Happier with Gretchen Rubin A Little Happier: Is There Anything Special About Human Beings?
Mar 9, 2026
A lively run-through of traits that set humans apart, from language creativity and precision thumbs to the odd rarity of chins. Everyday behaviors like cooking, emotional tears, and complex shame get quick attention. Social inventions such as trade, laws, stories, art, and marriage rituals are highlighted. The conversation ends by asking which human qualities will stay distinct in the age of AI.
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Unexpected Traits That Make Humans Distinct
- Humans possess a surprising list of rare traits that collectively distinguish us from other animals.
- Gretchen Rubin lists specific traits like abstract death contemplation, cooking, shedding emotional tears, and wearing clothes for modesty to illustrate uniqueness.
Clustered Human Capacities Not Found Elsewhere
- Many abilities once thought uniquely human are shared with other species, but a cluster of capacities appears uniquely human.
- Examples Gretchen names include fully opposable precision thumbs, freighted walking, and the ability to build on prior generations' discoveries.
Emotion And Culture Define Human Uniqueness
- Gretchen enumerates emotionally and culturally complex traits that seem uniquely human.
- She cites examples like feeling complex shame, creating laws and justice systems, making art and music for aesthetics, and burying the dead with ritual.