8 Simple, Research-Backed Changes That Will Change Your Life | The Mel Robbins Podcast

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — In this episode, I am sharing 8 brand new studies and exciting new #research about simple changes supported by #science that can help you improve your day to day life, like… How to cut your gym time IN HALF and still get the same benefits. The surprising sound researchers say will boost your mood for EIGHT hours. The research on how mindfulness reduces your anxiety by 30% - the same as Lexapro. And so much more! This episode is going to make you smarter and is packed with the tactical, simple, and science-backed tools that I know you love learning on this podcast. Pull up a seat and let’s go. In this episode, you’ll learn: - A simple action that goes a long way - The way to build strength in just 3 seconds a day - The one sound that boosts your mood for hours - A powerful tool for anxiety - What a study with 20,000 high schoolers tells us about success - One thing you can do to create lifelong positive memories - How tiny guilty pleasures can strengthen your relationship with your partner - The habit with the largest impact on your quality of life In this episode: 00:00 Intro 00:35 Introduction and Meeting Tracey from Team Mel (Head of Research) 03:35 Research Study #1 -The simple action that has a massive impact 08:40 Research Study #2 - How to build strength in just 3 seconds a day 13:26 Research #3 - The sound that boosts your mood for 8 hours 17:03 Research Study #4 - A powerful tool for anxiety 21:25 Research Study #5 - A surprising truth about willpower and how to be more successful 25:12 Research Study #6 - One thing you can do today to create lifelong positive memories 31:33 Research Study #7 - How tiny guilty pleasures can strengthen your relationship with your partner 40:00 Research Study #8 - The habit that will the largest impact on your quality of life — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com​ — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins​?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Mel Robbins?

  Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to Science Hour on the Mel Robbins Podcast.

• 0:13Mel Robbins?

  Are you ready for this? I'm ready for this. I am such a nerd about research and science and today we're digging into eight brand new studies that we've found, literally, hot off the presses studies. All of these studies are so exciting because it is brand new research that gives you and me eight simple changes that we can make. These are free. They take almost no time at all. They are proven based on research to improve your life. How cool is that? And we're going to dig into the studies. And what I love about this conversation today is reading scientific studies, unless

• 0:54Mel Robbins?

  you're a total geek about this stuff like I am, it's really boring. Talk about a snooze fest. You want to know how to fall asleep faster? Try reading the citations on a research study and the abstracts. Holy cow. Well, you don't need to worry about that because we have nerded out. We love science here at the Mel Robbins Podcast and I love researching these studies. And let me tell you why. The reason why is very simple. Oftentimes when you are facing a challenge or you have some huge goal or you're trying to create new habits, when you hear advice from experts, you're like, are you kidding me? That stupid thing is going to work?

• 1:36Mel Robbins?

  And it's easy to dismiss simple changes as not being effective when you have big goals and dreams or big challenges. But the truth is, when you understand the research that proves why this simple change is something that matters, you tend to pay attention, you feel more motivated, you feel like you can trust the advice and apply it to your life. And so I love science and I use it in everything that we do here, whether it's an online course or it's one of the six number one releases we've had. Producing projects for Audible, or I have two self-published international and New York Times bestsellers, The Five Second Rule, The High Five Habit. There is so much research packed into everything that we do.

• 2:21Mel Robbins?

  I sometimes joke that I feel like at this point in my life, I should have like seven PhDs. In fact, The High Five Habit, this is a perfect example. So I stumble upon this habit of adding a high five to your morning routine in the mirror. And we did a incredible research study with that, that has 175,000 data points from people in 91 different countries. We have studied that extensively now for over two years. And the research is there. And so, science matters because it makes you feel smarter, it makes you feel more motivated to try the advice, it makes you feel a little less alone in some cases, and another reason why I like science, because I feel smart when I'm reading science.

• 3:05Mel Robbins?

  And I feel like a smarty pants, and I'm like, hey, did you see that study? So, without further ado, are you ready? I'm ready. I can't wait for this conversation. It is sexy to care about science. It is celebratory to care about science. And it makes you smarter to care about science. So, welcome to Science Hour on the Mel Robbins Podcast, and get ready, because we are about to unpack eight brand-new pieces of research, and the simple advice that you can use to change your life. And I'm triple-dipple excited. That's cheesy balls as hell, but triple-dipple excited because I'm also going to introduce you to one of my favorite people on the planet. Oh, thank you. That is Tracy. Tracy and I have worked together for years.

• 3:49Mel Robbins?

  She is, no joke, the smartest person I know. I have a huge brain crush on her. She heads up the research that we do here on all projects that we do. Tracy has done the research on six audio productions for Audible, two self-published audiobooks and hardcover books, all of the courses that we have taught for folks like Starbucks, LinkedIn, CreativeLive, the

• 4:20Mel Robbins?

  Goes on and on and on. And Tracy and I geek out on research. We absolutely love it. Right, Trace?

• 4:28Speaker 01

  Yes, definitely.

• 4:29Mel Robbins?

  And everything that we talk about here on the Mel Robbins Podcast, we have meticulously researched. In fact, Tracy and I get in fights all the time, like mental fights.

• 4:41Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 4:41Mel Robbins?

  She's like, technically, you can't say that. Or that science, that that research study that everybody's talking about technically does not say that. So you can, and so we are meticulous and super interested in this. And so I am so excited for today's show because we are about to talk about eight things. What are we talking about? What are we, there's eight things we're talking about.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  So we've been diving in all day to all the newest, most awesome research, and we wanted to share it with you guys today.

• 5:11Mel Robbins?

  This is also like a behind the scenes, because this is how we produce the show. We look at your DMs, your questions, we look at what's trending, we consider what's going on in my life, your life, people's lives on the team, and our extended families and friend groups. And then we dig into research.

• 5:28Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:29Mel Robbins?

  So today, we've got brand new research, everybody.

• 5:34Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 5:34Mel Robbins?

  And we are going to introduce you to very simple behavior changes that you can institute immediately that will improve your life.

• 5:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 5:48Mel Robbins?

  All grounded by research.

• 5:49Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 5:50Mel Robbins?

  And some of them, quite shockingly, weird and surprising.

• 5:53Speaker 01

  Yes. And these are all brand new, just released, amazing, legit studies. So we're super excited to share them.

• 6:01Mel Robbins?

  Okay, what is the first change we need to make?

• 6:05Speaker 01

  So there was recently a huge, brand new study from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, U. Chicago, all about the power of random acts of kindness. And this study is called, "A Little Good Goes in an Unexpectedly Long Way: Underestimating the Positive Impact of Kindness on Recipients."

