Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Do You Want to Slow Down?
Our podcast guest, Anna Sale, practices awe as an antidote to her anxiety.
Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter

Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter
Four Ways We Can Be Sensitive to Trauma at Work

Four Ways We Can Be Sensitive to Trauma at Work
The Best Ways for Parents to Respond to Ingratitude

The Best Ways for Parents to Respond to Ingratitude
How to Communicate When Everyone Is Wearing a Mask

How to Communicate When Everyone Is Wearing a Mask

Most Recent

How an Ethnic Studies Class Can Help Students Graduate

By Danielle Dreilinger | October 14, 2021
Episode 102: Do You Want to Slow Down?

By Science of Happiness Podcast | October 14, 2021
Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter

By Oliver Burkeman | October 13, 2021
Four Ways We Can Be Sensitive to Trauma at Work

By Shanna B. Tiayon | October 12, 2021

See All

The Science of Happiness at Work
Greater Good's online course series offering research-based strategies for more satisfaction, connection, and purpose at work. CEs for health professionals & HR managers.

Learn More

Take a Greater Good Quiz!

How compassionate are you?
How generous, grateful, or forgiving?
Find out!
Take a Quiz

Keys to Well-Being

Purpose

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 More
Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter
By Oliver Burkeman | October 13, 2021 All Purpose Articles
Purpose in Life Quiz
Take the Quiz

Bridging Differences

Americans are increasingly divided along social and political lines. The evidence for this polarization can be found in our most intimate…
Read More
How Colleges Are Bridging Divides During COVID-19
By Zaid Jilani | September 28, 2021 All Bridging Differences Articles
Bridging Differences Quiz
Take the Quiz

Compassion

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are…
Read More
Four Ways We Can Be Sensitive to Trauma at Work
By Shanna B. Tiayon | October 12, 2021 All Compassion Articles
Compassionate Love Quiz
Take the Quiz

Gratitude

Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, argues that gratitude has two key components, which he describes…
Read More
The Best Ways for Parents to Respond to Ingratitude
By Maryam Abdullah | October 11, 2021 All Gratitude Articles
Gratitude Quiz
Take the Quiz

Mindfulness

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through…
Read More
How to Communicate When Everyone Is Wearing a Mask
By Jeremy Adam Smith, Zaid Jilani | October 7, 2021 All Mindfulness Articles
Mindfulness Quiz
Take the Quiz

Diversity

For the Greater Good Science Center, “diversity” refers to both an obvious fact of human life—namely, that there are many different…
Read More
How an Ethnic Studies Class Can Help Students Graduate
By Danielle Dreilinger | October 14, 2021 All Diversity Articles
Connection to Humanity Quiz
Take the Quiz

Awe

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 More
Your Happiness Calendar for October 2021
By Kira M. Newman | September 30, 2021 All Awe Articles
Awe Quiz
Take the Quiz

Social Connection

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 More
How to Communicate When Everyone Is Wearing a Mask
By Jeremy Adam Smith, Zaid Jilani | October 7, 2021 All Social Connection Articles
Social Capital Quiz
Take the Quiz

Happiness

Most of us probably don’t believe we need a formal definition of happiness; we know it when we feel it, and we often use the term to…
Read More
Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter
By Oliver Burkeman | October 13, 2021 All Happiness Articles
Happiness at Work
Take the Quiz

Forgiveness

Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person…
Read More
Your Happiness Calendar for October 2021
By Kira M. Newman | September 30, 2021 All Forgiveness Articles
Forgiveness Quiz
Take the Quiz

Empathy

The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense…
Read More
Your Happiness Calendar for October 2021
By Kira M. Newman | September 30, 2021 All Empathy Articles
Empathy Quiz
Take the Quiz

Altruism

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 More
Your Happiness Calendar for September 2021
By Kira M. Newman | August 31, 2021 All Altruism Articles
Altruism Quiz
Take the Quiz

Videos

View All

Six Ways to Be a Better Listener

Here are the do's and don'ts of good active listening.

What Makes Us Happier Than Money?

The key to happiness isn't our income but something more meaningful, explains UC Irvine's Belinda Campos, Ph.D.

What Makes an Effective Apology

Learn the four steps to making an effective apology, with comedian Jolenta Greenberg of the By the Book podcast.

Finding Awe in the Ordinary

Iraq War veteran and outdoors educator Stacy Bare learns to find wonder and beauty in the small things. Tune in to the Science of Happiness…

How to Protect Your Body from Social Media Stress

A little mindfulness can help when we feel frustrated or angry online.

When You Feel Like Complaining, Try This

This tip can help you and your kids break your complaining habit and find something to appreciate.

How to Hack Your Brain’s Prejudice with Veggies

Research suggests a quick trick you can use to combat your unconscious biases.

How to Notice Good Things in Your Life

Having a bad day? Try this practice to boost your happiness.

What to Do When Your Kid Wants to Quit

Here's a tip that can help your kids—and you—persevere, from our new advice video series, "Dear Greater Good."

Quote of the Day

“The history of life on earth is a history of teamwork, of collective action, and of cooperation. Cooperation pays because being part of a team is better than going it alone.”

― If Humans Evolved to Cooperate, Why Is Cooperation So Hard?, by Jill Suttie

Do You Want to Slow Down? Our podcast guest, Anna Sale, practices awe as an antidote to her anxiety.

Ten Ways to Make Your Time Matter

Four Ways We Can Be Sensitive to Trauma at Work

The Best Ways for Parents to Respond to Ingratitude

How to Communicate When Everyone Is Wearing a Mask

Most Popular

Most Recent

The Science of Happiness at Work

Greater Good in Education

Take a Greater Good Quiz!

Purpose in Life Quiz

Bridging Differences Quiz

Compassionate Love Quiz

Gratitude Quiz

Mindfulness Quiz

Connection to Humanity Quiz

Awe Quiz

Social Capital Quiz

Happiness at Work

Forgiveness Quiz

Empathy Quiz

Altruism Quiz

Learn the Secrets to Happiness

The Science of Happiness Podcast

Keep Up with Our Happiness Calendar!

Put Greater Good in Action

Do You Want to Slow Down?
Our podcast guest, Anna Sale, practices awe as an antidote to her anxiety.