Imagine society as a ladder with 10 rungs. Where would you place yourself? That answer reflects your subjective social status—where you see yourself in society. Importantly, this is not necessarily reflective of where you actually are. Subjective social status matters as it shapes what you believe, how you behave, and, as my new study shows, how much you care about economic inequality. These days, economic inequality is hard to ignore. In the U.K., the richest 10% of households holds nearly...| Greater Good
Psychotherapy often explores family dynamics, unresolved trauma, developmental issues, and the unconscious conflicts that interfere with a client’s ability to optimally cope. Psychotherapy is practiced in many forms with many underlying theories of how change occurs. Self-knowledge and key insights can often unravel unhealthy patterns from the past. Disputing irrational thoughts can help clients reduce their emotional disturbance. And clients can increase their social-emotional IQ through t...| Greater Good
Through breath, compassion, and kind words to yourself, this guided meditation helps you forgive yourself, let go, and move forward with love.| Greater Good
Trust is essential to a functioning society. To get through life, we need to be able to basically trust people we love—our friends and family—as well as our neighbors, colleagues, and even people we don’t know well, like our grocers and mail carriers. A recent study highlights the importance of trust across our lifespan, showing how very critical it is for our well-being. Researchers analyzed results from nearly 500 studies involving over two and a half million participants of all ages ...| Greater Good
It’s a typical scenario. You’re faced with a lingering problem, like an argument with a friend, a looming deadline, or a difficult decision. You think you should try to tackle it, but all you really want to do is, well, anything else. In moments like these, we are often caught between two conflicting types of advice. On the one hand, we know we should “Face stress head on” and “Confront our fears.” On the other hand, aren’t we also often told to “Take some time for yourself”...| Greater Good
Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you celebrate growth and change. To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. (Please note: If you are having trouble clicking on calendar links with the Chrome browser, try these tips to fix the issue or try a different browser.) {embed="happiness_calendar/subscribe"} View our other calendars! September 2025 Happiness Calendar for Educators September 2025 Happiness Calendar (Greek)| Greater Good
Our monthly Happiness Calendar for Educators is a day-by-day guide to building kinder, happier schools where everyone belongs. This month, cultivate empathy in yourself and your school community with daily tips from the Greater Good Science Center. Registration is now open for our 2025–2026 Greater Good Educators program! Join a community of educators from around the world who are committed to building kinder, happier schools where everyone belongs. Throughout the year, explore the science ...| Greater Good
When challenging student behavior arises, the instinct in many schools is to turn to discipline: assigning detention, suspension, or removal from class. But John Gasko, chief well-being officer at Uplift Education, has spent his career exploring a different option: What if the key to thriving schools lies not in control, but in connection? His work integrates both social-emotional learning (SEL) and character education, hoping to create the conditions for students and educators to flourish to...| Greater Good
Catastrophes, by definition, are devastating, but they can often be catalysts for lasting, positive change—and if people can adopt that perspective, they may see some real benefits, a Stanford-led study suggests. In a randomized, controlled trial, a one-hour intervention was given to a group of adults designed to shift their mindset, or core beliefs and assumptions, about having lived through a catastrophe like the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of seeing growth opportunities in the exper...| Greater Good
Research shows that simple practices such as self-hugs, soothing touch, and hand-to-heart can calm the nervous system, supporting caregivers and the children in their care.| Greater Good
At 7:46 a.m. on November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire jumped the Feather River in Northern California. Driven by 40-mile-an-hour winds and months of desiccating drought, it moved so fast that bulldozers racing to carve a break in the forest never reached the line. Within four hours, the town of Paradise lay in smoking ruin. Eighty-five people were dead, nearly 19,000 structures had vanished, and a century of “no-burn” policy lay exposed as the true arsonist. Three hundred miles north, on a bend...| Greater Good
Scientists have a problem studying self-love. Research abounds on self-compassion, self-esteem, self-care, and even unconditional positive self-regard. Scholars have published definitions of these concepts, established scales for measuring them, and explored their practice and impact on people’s well-being. But self-love, on its own, not so much. One of the few scholars who published a definition of self-love, Swiss psychologist Eva Henschke, was shocked when her initial literature review t...| Greater Good
