Greater Good

On June 19, 1865—the day we now commemorate as “Juneteenth”—the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed more than two years earlier. The news had simply not arrived until then. I think about that gap often. The distance between the announcement of freedom and the experience of it. The way something can be technically true and sti…

On Juneteenth, Black Americans celebrate emancipation from slavery. Every year, we at the Greater Good Science Center take this opportunity to gather content that honors Black history, culture, and well-being, and which asks our readers to reflect on the ongoing fight for equality and justice. We hope people of all backgrounds take at least a little time to join us in doing so. A Short History o…

What can a singing bird, a neighborhood walk, and a pair of puppet adventurers teach us about awe? Sit down with Wowsabout! creators Dorien Davies and Halle Stanford to discuss helping kids—and grownups—find wonder wherever they are.

I remember exactly when my daughter became a diehard New York Knicks fan. I had long dreamed about it happening but had accepted it might never occur, in the way that parents often must resign themselves when it comes to their children’s passions and proclivities. It was last May and the Knicks were facing the heavily favored Boston Celtics in the first game of their playoff series. The Knicks h…

Hustle culture is back for good, if you take some overachievers’ word for it. The temporary pandemic slowdown, with its emphasis on well-being and flexible scheduling, seems like a fleeting mirage. These days, many startup workers are expected to pull “9-9-6” shifts (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days a week), and managers brag about subsisting on four hours of sleep. With sleep-under-your-desk culture no…

Popular culture tends to stigmatize fathers who don’t live with their children. From reality television to TikTok shaming, nonresident fathers are often thought to be absent from their children’s lives: “deadbeat dads.” The reality is quite different. As a researcher who studies nonresident fathers, as we call fathers who don’t currently live with their minor children, I’ve seen first hand the v…

It was midnight, and my son, Zade, was three months old in his crib, crying. I would rock him to sleep while singing “Hush Little Baby” and “You Are My Sunshine,” while begging the universe to quiet him down. Around two in the morning, he finally fell asleep, and I passed out on top of the covers. I woke up two hours later to my baby crying again. This time, he was kicking his feet as if trying …

Take less than 10 minutes to write yourself a letter of care, compassion, and encouragement with psychologist Kristin Neff in this research-backed practice.

Intention to Treat: The Race Equation is a new series from the New England Journal of Medicine, investigates how race-specific diagnostic tools harm Black patients and contribute to growing health inequities.

Imagine two ship crews marooned on opposite coasts of the same wild and inhospitable island. One group drops seafaring formalities and coalesces around collective survival. They tend to each other, work together, and split what they have. Each person’s subsistence is tied to the other’s. The other crew maintain their maritime hierarchy, compete for power and status, hoard resources—and ultimat…

I sat around a table with a group of fourth graders learning to be mentors for younger students, and a girl looked at me and said, “Now whenever I am upset, I have Buddy and Snuggles in my head.” Buddy the dog and Snuggles the bunny are two of the five resilience habit animals that children at a Milwaukee school are learning to help themselves thrive. Buddy reminds kids they are not alone, and S…

Just yesterday, a teacher at my son’s school shared with me a story. She accompanied a group of California eighth graders on a Washington, D.C., trip where they met up with other eighth graders from across the country. Unsurprisingly, they were initially nervous to meet unfamiliar teens from places like Kansas and Louisiana—people they viewed as living lives far different from their West Coast …

Across school campuses and communities, students and educators are discovering how listening, curiosity, and everyday conversations can open pathways across differences and help restore a sense of shared humanity.

Can you teach someone to care for a person who is profoundly different from them? Can you teach someone to provide care that isn’t simply accepting of differences, but actually tends to all the ways those differences are impacting a patient’s health?  The faculty at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy can. In fact, they must. They’re required to do so by the accreditation b…

Last Saturday night, I walked into the backyard of a student-occupied house near the campus of Oberlin College in Ohio. My 82-year old mother held my arm so she wouldn’t stumble on the uneven grass lawn. Smoke drifted through the air, from vapes and joints the students had sparked. The crowd of early 20-somethings pulsed to the progressive jazz played by a pickup band with guitar, drums, saxophon…

Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you slow down and connect. To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. (Please note: If you are having trouble clicking on calendar links with the Chrome browser, try these tips to fix the issue or try a different browser.) {embed="happiness_calendar/subscribe"}

Most of us probably know by now that our relationships can be the greatest source of health and happiness in life. Whether they are our closest loved ones, colleagues, neighbors, or even strangers, connecting with those around us can be a source of well-being. But so many of us don’t, especially when it comes to strangers. We pass by opportunities to extend ourselves even a little to people who…

In 2025, Camden, New Jersey—a city of about 72,000 residents that sits across the Delaware River from Philadelphia—experienced its first homicide-free summer in nearly 50 years. The city ended the year with 12 homicides—a stark drop from 2012 when it recorded 67, a per capita rate 18 times the national average at the time. I’m a professor of criminal justice who wrote a book on police reform e…

Trouble sitting still? Learn to practice meditating by simply walking in this practice guided by 10% Happier host Dan Harris.

The idea of work-life balance has been around for decades, but today the combination of rising financial pressures, gig-work, cobbling together of part-time jobs, and (for white-collar workers) nonstop digital contact, flexible schedules, and remote work can make it difficult for many of us to ever truly “switch off.” For some families, long hours are a necessity. But for others, the pressure t…