• 6:25Mel Robbins?

  Okay, but we all know that acts of kindness are things that make us feel good. But why is this brand-new research something we have to pay attention to? So like, in the year ahead, acts of kindness, people, all day long. How come we have to pay attention to this?

• 6:39Speaker 01

  What the researchers really looked into is, why do we not do random acts of kindness? Because what they found is they're actually pretty uncommon. Because we actually don't think it's going to matter to other people.

• 6:50Mel Robbins?

  Oh.

• 6:51Speaker 01

  Yeah. And what the researchers found is it does. No matter how tiny, a random act of kindness makes a massive difference for someone else, and you are happier as a result of doing it.

• 7:03Mel Robbins?

  So, that's interesting. We know that we should be doing this. But what you're saying is that we don't do this. And this is where the insight comes in.

• 7:14Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 7:14Mel Robbins?

  Is that we assume it's not going to matter.

• 7:17Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 7:18Mel Robbins?

  And a random act of kindness, it's like the littlest thing.

• 7:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:24Mel Robbins?

  Smiling at somebody.

• 7:25Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 7:26Mel Robbins?

  Putting your arm around somebody. Waving somebody into traffic.

• 7:30Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:31Mel Robbins?

  Um, you know, even tipping.

• 7:33Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 7:34Mel Robbins?

  Somebody that's making your coffee and looking at them and saying, "Thank you."

• 7:38Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 7:38Mel Robbins?

  Which, by the way, you know how everybody starts doing the Pay It Forward chains typically around the holidays, where you're going to buy the coffee for the person behind you? I saw this interesting post by somebody who used to be a barista, who says, "That is a complete nightmare for operations." Because it gets confusing whose drink is whose, and what got paid for. And that if you want to do something nice in a super-busy coffee shop, look at the person making the coffee. Tell them thank you and how much you appreciate them, and give that minimum-wage person a tip that is the cost of a cup of coffee that you would have bought for the stranger behind you. Which I thought was really interesting. But these are all small things that make a difference, and we think it doesn't make a difference. And so I think that's where the learning is. At least for me.

• 8:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:23Mel Robbins?

  Is that you're not doing it because you don't think it matters.

• 8:26Speaker 01

  And honestly, there are so many benefits to random acts of kindness. Another study from UC Berkeley found that random Acts of kindness make people feel stronger, more energetic, calmer, less depressed, increase feelings of self-worth.

• 8:42Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 8:43Speaker 01

  It even can increase your serotonin, which are those feel-good chemicals that really calm you down and make you happy. I know that you talked about this on the episode with Dr. Amen. In general, there are just so many benefits, and one of them is also happiness. People who do good things for others are happier. And honestly, we all know how good an act of kindness feels. When we've done them for other people, we feel good, and there's so much more research out there showing that doing good things for others makes you happier, it makes you feel better, it actually increases your energy. But beyond that, why don't we do them that much? We know that we feel good, but we totally

• 9:24Speaker 01

  underestimate how they're going to make other people feel. And that's why this study from UT Austin, which by the way, got really widely shared online. When I had looked it up, I saw so many news outlets picked up this piece of academic research, which is pretty rare in today's world, for a piece of academic research to go viral like that. And it's because a lot of people resonated with this. We love the idea of a random act of kindness. We don't know how much it matters to others, and this study proves that other people truly benefit pretty much just as much as you do from that random act of kindness.

• 10:02Mel Robbins?

  All right. So, science says, takeaway number one, random acts of kindness, they matter, and you and I, this year, we are going to be more intentional about doing them. All right, got it?

• 10:15Speaker 01

  Yes, exactly. And The New York Times picked up this brand-new study, ran a huge article on it, and there were thousands of comments of people sharing their stories of random acts of kindness, and it's a reminder that these do matter to people.

• 10:29Mel Robbins?

  And here's the interesting twist about the story, and it's why Tracy was so excited to talk about this particular piece of research. All of the comments were not about people bragging about their acts of kindness.

• 10:42Mel Robbins?

  It was people sharing stories about how an act of kindness from a stranger or a teacher or somebody in their life changed the trajectory of their life.

• 10:55Speaker 01

  Their entire life. Yeah.

• 10:57Mel Robbins?

  Why don't you read that one comment that had us all just get goosebumps?

• 11:01Speaker 01

  So this is a comment that was within the article. The comment said, "As a child, I lived in absolute poverty with an abusive parent. I had a music teacher who one day stopped me while walking down the hall and simply said, 'Are you okay?' I broke down. He took me to his office, fed me his lunch, and allowed me the space to pull myself together. He told me, 'You're in a bad spot, but it doesn't have to be your life.' That small gesture gave me the hope to believe in myself and allowed me to start considering a future where the cycle of abuse and poverty don't exist. Thirty years later, he was right and the cycles have been broken. That small moment changed my life, it changed my partner's life,

• 11:47Speaker 01

  and it changed my children's lives."

• 11:49Mel Robbins?

  I want you to take a minute and I want you to think about an act of kindness that somebody else did for you that was meaningful. And when you think about it from being on the recipient's end, from you being the one, even if it's just as simple as like you were running super late for something and traffic was monstrous and a stranger waved you in with a smile, how that makes your energy shift.

• 12:26Mel Robbins?

  That's what I want you to think about when it comes to this brand-new research.

• 12:30Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 12:31Mel Robbins?

  Please, act of kindness, all of us, start incorporating it into our day-to-day lives. All right, what's next?

• 12:38Speaker 01

  Okay, great. So this second piece of research is very exciting as we think about the new year is coming, a lot of us want new fitness routines, but... It always seems to be easier to talk about creating that new routine than actually implementing.

• 12:54Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 12:55Speaker 01

  Especially when you're busy, like you and I both are. This is a brand new study that is called "Less Gym Time, Same Results."

• 13:02Mel Robbins?

  I'm down. Less gym time, same results. Let's go, people.

• 13:06Speaker 01

  Brand new, big study from researchers at Edith Cowan University in Australia, along with whole research teams in Japan and Brazil. Listen to this. All you need to do to build your strength is do what's called the eccentric muscle contraction, AKA the second half of any exercise.

• 13:26Mel Robbins?

  Okay, I don't know what you're talking about.

• 13:28Speaker 01

  Imagine that you were standing up to sit down in your chair or to squat.

• 13:33Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 13:34Speaker 01

  It's simply the motion of the sitting down part, not the standing up.

• 13:39Mel Robbins?

  Okay, so let me see if I'm getting this right. So you're basically saying that so many of us are losing the benefit of certain things we do all day long, like for me, plopping into a chair?