Once considered a mental disorder, today kink is having a moment. Recent movies like Babygirl tell tales of a high-powered woman exploring the world of dominance and submission. In the FX/Hulu series Dying for Sex, based on a true story, a woman who has terminal cancer is introduced to kink with different men. And then, of course, we have 2011’s hugely popular romance trilogy and movie franchise Fifty Shades of Grey. As a result, the once-fringe practice is slowly becoming normalized. Enter...| Greater Good
President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) into law on July 4, 2025. Among other provisions, the bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion annually and also makes a 15% cut to Medicaid spending, according to KFF. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Medicaid is a “joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. The federal government has general rules that all state Medicai...| Greater Good
It’s back-to-school season, and if you have a teen or even know one, they’re probably feeling a little anxious. New class schedule, new classmates, new expectations. These days, when anxious teens turn to us as parents, teachers, and coaches for help, we might encourage “mindfulness,” or paying attention to the present moment with openness and without judgment. But the truth is, developmentally, this inner development method might not always be the healthiest approach. While mindful...| Greater Good
In this guided meditation with poet and teacher Henry Shukman, learn how allowing discomfort, rather than resisting it, can open the door to greater calm and self-compassion.| Greater Good
Are you struggling to discover your purpose? That may be because you feel isolated from other people. Here's how you can overcome that.| Greater Good
A new study finds that some personality traits are fairly stable and others tend to change, helping us to mature over time.| Greater Good
My earliest childhood memory is of a train ride. Standing in the aisle, barely able to reach the worn armrests on either side, I lift myself, swinging back and forth to the rhythm of the moving train. The air is hot and musty. My brother Kiyoshi is curled asleep, his head across my mother’s lap. The man beside her is a stranger to me. My mother has told me to call him Otō-chan, Daddy. When I cry, he says to me softly, “Shikkari shina-sai. Nakanai de.” Be strong. Don’t cry. I was born...| Greater Good
On July 31, the Washington Post ran a story noting that the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian, took down a portion of an exhibit about presidential impeachment concerning Trump’s two impeachments. The piece quoted an unnamed source: “A person familiar with the exhibit plans, who was not authorized to discuss them publicly, said the change came about as part of a content review that the Smithsonian agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House t...| Greater Good
If you are an education professional, or a psychologist, or you’ve been a student in the last several decades, you may have heard of Howard Gardner. People who know his name are familiar with his groundbreaking book Frames of Mind, where he proposed multiple intelligences (MI) theory—an alternative, expansive conception of intelligence that challenged educators to think more broadly about the different ways we learn. However, you may not be aware of over 30 other books he’s published th...| Greater Good
Love Is Blind UK returns to Netflix on August 13. For those who haven’t seen it, the show describes itself as a “social experiment” in which single men and women look for love and some get engaged—all before meeting each other in person. Participants spend the first 10 days of the experiment entering various “pods”: small individual rooms containing a sofa and a shared wall with another pod, through which they talk to—but cannot see—their potential matches. If they feel after ...| Greater Good
There’s a tapping practice shown to ease stress, balance emotions, and support healing. We explore the science behind Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT.| Greater Good
The term “lonely parent” may seem like a contradiction in terms. Parents, by definition, are inextricably linked to at least one other human, after all—their child. And parents are constantly interacting with other humans: teachers, doctors, coaches, caregivers, and other parents, including, for many, the co-parent. Thus, it’s no wonder that so much of the research on loneliness has focused on groups like the elderly and college students, instead of parents. And yet, according to an O...| Greater Good
For decades, researchers have developed and tested adolescent depression prevention programs that show strong results. But a new study reveals a major flaw in the evidence base: These programs, largely tested on white youth, may not work equally well for everyone. The peer-reviewed study examined the effects of a culturally adapted school-based depression prevention program called LARS&LISA. The results were stark: While the program led to a measurable decrease in depressive symptoms for whit...| Greater Good
A new study suggests that when it comes to relationship happiness, your own personality matters more than your partner’s.| Greater Good
A new study suggests that a sense of purpose may be more important to our longevity than life satisfaction.| Greater Good
If loneliness is an epidemic, governments can offer public health guidelines for connection—which is exactly what Canada is working on.| Greater Good
Imagine waking up to the news that a deadly new strain of flu has emerged in your city. Health officials are downplaying it, but social media is flooded with contradictory claims from “medical experts” debating its origin and severity. Hospitals are filled with patients showing flu-like symptoms, preventing other patients from accessing care and ultimately leading to deaths. It gradually emerges that a foreign adversary orchestrated this panic by planting false information—such as the s...| Greater Good
