Half Full

Can We Help Young Brains Fight Off Anxiety?

Anxiety is one of the most common childhood mental disorders. About 7% of children suffer from it at any given time, with nearly 1 in 3 adolescents experiencing it sometime during their teen years. For an anxious child, seemingly normal activities can...

Published Tue, Jul 13 2021 6:00 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Latino Families Can Raise Courageous, Caring Kids

The voice of a dad, playing with his small child in Spanish. “Dónde está el bebé?....Acá está” (“Where is the baby? Here he is”). The sound of a baby giggling (the most joyous sound to a parent—in any language). This parenting spot, called “Love” (“El...

Published Tue, Dec 07 2021 7:10 AM by Greater Good Articles

10 Happiness Practices a Doctor Prescribes to His Patients

In addition to all the fear and chaos it has wreaked, COVID-19 has changed the way we think about our health. Thanks to the psychological, and even physical, impact of protracted quarantines and shutdowns, many of us have come to realize that feeling...

Published Wed, Dec 22 2021 5:28 AM by Greater Good Articles

Greater Good Resources for Women’s Well-Being

Today is International Women’s Day, which celebrates women’s achievements and calls us to action for gender equality. As we mark the day this year, we’re also approaching the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States, conditions...

Published Mon, Mar 08 2021 3:44 AM by Greater Good Articles

How to Love Bigger, Better, More

Let’s not lie. Despite his controversial views on parenting, I love Michael Lewis. I LOVE his book about parenting, even though much of it goes against what I preach; I love his sense of humor; I love that he predicted the current financial meltdown 20...

Published Tue, Oct 20 2009 12:08 PM by Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids

Filed under: Main essay, Growth & fixed mindsets

The Importance of Pain

I think the worst feeling I ever have as a parent is when I see my children suffer. I know this is true for my mother, too: she never could stand to see me in any sort of pain. I saw this again last week, when I had my tonsils taken out; I [...] Read...

Published Thu, Sep 24 2009 3:25 PM by Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids

Filed under: Main essay, On Life & Being a Parent

Is Happiness Actually Important?

Is it worth staying in a marriage that makes you unhappy? That question has generated more than a little heat on this blog. But in order to answer that question, we have to answer an even deeper one: Does happiness actually matter? Is happiness really...

Published Wed, Nov 18 2009 9:30 AM by Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids

Filed under: Main essay, Happiness, Marriage, positive emotions

We Want to Have Deeper Conversations With Strangers. Why Don’t We?

When we talk to strangers, if we talk to them, we often default to “small talk” or “chit-chat.” We may muse about the weather or a recent movie or what we did over the weekend. This surface-level talk may keep us comfortable, but it’s often unfulfilling...

Published Thu, Dec 02 2021 3:57 AM by Greater Good Articles

What a Children’s Book Taught Me (and My Students) About Grief

I had been a mental health counselor for many years when my younger son died by suicide at age 16 in 2018. Before that happened, I had often steered clear of grief work. I stayed in the “safer” zones of anxiety and self-esteem. Throughout my tenure working...

Published Wed, Jul 14 2021 5:24 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Colleges Can Support Students Who Are Parents

When most people think of college, they might imagine a bunch of single young adults living wild and free—and possibly going to class from time to time. But this is far from the reality. The average age of a college student is around 26, and many students...

Published Wed, Jul 21 2021 3:08 AM by Greater Good Articles

Learning to Live in a World Without a Loved One

Coping with the loss of a loved one is hard at the best of times. At the worst of times, as COVID-19 continues to ravage the planet, it can be even harder to bear. Not only has the virus caused the unexpected, sudden deaths of so many, but the circumstances...

Published Wed, Jun 02 2021 4:34 AM by Greater Good Articles

Your Happiness Calendar for June 2021

Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you reconnect and savor the little things. To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. (Please note: If you are having trouble clicking on calendar...

Published Mon, May 31 2021 4:23 AM by Greater Good Articles

Why Is Democracy Worth Defending?

More and more Americans are turning against democracy. According to a 2023 survey from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, 24% of Democrats and 31% of Republicans agree with the statement, “Democracy is no longer a viable system, and America...

Published Thu, Aug 08 2024 10:00 AM by Greater Good Articles

Can Your Brain Activity Reveal Your Emotions?

In a new study, researchers were able to predict a person’s response to emotionally charged scenes using brain imaging and computer modeling alone—gauging not only whether the person’s reaction was positive, negative, or neutral, but also how strong the...

Published Fri, Aug 23 2024 5:19 AM by Greater Good Articles

Is Contentment an Underrated Goal in Life?

Many of us seek happiness as a guiding aim in our lives. But what about being content? Are feelings of contentment just a lesser, diluted form of happiness—or something distinct and valuable to pursue on their own? A recent study aimed to find out. In...

Published Mon, Aug 26 2024 7:37 AM by Greater Good Articles

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