• 13:51Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 13:52Mel Robbins?

  I let gravity do the work. I do not consider sitting in a chair exercise. Are you telling me that this study says that I can consciously sit in a chair differently and I will be exercising?

• 14:05Speaker 01

  Yes. It says that one muscle contraction in this downward movement for just three seconds a day can increase muscle strength if you do it each day.

• 14:15Mel Robbins?

  What? Okay, so you're not even necessarily talking about how like if you're doing bicep curls, you know, how people are like, you gotta slow down and not just flump the weight down?

• 14:24Speaker 01

  And that is true. And that in the research, they did use bicep curls to say people who just did the downward and then put their weights down. And then maybe they just got them back up, but it wasn't part of the motion?

• 14:34Mel Robbins?

  Yep.

• 14:35Speaker 01

  Yes. In exercise, they're saying you can cut your routine in half by just doing the second half of each exercise, but you can apply this in your life?

• 14:44Mel Robbins?

  Wow.

• 14:45Speaker 01

  For passive exercise.

• 14:46Mel Robbins?

  Okay, I'm down with passive exercise. I remember when my mom found this revolutionary way of exercising where you literally lay on a table. And they strap your feet into things and they lift your legs for you. I'm like, I'm pretty sure that's not exercise, but if it works for you and it gets you there, great. But so I'm going to unpack this because there's two benefits to this passive exercise, everybody. What was the fancy word?

• 15:08Speaker 01

  Eccentric.

• 15:09Mel Robbins?

  Eccentric. So it's true. When I do strength training, I focus on lifting up. The weight, I don't get intentional about resisting it dropping down.

• 15:19Speaker 01

  And the lifting up doesn't seem to matter that much, according to the research.

• 15:23Mel Robbins?

  Whoa.

• 15:24Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:24Mel Robbins?

  Whoa. Now, let's do the chair thing. From what I gather, you're basically saying, you sit down super slow and you hover above the chair about an inch and hold it for three seconds before you actually plop down. Right?

• 15:44Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 15:44Mel Robbins?

  Okay, I want to try this. So I'm standing up.

• 15:47Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 15:48Mel Robbins?

  And normally, when I go to sit down, I just like plop down.

• 15:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, you just went right into the chair right now.

• 15:54Mel Robbins?

  Yeah, and the chair took the beating. Yes. Okay, so now I'm going to stand up and I'm going to...

• 16:01Speaker 01

  You are slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly going down.

• 16:08Mel Robbins?

  Okay, now my shins are engaged.

• 16:09Speaker 01

  Great, and now...

• 16:10Mel Robbins?

  I'm holding...

• 16:11Speaker 01

  You're holding down for one, two, three.

• 16:13Mel Robbins?

  And also, this is like an ab exercise. My butt is like an inch above the chair. And this is like a squat.

• 16:19Speaker 01

  If you...

• 16:19Mel Robbins?

  Oh!

• 16:20Speaker 01

  The research is saying if you can, once per day, for three seconds, slowly, chair sit, you have just exercised, building your muscles.

• 16:32Mel Robbins?

  I'm doing this.

• 16:34Speaker 01

  Could be easier than a whole weight training New Year's resolution.

• 16:37Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 16:38Speaker 01

  And honestly, Mel, I know this research might sound silly. Three seconds a day, how can that even create any impact in your life? But one thing we do know from so many studies is that the best exercise is the one that you do. Honestly, cardio, strength training, yoga for flexibility, there are so many different kinds of exercise, but you have to do what actually you can do. And... This study is so groundbreaking because it shows three seconds slowly moving down, sitting into your chair is extremely effective. And we often think, I don't have the time for exercise. I want to set a resolution. I don't know what to do.

• 17:20Speaker 01

  Why not just add a tiny, tiny, tiny micro movement into your day? And in the process, you will get many benefits that you get from strength training of improving your muscle mass. And that is something that's so important for all of us. And that gives you the benefit of ultimately more muscle mass for just three seconds a day.

• 17:41Mel Robbins?

  I'm glad you said that, Tracy, because honestly, this sounds kind of stupid. I would love to think that I could be completely in amazing shape by not hitting the gym, but by slowly sitting on the chair and hovering for an inch for three seconds. So I'm glad you said that.

• 17:59Speaker 01

  And for those of you who work out, who strength train like myself, I'm a big strength trainer. You know that it just feels good to feel like you're building your muscles. But if not for every single person, your muscles are described as, quote, "the engine of your entire body's systems." And so just this three seconds a day is going to make you feel better. And if you are a strength trainer like me, then doing more emphasis into those downward movements is also going to make the biggest difference, the bang for your buck. And you can honestly cut your workout times in half if you're a busy person.

• 18:32Mel Robbins?

  My life has just been changed by passive exercise research. Ladies and gentlemen, Tracy, genius. Thank you. So we've got acts of kindness, remembering how profound they are for somebody, even just a smile. Oh, you know, one act of kindness that I do all the time? Whenever I see somebody that has their nails done, particularly like the tips and the cool stuff and the designs, I always compliment them.

• 19:00Mel Robbins?

  And the reason why is I know that they took the time to do it. And try this, compliment somebody's nails. You will see somebody light up like a Christmas tree. When you compliment their nails, they feel seen, they feel acknowledged. It's a simple way to do it. Okay.

• 19:20Speaker 01

  What do you think of my sparkly nails?

• 19:22Mel Robbins?

  Oh, Tracy, with the gold, you are not a nail polish person either.

• 19:26Speaker 01

  No, I'm not.

• 19:27Mel Robbins?

  Well, show them to the YouTube community. It's gold, everybody. All right, next study.

• 19:33Speaker 01

  So this study, when I first read it, I was a little bit floored by it. So this is a-

• 19:38Mel Robbins?

  Floored in the, this is stupid or floored?

• 19:41Speaker 01

  A mix. It felt stupid and I cannot believe how big of an impact and how big this study is for what it is, but I think this is a very simple thing that anyone can do for one second each day.

• 19:55Mel Robbins?

  Wait, one second?

• 19:57Speaker 01

  One second.

• 19:58Mel Robbins?

  Well, you know, I think five seconds can change something.

• 20:00Speaker 01

  Five seconds.

• 20:01Mel Robbins?

  You are taking it down, Tracy.

• 20:02Speaker 01

  This one thing is going to give you an improvement in mental well-being for eight hours. And it works in healthy people, it works in those with depression, it works in those with all different kinds of mental health challenges. Here is the study. This was a huge study in the UK at King's College, London, huge reputable research university that was published in scientific reports.

• 20:24Mel Robbins?