Employees who usually get along well are blowing up at each other. Managers are reporting that employees are having emotional outbursts in meetings and they’re not sure how to respond. That was the start of my call with a chief human resources officer (CHRO) at a reputable nonprofit recently. They reached out looking for resources to support what seemed like a rapidly declining workplace culture. Teams weren’t working together as well as they used to, employees weren’t performing at the...| Greater Good
Witnessing the suffering of others can be deeply painful. In this guided meditation, Anushka Fernandopulle helps you cultivate both compassion and the ability to soothe yourself in the face of that pain.| Greater Good
Of all the policy changes that could help parents and caregivers, none is as morally intuitive, politically feasible, structurally possible, and economically smart as a paid family leave. Morally: People should not have to go without income during those times when they need intense care, or have to give intense care to others. Politically: The vast majority of voters support the establishment of a policy. Structurally: Paid leave programs in various cities and states have demonstrated how to ...| Greater Good
Back in the day when I used to run triathlons, I discovered something powerful that helped me get through in the face of physical challenge. It wasn’t just my training but the encouragement from the spectators and the other racers that helped me find the stamina to keep on going. The energy from those around me gave me the strength to do something that would otherwise have seemed nearly daunting. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that this is true for emotional challenges, as well. M...| Greater Good
Intellectually humble people are able to recognize and admit to the limitations of their knowledge. They tend to be more open-minded, discerning, and respectful of others, which is helpful when communicating across polarized groups who can’t seem to talk to one another in any productive way. This suggests that intellectual humility could be a virtue worth cultivating, especially in children—who, after all, will grow up to be the citizens of tomorrow. But how do we teach them to recognize ...| Greater Good
Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you put in the work for your relationships. To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. (Please note: If you are having trouble clicking on calendar links with the Chrome browser, try these tips to fix the issue or try a different browser.) {embed="happiness_calendar/subscribe"}| Greater Good
Our monthly Happiness Calendar for Educators is a day-by-day guide to building kinder, happier schools where everyone belongs. This month, connect to your sense of purpose with daily tips from the Greater Good Science Center. Registration is now open for our 2025–2026 Greater Good Educators program! Join a community of educators from around the world who are committed to building kinder, happier schools where everyone belongs. Throughout the year, explore the science of well-being through f...| Greater Good
The actor Meryl Streep once said: “One day you wake up and realize that your youth is gone, but along with it, so go insecurity, haste, and the need to please. . . . You learn to walk more slowly, but with greater certainty. You say goodbye without fear, and you cherish those who stay. Aging means letting go, it means accepting, it means discovering that beauty was never in our skin . . . but in the story we carry inside us.” That quote captures the two sides of getting older—and points...| Greater Good
Music helped former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne come out of his shell and connect with others—and research shows he's not alone. We explore the science behind how music shapes our social lives.| Greater Good
While becoming unemployed can be a huge mental health challenge, many of us assume that retirement—which also involves stopping or at least reducing work—will be the opposite. It’s pictured as a well-deserved time of leisure and relaxation, when we’ll get to do all the things we always wished we had time for. But is retirement as blissful as it might seem? A paper published this year reviewed 15 other reviews of past retirement research to provide the “most updated and comprehensive...| Greater Good
If employees are feeling overworked and stressed and anxious, what is the solution? Many discussions about burnout inevitably turn to ideas like mindfulness and self-compassion: skills that can be taught to workers to improve their mental health and—particularly in health care—enhance patient care. But that puts the burden on the employee. What about the responsibility of the organization? While we ask people to be compassionate with themselves, we must also encourage organizations to be ...| Greater Good
Research suggests that cultivating character promotes a flourishing life—and leaders with character help build a flourishing society.| Greater Good
A new book makes the case that hope is the right response when we are facing difficulties in our lives.| Greater Good
Marriage and the ability to start a family are human rights. Ten years ago, on June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Obergefell v. Hodges case extended the right to marry to same-sex couples. With 7.6% of Americans identifying as LGBTQ+, this decision continues to have an impact beyond legal benefits. Marriage provides unique advantages—a reality we have come to know as psychology researchers who focus on couples. The right to marry allowed same-sex couples the opportuni...| Greater Good
