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

KEYPOINTS

• 01

  A research-hour episode with Mel's head of research

  Mel introduces Tracey, who has led research for Mel's Audible productions, books and corporate courses for clients like Starbucks and LinkedIn. Tracey often pushes back when a popular study 'technically does not say that.' Together they walk through eight recent studies, each tied to one small behavior change you can start immediately.

• 02

  1. Small acts of kindness matter more than we assume

  Tracey describes research from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Chicago titled 'A Little Good Goes an Unexpectedly Long Way.' It found that people underestimate how much a small kindness means to the person receiving it, and that this underestimation is why random acts of kindness are less common than we think. The giver ends up happier too. Examples include smiling, waving someone into traffic, or looking a barista in the eye to say thank you and tip.

• 03

  2. Lowering slowly builds strength

  A study from Edith Cowan University in Australia, with teams in Japan and Brazil, focused on eccentric contractions, the lowering half of a movement. As Tracey summarizes it, a three-second eccentric contraction once a day can increase muscle strength. Mel demonstrates by lowering slowly into a chair and holding an inch above the seat. She notes that when lifting weights she has focused only on the lift, which the research suggests matters less than the controlled lowering.

• 04

  3. Birdsong lifts mood, even through an app

  A King's College London study published in Scientific Reports, nicknamed 'Feeling Chirpy', gathered about 20,000 assessments over four years. As described in the episode, hearing or seeing birds was linked to improved mental wellbeing lasting up to eight hours, in healthy people and people with depression. The researchers separated the effect from trees, plants or water, and recordings counted too. Mel wonders whether it reflects evolution, since our ancestors tracked migratory birds.

• 05

  4. Mindfulness matched medication for anxiety in one trial

  A Georgetown University Medical Center study in JAMA Psychiatry compared the antidepressant Lexapro with mindfulness-based stress reduction, such as body scans and gratitude journaling, in people with anxiety. Tracey reports that the drop in anxiety was comparable. She adds that the researchers still stress medication has a role, and that the approaches can work together. Mel's theory: anxiety pulls you into a feared future, and writing what you're grateful for pulls you back to the present.

• 06

  5. Don't rely on willpower; set up your environment

  A University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan study of about 20,000 high schoolers preparing for the SAT accounted for socioeconomic status and prior achievement. Students who used strategies did better than those who relied on willpower. The strategies were disabling their phones, studying in a distraction-free place, and scheduling study blocks. Willpower fades, so Mel suggests applying this to any high-stakes preparation.

• 07

  6. Taste and smell can bring back happy memories

  Lancaster University researchers asked older adults to recall a treasured memory, then 3D-printed matching tastes and smells onto edible strips, like wedding food, a curry or childhood strawberries. Participants were vividly transported back. The researchers see this as a way to deliberately revisit positive memories.

• 08

  7. Tiny 'mundane secrets' can strengthen a relationship

  Research from Indiana University, the University of Connecticut and Duke found about 90% of people recently hid a minor consumer behavior from someone close. Examples: a small online purchase, a slice of cake, watching ahead on a shared show. The small guilt that follows often motivates people to invest more in the relationship, and partners often keep the same secret, like two 'vegetarians' each eating meat on their own. The researchers' definition excludes anything that hurts the partner, like betrayal or a shopping addiction.

• 09

  8. The highest-impact habit is being kind to yourself

  Tracey and Mel say the research is conclusive that daily self-kindness has the biggest effect on happiness, meaning and sense of purpose, and yet it's the habit we practice least. Mel previews a full follow-up episode on how to make it a habit.