  Can I just stop you?

• 20:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 20:26Mel Robbins?

  Because I'm trying to think of what this is.

• 20:28Speaker 01

  Okay. I don't think you're gonna get it right.

• 20:32Mel Robbins?

  Orgasm?

• 20:32Speaker 01

  No.

• 20:33Mel Robbins?

  No?

• 20:34Speaker 01

  No.

• 20:35Mel Robbins?

  I can't think of anything else.

• 20:36Speaker 01

  So this study took place across a four-year span. They collected data of 20,000 assessments and they had global participants in the study. And do you know what they found, Mill?

• 20:49Mel Robbins?

  That would improve my life for eight hours after just doing this for one second? No.

• 20:55Speaker 01

  The study is called Feeling Chirpy. It is hearing a bird sound or seeing a bird.

• 21:04Speaker 01

  Yeah. "Being Around Birds Is Linked to Lasting Mental Health Benefits," is the rest of the title.

• 21:12Mel Robbins?

  Really?

• 21:13Speaker 01

  There is something about a bird's sound that is incredibly powerful to the human mind.

• 21:20Mel Robbins?

  Wow.

• 21:21Speaker 01

  It creates a massive mental well-being effect. So in this study, what's really interesting too is you might think, okay, you're out in nature, that's the benefit. But no, they isolated, it is not about trees, it is not about plants, it is not about being by the water. It works if you listen on an app.

• 21:39Mel Robbins?

  Really?

• 21:40Speaker 01

  There is something about the sound of birds. You can go on YouTube, you can listen to a birdsong app, you could get outside, but that deeply resonates with us, even at a subconscious level, for eight hours of improved mental well-being.

• 21:57Mel Robbins?

  That's incredible. Up here in Vermont, when my in-laws owned this house, there was a clock that used to hang in the kitchen. And every single hour was the photo of a different bird. And when the clock would hit the hour, the chirping of the bird would happen. And it didn't matter how many people were in the kitchen. Everybody would stop and turn toward the clock. And so, on some level, this seems like one of those studies where you're like, honestly, who the hell even got this idea?

• 22:31Mel Robbins?

  But if they've got more than 26,000 assessments.

• 22:35Speaker 01

  Over four years.

• 22:36Mel Robbins?

  Over four years. There's something here. And I wonder if this has to do with evolution? And the fact that if you think about our ancestors truly navigating and migrating and following patterns of nature and wind and stars and the migratory patterns of birds.

• 22:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 22:56Mel Robbins?

  That I wonder if there is this connection. And, you know, I agree. I love the sound of birds. Except for a crow. I don't like the crow. But if I, if I hear... A songbird chirping?

• 23:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 23:11Mel Robbins?

  It does cause a lift in mood.

• 23:14Speaker 01

  Yeah. Now, here's what's so interesting about the birds. I was at first really surprised when I saw that this was the topic of such a massive, large-scale study that went on for four years. I mean, this study was probably extremely expensive and resource-intensive to run. And at first, I wondered, why is this so impactful? Why does this matter so much? And so, I did dive more into the research around birds and bird sounds. And here's what's interesting. Bird sounds are a powerful example of sound therapy.

• 23:48Mel Robbins?

  Hmm.

• 23:48Speaker 01

  Now, you've heard about Himalayan singing bowls, and you may have heard about "hummm", like a really nice, really just relaxing sound.

• 23:57Mel Robbins?

  Mm-hmm.

• 23:57Speaker 01

  Did you know that bird sounds are actually an example of sound therapy?

• 24:04Mel Robbins?

  Oh.

• 24:04Speaker 01

  In fact, we naturally attune to noises around us, whether it's a jackhammer outside or really loud noise that puts us on more alert. It turns out that bird songs remind us of being in nature, of our really relaxed, it's called a parasympathetic, just relaxed response that's built into us. And I think, in some ways, Mel, what you were saying about humans coexist with birds, there is something really powerful about bird sounds just transporting us right into nature.

• 24:40Mel Robbins?

  I'm always amazed by what you find, Tracy, and how one study that you dig up seems to somehow connect with research that we had just been talking about, like, for example, about the parasympathetic nervous system. And it always makes so much sense.

• 24:56Speaker 01

  And one more thing, too. Other research has actually shown that listening to bird sounds can make you think you're in a natural, nature-based environment. It is a way to hack, if, you know, like you and I, we work on our computers, we work inside, we are inside all day. It turns out, just hearing bird sounds for a Little bit is a really simple way to hack your mind, make you think you're outside and actually get some of those benefits of being outside. But it definitely goes deeper because there is something actually about the sound of a bird that really does it. And so, yeah, it's a really, really, really simple thing and it has a huge impact.

• 25:41Mel Robbins?

  That's incredible. Wow. So now I'm sitting down mindfully. I'm listening for birds.

• 25:47Speaker 01

  Yeah, to put it on YouTube after your episode of the Mel Robbins Podcast.

• 25:51Mel Robbins?

  Maybe we should just play some birds, right?

• 25:52Speaker 01

  Let's play the bird sound. That was nice.

• 25:58Mel Robbins?

  It was really nice. I am so down for this, Tracy. I am so excited. Three seconds of passive exercise, one second of listening to the birds, throw in an act of kindness, bada bing bada boom. I am feeling positive because you know what? These are doable. Don't you love that? That it's not only research-backed, but it's doable. And even better, you've got five more to share with us. So we're going to pick up this science train again after a short word from our sponsors. Welcome back. I love today's episode. You want to know why? I think you can tell.

• 26:42Mel Robbins?

  Here at the Mel Robbins Podcast, we are not only obsessed with helping you create a better life, we are super obsessed with finding simple, research-backed ways that you can do it. And when they're fun and surprising, even better. So we've already covered three. Tracy, you've got a bunch more. Let's move on to Science Says, number four. What do you got for us?

• 27:06Speaker 01

  Well, now that we're so grounded after our bird sound, there is a huge, brand-new, like, just-published study from Georgetown Medical Center, published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal, which is a really big prestigious journal, so this research is legit.

• 27:22Mel Robbins?

  My dad used to get that. The journal, I think it's of American Medical Association?

• 27:27Speaker 01

  Probably.

• 27:28Mel Robbins?

  I can't believe that.

• 27:29Speaker 01

  So this is legit. They compared In people who have anxiety, taking Lexapro versus doing mindfulness-based stress reduction, which often looks like a body scan or gratitude journaling.

• 27:43Mel Robbins?

  Now, by body scan, you don't mean climbing into an MRI?

• 27:47Speaker 01

  No, I mean, how is my body feeling right now?

