Rick Hanson: The Neuroscience of Happiness and How Mindfulness Improves Brain Health | Mental Health | YAPClassic

**Hala Taha** (0:03)
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Hey, Young and Profiters. Ever notice how one small criticism can ruin your entire day while 10 compliments barely leave a mark? In this YAPClassic, I'm joined by psychologist, bestselling author and neuroplasticity expert, Rick Hanson, whose work has helped millions understand how the brain shapes our happiness, resilience and wellbeing. What makes this conversation so relevant today is Rick's insight that many of the struggles we accept as part of life, from stress and self-doubt to overthinking, are not fixed traits. They're patterns that we can train our brain to change. So if you've ever felt trapped in your own mental loops, Rick is about to show you how small, intentional moments can help you rewind your mind for the better. Hi Rick, welcome to Young and Profiting Podcast.

**Rick Hanson** (2:38)
Hala, I'm really happy to be here. We spoke briefly before we started and I'm thoroughly psyched about what we're going to be talking about.

**Hala Taha** (2:45)
Thanks. I'm really excited too. I know that my listeners love this kind of content, so I'm sure they're going to enjoy this conversation. So welcome Rick. For those who don't know you, you are a psychologist. You are the founder of the Wellspring Institute. You are the host of the Being Well Podcast and a best selling author. So we're going to get into your Neurodharma book and seven ways of being in a bit. But first, I want to start off by hearing a little bit about your childhood.
So I learned that you had a big turning point when you were just 15 years old. You were a little bit awkward. You were unhappy and just pretty dissatisfied with life until you realized this big aha moment in your life. So talk to us about this turning point when you were a teenager.

**Rick Hanson** (3:28)
Oh, thanks for queuing me up there. So I grew up in a decent, fairly stable, lower middle class environment in Southern California. No abuse, no trauma, nothing horrible. And still for a lot of complicated reasons, including being really young while going through school, I was really unhappy. I was a lot of awkward, a lot of miserable, a lot of neurotic, and it just seemed pretty hopeless. And right there, right about age 15, and I know it was about age 15 because I was reading Dune at the time. And the main character, Paul Madib, is also 15 when the book starts right about. And I suddenly basically realized that as bad as my past had been, and as much the present might suck, the future was open to me in the sense that I could always learn a little, heal a little, and grow a little every day. I could learn how to be a little less completely tongue-tied around girls. I could learn how to be not so scared of these big aggro, alpha male types in the locker room.
I could learn how to manage my own mind bit by bit. And in effect, I learned that learning itself, knowing how to help yourself develop, not just memorizing the multiplication table, but develop as a person was the strength of strengths. Learning is the superpower of superpowers, because it's the one we tap into to grow the rest of them.