Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to 10% Happier Early and ad-free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. This is the 10% Happier Podcast. I'm Dan Harris. Hello, everybody. How we doing? One of the more excruciating aspects of being alive is that we all walk around with these noxious, negative and self-limiting stories about ourselves. At the same time, we're also walking around with all kinds of stories about other people, often based solely on how they look. for this phenomenon is bias, internalized and externalized bias. And my guest today argues that this kind of bias can actually be broken. I want to acknowledge up front, and you will hear my guest acknowledge this as well, that many, if not most of us, have attended DEI sessions that truly suck. And I just want to assure you that is not what you are in for today. A new Gupta's approach is devoid of shame or guilt or blame. Instead, it's kind of playful and it's also based deeply in the Dharma, meaning mindfulness and compassion. Also, and crucially, it's not just focused on how you treat other people, but also on how you talk to yourself. Again, the key idea here is that everybody, all of us, we're all suffering because of our learned ideas, learned from our family, from the larger culture, et cetera, about who we are and about who other people are. But we can unlearn these stories. Moreover, this process does not have to be a death march. It can be fun and interesting. And in the end, it can make you happier. A little bit more about my guest before we dive in here. Anu Gupta is an educator, lawyer, scientist and the founder and CEO of a company called Be More with Anu, a company that trains people on how to break bias. His new book is called Breaking Bias. The subtitle is Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the science-backed method to unravel them. In this conversation, we talk about the five causes of bias, the disutility of shame, what has and has not been working in the DEI trainings that many of us have attended, contemplative practices both on and off the cushion for breaking bias, and his response to skeptics. We will get started with Anu Gupta right after this. But first, I want to say this. As you well know, it's gift-giving season, and I've got a gift for you. If you've been thinking about trying out a paid subscription to danharris.com, you can now get a whole month free to check it out. Paid subscribers get cheat sheets for every new episode, including takeaways, transcripts, and pertinent quotes. You'll also get access to live AM Elias and his response to skeptics. We will get started with Anu Gupta right after this. or Ask Me Anything sessions with me. Plus, you can comment on my posts and chat with me directly about our podcast episodes. And sometimes you get to chat with the guests themselves. 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