• 27:52Mel Robbins?

  So, a lot of times in yoga, they'll use this relaxation technique in a class where you're like, you know, scrunch up your feet, relax them, scrunch your ankles, relax them, you know, like, flex your quads, relax them. That's sort of a way to kind of body scan. So, that's one example. What's another example they used?

• 28:10Speaker 01

  Gratitude journaling.

• 28:12Mel Robbins?

  Really?

• 28:12Speaker 01

  Yes, that's a powerful example of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

• 28:16Mel Robbins?

  Okay, so they studied Lexapro?

• 28:20Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 28:20Mel Robbins?

  And then they also studied these mindfulness techniques that bring you into your body and into the moment?

• 28:26Speaker 01

  Yes, and there are a number of them, but those are just two to highlight, is the gratitude journaling. And what they found is the drop in anxiety was equal between Lexapro and just doing these deliberate mindfulness-based stress reduction practices, like a gratitude journal.

• 28:44Mel Robbins?

  Wow. I think I have a hunch for why that might be. Well, because as somebody who has dealt with and felt anxiety

• 28:54Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 28:54Mel Robbins?

  for almost my entire life, I mean, I have it under control now and I profoundly understand it. So, I'm annoyed by it, but I'm not scared by it anymore.

• 29:06Mel Robbins?

  What's interesting is that anxiety, as we know, is an alarm.

• 29:11Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 29:11Mel Robbins?

  And anxiety is signaling that something's up and you need some reassurance. And anxiety also typically takes you immediately into the future

• 29:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:21Mel Robbins?

  that something bad's about to happen. If you crack open a journal and you have to direct your mind to writing about

• 29:30Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:32Mel Robbins?

  Something that you're grateful for.

• 29:33Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 29:34Mel Robbins?

  If you're directing your mind to pick up a pen and to start writing what you're grateful for, you're activating a part of your mind.

• 29:42Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 29:43Mel Robbins?

  That's different from the part of the mind that takes over when you're anxious.

• 29:46Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 29:47Mel Robbins?

  And so it's a way of pulling yourself into the present moment. And if you are having a panic attack or you're anxious, you're not in the present moment.

• 29:56Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 29:56Mel Robbins?

  And so this makes a lot of sense.

• 29:58Speaker 01

  And the research, you know, still emphasizes that there's a need for medication and for practices, but in conjunction can have a really, really powerful effect, especially in how your brain actually changes, what areas are active. So this mindfulness-based stress reduction program, it's actually based on really groundbreaking research from a really famous man named John Kabat-Zinn, who's based out of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. And the mindfulness-based stress reduction is an entire program that you can find online for free. There is tons of free information on YouTube. If you look up John Kabat-Zinn, you will find tons of free resources about this, but

• 30:41Speaker 01

  you don't have to do an entire full program to get these benefits, the research shows. That's where simply just doing a gratitude practice, really doing that body scan you just discussed, Mel, you can get these from just tapping into a simple gratitude practice or a body scan.

• 30:59Mel Robbins?

  I love that you just gave everybody a free program that they can do online, led by an expert. That is super cool. And everybody, don't worry, this episode, like all episodes, will have all the resources linked. In fact, we do even more resources and more detailed write-ups at the show pages on melrobbins.com. So you can check those out, but the links will be below wherever you're listening to this. And, you know, I love knowing why, why things work. But why do I want to know that researchers have confirmed that these things work? Because a lot of this stuff, Tracy, it's common sense.

• 31:38Speaker 01

  But I think there's something about knowing your time spent in your gratitude journal is worth it.

• 31:44Mel Robbins?

  That it matters.

• 31:45Speaker 01

  It matters.

• 31:46Mel Robbins?

  It really does.

• 31:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 31:47Mel Robbins?

  All right. What else you got for us? This is really.

• 31:49Speaker 01

  Great. This next one is super interesting and it is about willpower.

• 31:54Mel Robbins?

  Hmm.

• 31:54Speaker 01

  So, a big study from UPenn in Michigan looked at 20,000 high schoolers as they studied for and took the SAT exam.

• 32:02Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 32:03Speaker 01

  What they found, taking into account socioeconomic status, all of their prior achievements throughout high school even, what matters the most for their study plan and their scores is if they didn't rely on willpower and set themselves up with strategies to better be able to study.

• 32:24Mel Robbins?

  So you're saying if the students didn't do what I did, or didn't do what I see my kids doing, which is basically you got the laptop open, you got the phone on, you got piles of books all around you and you're just gonna try to plow through it?

• 32:41Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 32:41Mel Robbins?

  If instead you get deliberate about chunking it out, putting the phone to the side, having deliberate blocks of time to study that you're gonna do better on the test?

• 32:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, in particular, the ones they mentioned was disabling your cellphone.

• 32:55Mel Robbins?

  Okay, so turn the phone off if you're serious about performing better.

• 33:00Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 33:00Mel Robbins?

  You gotta turn the phone off when you're preparing. Okay, that's number one.

• 33:04Speaker 01

  Setting up a distraction-free place to get your work done.

• 33:08Mel Robbins?

  Setting up a distraction-free place. I'm, I'm starting to smile, Trace, because yesterday Tracy and I were going over the final draft to our newsletter that goes out twice a week. It's amazing.

• 33:21Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 33:22Mel Robbins?

  Just go to melrowens.com to sign up for it. And Tracy was trying to get me to focus.

• 33:30Speaker 01

  Mel was doing some online shopping while writing the newsletter to you guys, two tabs open.

• 33:36Mel Robbins?

  And so Tracy was so awesome. She, without skipping a beat, you didn't even look at me. You just reached your hand over and shut the, the laptop and then shoved it away from me.

• 33:49Speaker 01

  I did.

• 33:49Mel Robbins?

  You did what this study's trying. And do you know how quickly we wrapped up the final eleven?

• 33:52Speaker 01

  Yeah, we focused right in and then awesome newsletter went out.

• 33:56Mel Robbins?

  Totally.

• 33:56Speaker 01

  Yeah. And then the other strategy as well, in addition to distraction-free and disabling your cellphone, is creating a schedule to study.

• 34:04Mel Robbins?

  So. Take a look at the week. If you've got a big project or you've got something, and schedule in blocks of time where you're going to go to that distraction-free thing, and you're going to turn off your cellphone. And that if you were to do that, did they find anything about how it also took less time? Or just that you were more effective? Whatever time you put in?

