Life in Five Senses Audiobook By Gretchen Rubin cover art

Life in Five Senses

How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and into the World

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Life in Five Senses

By: Gretchen Rubin
Narrated by: Gretchen Rubin
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The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project discovers a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses.

“An inspiring and practical guide to living in the moment.”—Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and Quiet

For more than a decade, Gretchen Rubin had been studying happiness and human nature. Then, one day, a visit to her eye doctor made her realize that she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses. She’d spent so much time stuck in her head that she’d allowed the vital sensations of life to slip away, unnoticed. This epiphany lifted her from a state of foggy preoccupation into a world rediscovered by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching.

In this journey of self-experimentation, Rubin explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life. Drawing on cutting-edge science, philosophy, literature, and her own efforts to practice what she learns, she investigates the profound power of tuning in to the physical world.

From the simple pleasures of appreciating the magic of ketchup and adding favorite songs to a playlist, to more adventurous efforts like creating a daily ritual of visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attending Flavor University, Rubin show us how to experience each day with depth, delight, and connection. In the rush of daily life, she finds, our five senses offer us an immediate, sustainable way to cheer up, calm down, and engage the world around us—as well as a way to glimpse the soul and touch the transcendent.

Life in Five Senses is an absorbing, layered story of discovery filled with profound insights and practical suggestions about how to heighten our senses and use our powers of perception to live fuller, richer lives—and, ultimately, how to move through the world with more vitality and love.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of additional resources from the book

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Gretchen Rubin (P)2023 Random House Audio Biographies & Memoirs Career Success Mental Health Awareness Motivation & Self-Improvement Personal Development Personal Success Inspiring Suspenseful

Critic reviews

“Right now, what the world needs most is people who have come to their senses—who have reunited with the power and wisdom of their bodies. Gretchen Rubin’s Life in Five Senses—woven with research, practice, and a compelling story—invites us into the seismic shift toward a life grounded in sensation, vitality, and innate intelligence.” —Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed and founder of Together Rising

“Life in Five Senses is a great opportunity to spend time in Gretchen Rubin’s inimitable company. But it’s also an inspiring and practical guide to living in the moment. Many books have tried to teach us the power of the present. But Rubin creates her own tools and forges her own path—one that readers will surely want to follow.” —Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and Quiet

“Gretchen Rubin always helps us notice the seemingly small but vitally important aspects of life that make us happier. In this fascinating exploration of our five senses, she shows us how paying closer attention to our daily experience of the exterior world can shift our interior worlds in remarkable ways. . . . A delightful treat, in every sense (pun intended)!” —Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Editorial Review

Stop and smell the roses
As a child, I’d spend long minutes staring at the color of the sky, or analyzing the exact temperature and flavor of strawberry ice cream in an attempt to capture memories so strong I would be able to transport myself back in time as an adult. You see, a grown-up once told little me that older people don’t know how to enjoy life, and I was determined not to forget what it felt like to experience the world as a kid. It turns out, my younger self may have been on to something. Bestselling author of The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin explores the benefits of connecting to the physical world in Life in Five Senses. Drawing on science, philosophy, and literature, as well as her own experiences, Rubin’s latest listen just might prove that savoring joyful moments holds the key to long-term contentment after all. —Rachael X., Audible Editor

Enriching Ideas • Practical Suggestions • Pleasant Narrator Voice • Insightful Exploration • Everyday Magic

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Gretchen Rubin has become one of my all time favorite authors with her story telling abilities & attention to detail. Though she may appeal to a crowd looking for helpful tips around the home, I view her as a modern philosopher with great ideas about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Life in five senses is thought provoking and provides appropriate answers to the questions she raises & the questions you have as you read. I pre ordered a physical copy but couldn’t wait to read, so I downloaded and listened here!

She does it again!

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Has really changed the way that I am engaging in my environment. I was skeptical going into the audiobook but 15 minutes in I could not stop listening.

Beautiful

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I loved listening to this book so much that I ultimately bought a physical copy, too. I am now digging into some of the resources and planning a sensory summer for my family - what fun!

Engaging and educational

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This book made me think about how I see the world and made me want to be more present and aware. I loved it!

Loved it!

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Entertaining, great ideas and practices, interesting personal anecdotes - I really enjoyed this short listen (extra words to submit this review)

So many good practices here

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