These are Greater Good's ten building blocks of individual and community well-being — the behaviors that research suggests will support your health and happiness, and foster positive connections with other people.
Altruism is when we act to promote someone else’s welfare, even at a risk or cost to ourselves. Though some believe that humans are…
Read MoreAre you a giver or a Grinch?
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Awe is the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world, like looking up at millions of…
Read MoreCould your life be more awe-some?
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Americans are increasingly divided along social and political lines. The evidence for this polarization can be found in our most intimate…
Read MoreDo you embrace a diversity of backgrounds and opinions in others?
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Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are…
Read MoreYou might love your partner truly, madly, deeply. But do you love compassionately?
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For the Greater Good Science Center, “diversity” refers to both an obvious fact of human life—namely, that there are many different…
Read MoreHow big is your circle of concern?
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The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense…
Read MoreHow well do you feel and understand what others are feeling?
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Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person…
Read MoreWhen someone hurts you, are you more likely to turn the other cheek—or seek revenge?
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Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, argues that gratitude has two key components, which he describes…
Read MoreAre you truly grateful for the good things in your life—or do you take them for granted?
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Coming up with a formal definition of happiness can be tricky. After all, shouldn’t we just know it when we feel it? In fact, we often use…
Read MoreHow happy are you when you’re on the clock?
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Researchers define intellectual humility, most simply, as “the degree to which people recognize that their beliefs might be wrong.” It…
Read MoreDo you question your own beliefs and welcome different ways of thinking?
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Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through…
Read MoreDo you savor life or let everyday stresses control you? In other words, how mindful are you?
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To psychologists, purpose is an abiding intention to achieve a long-term goal that is both personally meaningful and makes a positive mark on…
Read MoreDo you have a long-term goal that's meaningful to yourself and the world?
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When researchers refer to the concept of social connection, they mean the feeling that you belong to a group and generally feel close to…
Read MoreHow strong are your social connections, online and off?
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