• 34:23Speaker 01

  More effective, yes. And one thing they found that did not work was when people said that they willed themselves to study. Willpower did not lead to results. Because willpower fades. We can't rely on willpower. And what's really interesting, I think, about this study is that it did take into account differences in socioeconomic levels and also prior achievements. You know, usually you would assume, okay, the people who score the highest in the SAT are the ones who are just naturally have the highest intellect. They're just good test takers. And it's really interesting that this research, which they did do in conjunction with the College Board, who's the creator of the SAT, completely was able to distill down

• 35:08Speaker 01

  being able to account for factors around you, setting up distraction-free place to study, creating a study schedule. Disabling your cellphone has such massive implications. It's a really incredible study.

• 35:20Mel Robbins?

  Wow.

• 35:20Speaker 01

  And here is something so interesting. This is from a different study. But constantly being distracted is really bad for all levels of focus. In fact, there was a different study out of the University of London. It actually showed that constant emailing and texting reduced mental capacity by an average of 10 IQ points. Simply, you cannot be at your best. You cannot focus at your best. You cannot perform at your best when you're highly distracted. It is much more efficient to just focus on one thing at a time. If you want to be studying, set your space up and go study. And while this is about the SAT, you could probably generalize these results for anything where high performance or studying or preparation is needed.

• 36:05Speaker 01

  So are you suggesting?

• 36:08Mel Robbins?

  That sitting on the couch with Netflix on and my laptop open is not a good way to research podcast episodes.

• 36:16Speaker 01

  Probably, depending on how long you want it to take, if you want to study more efficiently, faster, and just perform better, yeah, put your phone on do not disturb, go into your other room.

• 36:27Mel Robbins?

  Shut the laptop.

• 36:28Speaker 01

  Shut the laptop, and also look at your calendar in the morning and say, what am I going to get done today?

• 36:32Mel Robbins?

  Awesome.

• 36:33Speaker 01

  Simple strategies lead to a huge result.

• 36:35Mel Robbins?

  And again, like, I think that these are the things that in the back of your mind, we kind of go, duh, but having these validated studies, 20,000 high school students?

• 36:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 36:47Mel Robbins?

  Like, why wouldn't you do this unless you just want to shoot yourself in the foot and make life harder?

• 36:52Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 36:53Mel Robbins?

  Tracy, you just made us smarter. And when we come back, we've still got three more, brand-new, simple, surprising, and science-backed changes from brand-new research that will improve your life. So stay with us.

• 37:20Mel Robbins?

  Okay, welcome back. We're on number six, the six simple, surprising change you can make right now to improve your life this year. Lay it on us, Tracy. Hit us with the research.

• 37:31Speaker 01

  So now we have number six. This is a really interesting study that, once you hear it, you're going to resonate with this in your own life. And it's about smell and food recalling a memory instantly when you smell something that brings you back to an old time and place.

• 37:49Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 37:49Speaker 01

  So this is a study out of Lancaster University in the UK, brand-new study, where they actually asked older people who, at this point in their life, you know, maybe they're not having as many exciting new experiences, for a really amazing memory of their past. And they created something for them to smell and taste that took them back to a big moment.

• 38:08Mel Robbins?

  Hmm.

• 38:09Speaker 01

  They actually 3D-printed these tastes and smells on like a little Listerine strip-type thing. So crazy research.

• 38:15Mel Robbins?

  What? Like, like, the taste of your face? Favorite ice cream treat from a vendor?

• 38:21Speaker 01

  At your wedding, the one couple, it was the food at their wedding. They were able to taste it. Or someone who had a curry tasting one, they took them back to that memory. Strawberries from a day when they were young. And instantly, people were vividly transported back to this memory. Instantly.

• 38:39Mel Robbins?

  Wow.

• 38:39Speaker 01

  And the researchers say this is a very powerful implication for creating happiness hacks. If you knew that in the past, you had the best vacation, the best memory, you can instantly access that deep memory by smelling that smell, having that food.

• 38:56Mel Robbins?

  That makes a lot of sense.

• 38:57Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 38:59Mel Robbins?

  My wheels are spinning because I'm thinking about my friend Pete Chan, who made me a cup of tea once. And he was very particular about how he made it. Because he said, only his mother has ever been able to make tea.

• 39:15Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 39:15Mel Robbins?

  That tastes as good as this certain way. And what I bet is I bet it brings him back to his childhood.

• 39:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 39:23Mel Robbins?

  Now, what's interesting about this, because this research that you're talking about, in terms of how taste and smell cues memory.

• 39:33Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 39:33Mel Robbins?

  This is specifically applied to very positive memories.

• 39:37Speaker 01

  Very positive, yes.

• 39:38Mel Robbins?

  And it's really kind of cool when you stop and think about the fact that you can, as you said, hack happiness by bringing very positive memories. I remember a really interesting story that has always stuck with me because we know that this is true, based on trauma research. That that smell in particular can trigger a trauma response. So I read this story in a book about trauma that was written, you know, by a PhD medical doctor, talking about how trauma can immediately bring you back to that just terrible thing that happened.

• 40:19Mel Robbins?

  And so the researcher, the psychiatrist was talking about how he was treating a high school student.

• 40:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:26Mel Robbins?

  Who had had severe abuse. And all of a sudden, this kid had gone from being like a really great student and doing well in class to almost flunking out of this math class and being really disruptive in this math class. And it was very uncharacteristic of this kid to act this way, particularly in the math class. And so the therapist leaned in to try to figure out what the heck was going on. And what he discovered was this, that the math teacher had recently switched his cologne, and he was wearing cologne that was the same cologne that this kid's abuser had worn. Wow.

• 41:10Mel Robbins?

  And so just the math teacher coming up behind him. Wow. And the smell of that would trigger all of the trauma, which of course, made him agitated and untrusting and not able to pay attention. The therapist got the math teacher to stop wearing the cologne. Issue gone. Wow. And so we know based on research that this is true around trauma and negative experiences. I think it's really, really encouraging to hear that smell conjures up positive experiences. In fact, I'm thinking about the fact that my grandmother used to wear a particular perfume. My father used to wear a particular cologne. And whenever I smell it,

• 41:54Mel Robbins?

  or smell traces of it, I immediately remember them. Yeah. Oh, this is so cool.

• 41:59Speaker 01

  And you may wonder, why do smells trigger such vivid memories? It's really interesting, and it actually lies in neuroscience. Scents go straight to the brain's smell center. It's called the olfactory bulb. And that is directly connected right to a part of your brain called the amygdala, and another part called the hippocampus. Those are extremely important parts of the brain. And so, all this is to say, it helps explain why smells can so immediately trigger such a detailed memory, or even a really intense emotion. Smells go right to some of the most important parts of your brain. And they Can bring you to a place that either you really want to go, like the memory of the food at a really big event,

• 42:44Speaker 01

  or, as you just shared Mel, to a really dark place, too. In fact, there was a recent article that Harvard published, and they even called the title "What the Nose Knows." And it was all about discussing the science of smell. It is because of the brain's anatomy that smell and memory are so closely linked. It is super interesting. You know, we don't need to all know exactly why it is, but just knowing how connected they are means that we can hack them.