Cultivate more joy in your life with this practice led by meditation teacher and author Spring Washam.| Greater Good
Mariam Z., a 29-year-old product manager with a tech company, started using the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT as soon as it came out in November 2022. The Open AI tool quickly became the fastest-growing consumer software application in history, reaching over 100 million users in two months. Now it engages 800 million users weekly. “I believe I have an emotional bond with ChatGPT. I get empathy and safety from it,” she says. ChatGPT is a type of generative artificial intelligence...| Greater Good
According to a new study, feeling hopeful—even more so than just feeling good—may bring us a sense of meaning.| Greater Good
What’s really going on when your child throws a temper tantrum—and how should you respond?| Greater Good
The case of the people person who fell out of love with people.| Greater Good
What if burnout isn’t a breaking point, but an invitation to slow down, tune in, and hear the intuition you have been trying to say all along?| Greater Good
A new book explores everything we think we know—and often get wrong—about having good conversations.| Greater Good
Research indicates that a variety of different social behaviors help prevent loneliness and foster a sense of community and belonging.| Greater Good
The five "resilience animals" can help children and caregivers learn to be mindful and self-compassionate in moments of difficulty.| Greater Good
When you think about your favorite teacher, you probably don’t remember what grades they gave you—you remember how they made you feel. Maybe they got you excited about a book or a science experiment, showed you care during a hard time, or gave you a piece of advice that stuck. A new book from Isabelle Hau, executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, explores the science behind why relationships are key to learning and development, from the early years through adulthood. I...| Greater Good
Just a soft smile and a few minutes of breath can shift your mood, lower stress, and deepen your sense of connection.| Greater Good
Having a purpose in life has been found to have many benefits for people, including better health and emotion management, less stress during stressful times, and even economic success. And it is considered a key to happiness and well-being. But does it matter where your sense of purpose comes from? Do different sources of purpose affect our well-being in different ways? Answers to these questions are hard to come by, because most research on purpose doesn’t look that granularly at the con...| Greater Good
A new book explores the science of personality change and how to go about it, if you want to improve your life.| Greater Good
Parenting is full of questions, and people online purport to have all the answers for raising perfect kids. The reality is much more complicated.| Greater Good
Based at UC Berkeley, Greater Good reports on groundbreaking research into the roots of compassion, happiness, and altruism.| Greater Good
Research shows how older volunteers can get the most out of their service.| Greater Good
New research suggests that spending money on ourselves gets old fast, but not spending money on others.| Greater Good
Robert Emmons offers everyday tips for living a life of gratitude.| Greater Good
In an excerpt from his new book, psychologist Louis Cozolino applies the lessons of social neuroscience to the classroom.| Greater Good
Paul Zak's research is uncovering how stories shape our brains, tie strangers together, and move us to be more empathic and generous.| Greater Good
We can cultivate empathy throughout our lives, says Roman Krznaric—and use it as a radical force for social transformation.| Greater Good
If intimacy doesn't come naturally to you, new research suggests ways to improve your romantic relationships.| Greater Good
Need some motivation for practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving? Robert Emmons, the world's leading scientific expert on gratitude, reveals why gratitude is good for our bodies, our minds, and our relationships.| Greater Good
Compassion research is at a tipping point: Overwhelming evidence suggests compassion is good for our health and good for the world.| Greater Good
This month, guard against stress and overwhelm.| Greater Good
Your social environment—including factors like incentives, competition, and surveillance—can make you more or less creative.| Greater Good
The researchers behind the original "happiness pie chart" share what they've learned in the past 15 years.| Greater Good
Anger is a tool that helps us read and respond to upsetting social situations. But how can you stop it from getting out of hand?| Greater Good
We are spending more time indoors and online. But recent studies suggest that nature can help our brains and bodies to stay healthy.| Greater Good
This month, help everyone feel like they belong.| Greater Good
A new study identifies 27 categories of emotion and shows how they blend together in our everyday experience.| Greater Good
New research is starting to explore how gratitude works to improve our mental health.| Greater Good
According to new research, people become happier over time after they start volunteering.| Greater Good
Research is discovering all the different ways that nature benefits our well-being, health, and relationships.| Greater Good
For children and adults alike, curiosity has been linked with psychological, emotional, social, and even health benefits.| Greater Good
