You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

Read our analysis of all the quiz results to learn how your organization stacks up against others in the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

• Notice the people in your neighborhood. Research suggests that you can build social capital without realizing it, through the many brief and incidental acquaintances you make as you go about your day. While you rush around town, take a few extra moments to chat with the people you encounter along the way. Studies indicate that these “invisible ties” may bring concrete financial and psychological rewards.
• Deepen new ties. It takes time to transform a casual acquaintance into a trusted friend, and not everyone will fit the bill. To work toward cultivating a stronger bond with someone, be the kind of friend that you want to have—for example, be trustworthy when they confide in you and generous when they need you, and hopefully they will do the same. Research also suggests that self-disclosure, or sharing personal details about yourself and letting the other person respond in turn, can help strengthen relationships. But be careful when divulging private information in more public settings like Facebook, as this can backfire and make you feel less supported, especially if you’re low in self-esteem.
• Recognize the ties you already have. In moments of stress, we sometimes forget about the many people who care for us. The Feeling Supported practice invites you to call to mind the specific people who support you and to remember a time when they comforted you. In doing so, you can increase your feelings of safety and security, and be in a better position to help and offer compassion to others.
• Join diverse communities. Although our social worlds can sometimes feel narrow and clique-ish, there are plenty of communities, online and offline, that are more inclusive and diverse. Joining a volunteer organization, for instance, has been linked to many physical and mental health benefits; also consider online discussion forums and common interest groups (e.g., kickball teams, book clubs). Joining communities like these can help you meet people from different walks of life—an important source of social capital.

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

• Practice active listening. Active listening involves approaching a conversation with a genuine desire to understand the other person’s feelings and perspective, without judgment or defensiveness. When you engage in active listening, you tune into what your conversation partner is saying without interrupting him or her, paying careful attention to their body language and facial expressions and periodically repeating back to them what you think they're trying to say, to make sure you understand them accurately. Research suggests that practicing active listening can increase empathy and improve relationship satisfaction.
• Share in other people’s joy. Empathy is not just about commiserating; it can also be experienced in response to positive emotions like happiness and pride. Research on “capitalization” suggests that empathy for positive events—such as expressing enthusiasm when someone shares good news—can be just as important for relationship well-being as empathy for negative events.
• Look for commonalities with others. When interacting with people who at first glance seem to be different from you, look for sources of commonality and shared experience. Maybe you’re fans of the same sports team or both know what it’s like to lose a loved one. If nothing else, you can remind yourself that you are both members of the human species. Seeing your Shared Identity can help you overcome fear and distrust and promote empathy and cooperation.
• Read fiction. Reading a great work of literature—or watching a film or play—allows us to temporarily step out of our own lives and fully immerse ourselves in another person’s experience. Indeed, research suggests that fiction readers are better attuned to the social and emotional lives of others.
• Pay attention to faces. Facial expressions communicate a lot about a person’s emotional state. The Greater Good Science Center's Emotional Intelligence Quiz can help you gauge your ability to read other people’s expressions, and it can be used to practice and improve your skills of emotion recognition.
• For more empathy tips, check out the best research-based empathy practices, learn more about empathy, and read Roman Krznaric's “Six Habits of Highly Empathic People.”

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.

• Take an “Awe Walk.” An Awe Walk involves going somewhere that has the potential to evoke awe—even if it’s your own backyard—and approaching it with fresh eyes, taking in the scenery as if for the first time. Even well-worn routes can reveal unexpected sources of awe—if you’re paying attention. In one study, simply gazing up at tall trees for two minutes was a powerful elicitor of awe.
• Consume awe-inspiring media. Computers and phones often distract us from our surroundings, limiting opportunities for awe, but these devices can become sources of awe themselves. The Internet is replete with captivating images, moving videos, and inspiring stories. Research suggests that watching videos and reading stories that convey a sense of vastness and possibility can increase our feelings of awe, slow our perception of time, and even boost our life satisfaction.
• Write about awe. Our own memories can be a valuable source of awe. The practice of writing a detailed Awe Narrative has been shown to increase awe, reduce time pressure, and make people more generous. Can you think of a time when you felt a strong sense of awe, perhaps in the presence of someone who wowed you with her exceptional intelligence, kindness, or courage?

You can also read our article analyzing the results from the rest of the Greater Good community.