• 43:14Mel Robbins?

  Didn't you have a friend that did this with her wedding?

• 43:17Speaker 01

  Yeah, definitely.

• 43:17Mel Robbins?

  Intentionally? What happened?

• 43:18Speaker 01

  Yeah, so I'm going to be getting married this year, and I was talking to someone who just recently had their wedding, and I asked if she had any advice for me. And she said something that I have never heard before. She said, "Figure out what your smell is going to be at the altar of your wedding ceremony, because that is a smell that for the rest of your life can transport you back to that moment." She said she picked out a very specific flower, one of her favorites with her favorite smell, and did a massive arrangement right where she was going to be standing, at the altar during her wedding ceremony. And she even sprayed something, a smell there, so that she said for the rest of her life,

• 44:01Speaker 01

  she can instantly transport into that memory. And she said to me, "I highly recommend, more than anything else, that you do that." And even not just for weddings, for any big moment of your life where you know that you're going to want to look back at this forever, create a signature scent. Know what your smell is going to be, and you will go back to that forever.

• 44:23Mel Robbins?

  Speaking of smell, my cat Noodle just walked in.

• 44:28Speaker 01

  Noodle has been giving his signature scent to all of your rugs lately?

• 44:32Mel Robbins?

  Yes, he's been really naughty. We've got this new puppy, as you may know, and so he has got a signature scent that he sprays around. All right. You know, that's interesting, because you think about marking rituals with a certain cake, or a certain this, or a champagne, but getting intentional around the type of flower or the perfume that you wear, or those sorts of things, that's super cool.

• 44:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, definitely. And you can apply that right now about things going forward, or about any positive memory that you want to remember.

• 45:06Mel Robbins?

  Okay, cool. What else?

• 45:07Speaker 01

  Okay, great. So, we're getting near the end of these new studies. This one, I thought, was so much fun. It's a study from Indiana University, the University of Connecticut, and Duke. And here's what it's about. It's about those mundane secrets that we hide from the closest people in our life. Here's what the researchers define mundane secrets as. Hiding small online purchases, foods that you don't want your partner or friends to know that you eat, or things like watching a TV show ahead of your partner when you guys are doing it together, and they don't know that you're sneaking ahead.

• 45:42Mel Robbins?

  And then you sit there and pretend that you haven't when you watch the episode?

• 45:45Speaker 01

  This, the researchers-

• 45:45Mel Robbins?

  I can't do that. I can sneak ahead, but when the episode comes on, I can no longer sit there and pretend that I haven't seen it. That's the part where it goes up for me.

• 45:54Speaker 01

  So, the researchers found that 90% of people have recently kept one of these everyday consumer behaviors a secret from a very close person in their life, a friend or their partner. And they report, you know what? My partner probably wouldn't care if they knew I watched ahead or I snuck a piece of cake, but they keep it a secret. 90% of us have these tiny, little guilty secrets.

• 46:17Mel Robbins?

  Now, is this something we should do? Because everything that you've recommended so far is additive.

• 46:22Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 46:23Mel Robbins?

  So, yes, I am guilty of watching a show ahead and not telling Chris, but I always confess when we're sitting there.

• 46:32Speaker 01

  What's interesting is they actually found this is not a bad thing. It is okay to have your little guilty pleasures. You can hide little things from your partner. This is not about being dishonest. Listen to this. Tiny feelings of guilt, which don't hurt anybody, actually drives you to want to be better to your partner.

• 46:52Mel Robbins?

  Well, that makes sense, because guilt has two forms. Destructive, which is the guilt that you use against yourself, where you just beat yourself up and make yourself feel bad. And then the guilt that is really productive, because it motivates you to want to do better. And so, are you saying that if-

• 47:13Mel Robbins?

  Let's say, I'm trying to think of an example.

• 47:16Speaker 01

  I can give you an example that the study researchers found very common.

• 47:19Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 47:19Speaker 01

  What they found common is usually both partners do the same secret behavior and they hide it from the other. And a very common one is around diet.

• 47:27Mel Robbins?

  Okay.

• 47:27Speaker 01

  Like, both partners are vegetarians when they're together and they secretly eat meat, not together.

• 47:35Mel Robbins?

  What?

• 47:36Speaker 01

  They said this little secret might propel both partners to try to show up in a bigger way because they feel bad about this, when they're both doing it most of the time. Watching a show ahead, Chris, might be doing the same thing.

• 47:53Speaker 01

  It's very common that both people do this and kind of propels you guys to show up and invest more, and maybe it's not the worst thing in the world.

• 48:01Mel Robbins?

  Wow. Okay, so what's the takeaway? Don't feel guilty?

• 48:05Speaker 01

  The first takeaway is if you, like 90% of people, have made an impulsive online purchase that your partner doesn't know about, or you snuck a piece of cake, or you're watching ahead on the TV show, first off, don't beat yourself up about it because the research shows they are probably doing it too.

• 48:26Speaker 01

  Like, your partner's probably doing this.

• 48:28Mel Robbins?

  That is killer.

• 48:30Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:31Mel Robbins?

  Like, so don't feel bad about that Amazon box showing up and you quickly sneaking it into the back of your closet so that nobody knows that you, yet again, ordered another pair of pants.

• 48:41Speaker 01

  Yes, and this is not about betrayal. This is not about shopping addiction. This is about, they're calling it mundane things, things that do not affect your partner. It does not affect your partner that you went and had the extra piece of cake, or that you went and ordered another t-shirt for yourself.

• 48:57Mel Robbins?

  Or ate the gluten amazing bread at the dinner with your friends but came home and ate the cardboard bread that was there.

• 49:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, and I think also, you know, as we go into the new year, a lot of people might do challenges with others. I know you've talked about taking on a big fitness challenge with Chris.

• 49:12Mel Robbins?

  Mm-hmm.

• 49:13Speaker 01

  And there might be times when you slip up and don't want to say, and that is okay, is what the researchers are saying, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. It could be okay.

• 49:23Mel Robbins?

  It sounds like it's more than okay. It sounds like it amplifies your wanting to show up. This is so cool.

• 49:29Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 49:29Mel Robbins?

