The Greater Good Science Center is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior. While serving the traditional tasks of a UC Berkeley research center—fostering groundbreaking scientific discoveries—the GGSC is unique in its commitment to helping people apply scientific research to their lives.
In order to promote the study and development of social well-being, we pursue two objectives:
By studying individuals and their relationships we hope to foster well-being in society as a whole. In accordance with that effort, we study the social and biological roots of positive emotions. Our research agenda engages scholars in multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, public policy, social welfare, public health, law, and organizational behavior.
Learn more about our Science Initiative and programs for scholars.
Promote social well-being by (1) translating and disseminating relevant scientific research by scholars both within and outside UC Berkeley and (2) providing the general public with research-based prescriptions for action that will cultivate social well-being. We do this in a number of ways:
- Our magazine, Greater Good, highlights ground breaking research on the roots of happiness, compassion, and altruism. Greater Good fuses reports on scientific studies with inspiring stories, providing a bridge between social scientists and parents, educators, community leaders, and policy makers.
Go to Greater Good magazine's website.
- The Half Full blog offers practical, science-based information for parents who want to know what they can do to foster emotional intelligence in their children.
Go to "Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids".
- We sponsor public talks by distinguished figures such as Jonathan Kozol, Philip Zimbardo, and Robert Reich. Distinct from traditional academic conferences, the GGSC’s events bring together leading authors, scientists, educators, and members of the public to discuss ideas and concrete strategies for promoting the greater good.
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The Center's strategic plan establishes our goals and objectives and defines the direction the Center will take over the next few years. Our core beliefs, identified below, inform all of our work.
- The human inclination toward goodness is strong, but it can be strengthened by specific social conditions.
- The good of society as a whole can be promoted through the science of positive and "prosocial" emotions and behaviors—for example, by studying emotions and behaviors such as compassion, respect, joy, trust, love, empathy, gratitude, and tolerance.
- People who possess the inner resources necessary for their own emotional well-being will help foster social well-being through their behaviors toward others. At the same time, social harmony helps foster mental health at the individual level.
- Similarly, social well-being in our communities begins with well-being in children and families.
- Promoting the skills, knowledge, and environments necessary for individual emotional well-being also promotes altruism, compassion, and well-being in society as a whole, for one's personal feelings of self-worth and inner-peace help imbue one with a sense of purpose and obligation to others.
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PEOPLE
