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Seven in 10 Americans Feel Compelled to Connect Across Differences

Americans increasingly only interact with Americans who look, think, and live like them. Even so, there are some places and moments across the country where diverse, meaningful, and transformative connections are still happening. More in Common is a nonprofit...

Published Wed, Apr 23 2025 7:48 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Bringing an Indigenous Creation Story to Life Can Induce Awe

He instructed Ani to pisi to wrap the world, with the people in it, in his web and let them down to the lower world. Ani to pisi did as he was told and let them down from the upper world through a hole. After the people were lowered from the upper world...

Published Mon, Apr 21 2025 2:15 PM by Greater Good Articles

The Benefits of Building a Shared Reality With Your Partner

Think of a time when you realized you thought about the world the same way as someone you’re close to. Maybe you shared an inside joke with a friend, or you reacted to a story in the news and knew instantly that your partner would have the same opinion...

Published Mon, Apr 21 2025 8:08 AM by Greater Good Articles

Why Is Social Connection So Hard for Young Adults?

Social connectedness is vital to well-being, but members of Gen Z are hesitant about interacting with one another in today’s online and polarized world, says Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki. That disconnection comes at a cost: Young adults increasingly...

Published Fri, Apr 18 2025 5:48 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Music Can Bridge Generational Differences

Intergenerational duets are having a moment. Paul Simon, 83, and Sabrina Carpenter, 58 years younger, cold-opened Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary show performing “Homeward Bound” together. We saw *** Van *** and Chris Martin, 52 years apart, sing...

Published Thu, Apr 17 2025 5:13 AM by Greater Good Articles

How to Show Someone You’re Listening

How often do we feel misunderstood by those around us, even our closest friends and family? On the other side of the equation, how often do we feel as though we are unable to adequately provide comfort to our loved ones, even when we have the best intentions...

Published Wed, Apr 16 2025 11:18 AM by Greater Good Articles

Six Steps to Decluttering Your Life

Several months ago, I spent some time decluttering my house by going through papers, clothing, kitchen stuff, personal items—everything Beyond creating a more satisfying space, I discovered some surprising effects on my psychological well-being. Along...

Published Tue, Apr 15 2025 5:13 AM by Greater Good Articles

To Increase Your Child’s Honesty, Share Your Feelings

Parents recognize the importance of honesty in their kids. In fact, in a recent survey by Character.org, parents listed honesty as their top priority for building their children’s character, even beating out responsibility and respect for the number-one...

Published Mon, Apr 14 2025 5:40 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Cultural Differences Affected COVID-19 Deaths

The U.S. suffered five to seven times more deaths due to COVID-19 per 100,000 people than did Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Why did so many more Americans die from the virus than people in these East Asian countries? In a recent paper, an international...

Published Fri, Apr 11 2025 5:32 AM by Greater Good Articles

Three Ways Cooking Is Good for Your Well-Being

Food is more than sustenance. Whether cooking at home or sharing a meal with others, I’ve learned that food can be a powerful pathway to greater well-being. Yet for many years, I’ve observed that food, particularly cooking, occupies a paradoxical space...

Published Wed, Apr 09 2025 8:48 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Poetry Changes You and Your Brain

It’s National Poetry Month this April. Is it worth celebrating? After all, poetry doesn’t seem to be doing much to alleviate the tension in our communities. Ask some of the middle schoolers I’ve taught in the past, and they might say a whole month dedicated...

Published Tue, Apr 08 2025 6:45 AM by Greater Good Articles

Why Forcing Gratitude in Kids Backfires—And What to Do Instead

Do you like being told what to do? If you’re like me, the only time you appreciate it is when you’re too tired to pick a place for takeout. Kids don’t love being bossed around either. As adults, we guide—but trying to force feelings doesn’t work. That...

Published Mon, Apr 07 2025 8:11 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Do We Go on Teaching in Troubling Times?

Many educators feel powerless to do much about the complex and fast-moving crisis the United States is in. Many feel that the very foundation of our educational system is at stake, and a palpable sense of fear, anxiety, and anger has taken root in those...

Published Fri, Apr 04 2025 5:11 AM by Greater Good Articles

How Small Habits Can Lead to Big Benefits

We often focus on what we can do individually to change our lives and improve our futures—through our own willpower, choices, and internal narratives. But according to Gregory Walton, a professor of psychology at Stanford, “our sense of self, our confidence...

Published Wed, Apr 02 2025 4:04 AM by Greater Good Articles

Your Happiness Calendar for April 2025

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

Published Tue, Apr 01 2025 5:47 AM by Greater Good Articles

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