  So, so far, we've covered seven things. How important it is to add random acts of kindness, even just smiling at people, complimenting their nails.

• 49:41Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 49:42Mel Robbins?

  I love passive exercise.

• 49:44Speaker 01

  Sit down slowly in that chair.

• 49:46Mel Robbins?

  I'm doing it now. It's a squat. That's what it is. You are going to get an inch above the chair and hold it for three seconds.

• 49:53Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 49:54Mel Robbins?

  That is a, that's a legit squat, is what I'm doing. Because my quads are fully engaged.

• 49:58Speaker 01

  Don't sit on down.

• 49:59Mel Robbins?

  Down, because now you can hear my, my voice shift because I'm not efforting anymore.

• 50:03Speaker 01

  That is backed by researchers from Australia, Japan, and Brazil. Just sit down slowly in your chair, once a day.

• 50:10Mel Robbins?

  Yeah, birds. Birds are something we're going to add in. Who knew? I love this.

• 50:15Speaker 01

  Listen to a bird's sound for up to eight hours of just a better day.

• 50:21Mel Robbins?

  Well, you're not saying, "Listen to birds for eight hours." You're saying, "If you just listen to birds chirping for a second or two."

• 50:28Speaker 01

  Yeah. Eight hours of benefits. And then, the fourth one is the mindfulness practice. That study out of Georgetown around bringing in some mindfulness into your day, like a gratitude journal, can cause as much reduction in anxiety as taking an antidepressant.

• 50:46Mel Robbins?

  A week ago,

• 50:47Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 50:48Mel Robbins?

  we did this episode about doing nothing. And in it, I recommended that we set an alarm in our smartphones for 2:13 with a little note that says, "Stop."

• 50:57Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 50:57Mel Robbins?

  "Take a breath."

• 50:58Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 50:59Mel Robbins?

  "Do nothing." I even had a little song that I play when it happens, and that's an act of mindfulness.

• 51:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:06Mel Robbins?

  So, I know you know this, but when you start to understand how compelling the research is, not only about how it changes... The neuropathways in your brain makes you a more positive and calm person, but to also know that in research studies, it has the same effect of dropping anxiety by 30% as prescription medication? That's worth paying attention to.

• 51:31Speaker 01

  Definitely. And then our study number five was, do not rely on willpower for success, for accomplishment, and for getting important work done. Go on Do Not Disturb, go into a quiet room, just like those students who succeed on the SATs did.

• 51:48Mel Robbins?

  Awesome. Schedule in success. Don't just muscle through it. What else we get? Oh, smell. I like this one.

• 51:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 51:56Mel Robbins?

  Think about putting more positive smell associations into your life, whether it's bringing positive memories to mind, or it is creating positive experiences by getting intentional about the smell. I love this.

• 52:12Speaker 01

  Yeah. And then we had our one.

• 52:16Speaker 01

  Sneaky TV show watching, sneaky meat eating.

• 52:21Mel Robbins?

  So just giggle about it. Start making yourself feel bad.

• 52:23Speaker 01

  Stop making yourself bad because everyone else is doing it too.

• 52:26Mel Robbins?

  And there's one final change.

• 52:29Speaker 01

  Yeah. So this piece of research is something that researchers actually show is the easiest habit to make the largest impact in your life.

• 52:39Mel Robbins?

  And what is it?

• 52:40Speaker 01

  It's being kind to yourself.

• 52:42Mel Robbins?

  This is so profound

• 52:45Mel Robbins?

  that I want to dedicate the next episode

• 52:48Speaker 01

  No.

• 52:49Mel Robbins?

  to just the research

• 52:51Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 52:52Mel Robbins?

  on how to be kinder to yourself. Because this recent study, I know. And the irony is, of all the things that you could change in the coming year, the research is conclusive that learning how to be kind to yourself as a daily practice

• 53:10Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:10Mel Robbins?

  has the single biggest impact on your happiness, on your meaning, on your sense of purpose. And the sad thing is, it is the one we practice the least.

• 53:24Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 53:24Mel Robbins?

  And this is so important, that the very next episode that we drop in the Mel Robbins podcast is going to go deep on the topic of being kinder to yourself. How to make it a habit, why it matters. And we are also going to do a bonus episode with it, where we're going to take people's questions about it. Because, yes, let's squat down on the chair, let's listen to the birds, let's structure our study time, let's get the smells going, people, let's be mindful. What was the first one we did? See, I've already forgotten.

• 53:58Speaker 01

  The first one we did is around the random act of kindness.

• 54:01Mel Robbins?

  Oh, kindness, mamp up the kindness, let's go. And kindness towards self is the biggest thing you should do, which is why we're going to talk about it in the next episode. Tracy, you are amazeballs.

• 54:16Speaker 01

  Thank you for having me on, Mel.

• 54:17Mel Robbins?

  Having you on, you are the brains behind this operation. We are going to have you on more. We, of course, are going to put together copious show notes. We're going to link to every single study. What's the one you're most excited to do?

• 54:30Speaker 01

  I think the study I'm most excited about is the bird chirping, because I never listened to the birds, honestly. And if I'd known it was that important, I would. So now I'm going to.

• 54:41Mel Robbins?

  Now I'm going to, I think I need to change my ringer. Then I'll be happy every time the phone rings.

• 54:44Speaker 01

  I think that I should change my morning alarm to be a bird chirping sound, to set myself up for eight amazing hours, the rest of the day.

• 54:52Mel Robbins?

  You are so awesome. I love you because you're so positive.

• 54:54Speaker 01

  Thank you.

• 54:55Mel Robbins?

  You're so smart, you make me smarter, you make all of us smarter. So I just want to say, thank you, thank you, thank you for how much you put into all of the research that you do. Your intellectual rigor and curiosity is something I deeply admire.

• 55:09Speaker 01

  Thanks, Mel.

• 55:10Mel Robbins?

  And it makes the impact of what we're doing just awesome.

• 55:13Speaker 01

  Thank you so much for listening. I hope that you feel like this whole episode made you a little bit smarter, made you feel like you learned something new, that you saw not all change has to be as hard as you think, especially when you get science involved. Change is Can be really simple because if we know exactly what works, then we can apply those things. And so, yeah, thank you so much for being here.

• 55:37Mel Robbins?

  That's right. Well, in case nobody else tells you, I'm going to tell you that I love you, I believe in you, and I believe in your ability to take every single one of these things. Let's do some passive exercise. How about that? I'm down. Let's listen to the birds. Let's be kind to people. And when I talk to you in the next episode, we're going to be talking about how to be kind to yourself because that is how you improve the most important relationship you have in life, and that's the one with you. All right, I love you.