Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life

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

Struggling for Gratitude

As Thanksgiving approaches, researcher Nathan Greene explores the place of gratitude in hard times.
How Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving in a Pandemic?

How Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving in a Pandemic?
For Hard Conversations, Families Fall Into Four Categories

For Hard Conversations, Families Fall Into Four Categories
What Happens When Grandparents Help Raise Children

What Happens When Grandparents Help Raise Children
How Kindness Spreads in a Community

How Kindness Spreads in a Community

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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020

By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020
Why Is the Pandemic So Hard on Young People?

By Sophie McMullen | November 30, 2020
Episode 80: How to Make Better Decisions

By Science of Happiness Podcast | November 26, 2020
How to Find Some Gratitude During the Pandemic Holidays

By Kira M. Newman | November 25, 2020

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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.

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How generous, grateful, or forgiving?
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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…
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Why Is the Pandemic So Hard on Young People?
By Sophie McMullen | November 30, 2020 All Purpose Articles
Connection to Humanity Quiz
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Bridging Differences

Americans are increasingly divided along social and political lines. The evidence for this polarization can be found in our most intimate…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Bridging Differences Articles
Social Capital Quiz
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Compassion

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Compassion Articles
Compassionate Love Quiz
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Gratitude

Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, argues that gratitude has two key components, which he describes…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Gratitude Articles
Gratitude Quiz
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Mindfulness Articles
Mindfulness Quiz
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Diversity

For the Greater Good Science Center, “diversity” refers to both an obvious fact of human life—namely, that there are many different…
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What Can We Do Now?
By Ashley Quarcoo, Crystal Clarke, Niobe Way, Caroline Hopper, Kayla DeMonte, Eboo Patel, Scott Shigeoka, john a. powell, Dacher Keltner, Maryam Abdullah, Jeremy Adam Smith | November 4, 2020 All Diversity Articles
Connection to Humanity Quiz
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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…
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What Can We Do Now?
By Ashley Quarcoo, Crystal Clarke, Niobe Way, Caroline Hopper, Kayla DeMonte, Eboo Patel, Scott Shigeoka, john a. powell, Dacher Keltner, Maryam Abdullah, Jeremy Adam Smith | November 4, 2020 All Awe Articles
Awe Quiz
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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…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Social Connection Articles
Social Capital Quiz
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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…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Happiness Articles
Happiness at Work
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Forgiveness

Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person…
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What Can We Do Now?
By Ashley Quarcoo, Crystal Clarke, Niobe Way, Caroline Hopper, Kayla DeMonte, Eboo Patel, Scott Shigeoka, john a. powell, Dacher Keltner, Maryam Abdullah, Jeremy Adam Smith | November 4, 2020 All Forgiveness Articles
Forgiveness Quiz
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Empathy

The term “empathy” is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Empathy Articles
Empathy Quiz
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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…
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Your Happiness Calendar for December 2020
By Kira M. Newman | November 30, 2020 All Altruism Articles
Altruism Quiz
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Videos

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What Makes an Effective Apology

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

Train Your Brain to Be Kinder

Boost your kindness by sending kind thoughts to someone you love—and to someone you don't get along with—with a little guidance from…

How to Help Your Kids Understand Forgiveness

Instead of retaliating, our kids can learn to find peace by making the choice to forgive.

How to Help Your Child’s Compassion Grow

Parents can encourage their kids to practice kindness and caring toward themselves and others

What Teens Are Thankful For

A first-grade teacher, a best friend, a parent—high schoolers share their gratitude letters with their recipients.

When to Express Your Gratitude at Work

Chris Murchison—an independent organizational culture consultant, coach, and advisor—shares how gratitude can be incorporated into…

Why Awe Is Such an Important Emotion

Dacher Keltner gives an overview of the young science of awe, from how it's expressed to its benefits for health and well-being.

What is Mindfulness?

Jon Kabat-Zinn discusses what mindfulness and meditation are really about: presence of heart.

Applying Mindfulness to Workplaces

In this talk from the "Practicing Mindfulness & Compassion" conference on March 8, 2013, Magee explores how to apply contemplative practices…

Quote of the Day

“Humility helps people let go of defensiveness, take in information that challenges their political views, and see the humanity in people on the other side of the political spectrum.”

― How Humility Can Help Us Bridge Our Political Divides, by Jill Suttie

How Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving in a Pandemic?

For Hard Conversations, Families Fall Into Four Categories

What Happens When Grandparents Help Raise Children

How Kindness Spreads in a Community

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Connection to Humanity Quiz

Awe Quiz

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Empathy Quiz

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