrubin.com/quiz


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Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.
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Episodes: Happier with Gretchen Rubin

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