What Is Social Resilience—And How Can You Foster It?
Social resilience describes a group’s ability to coordinate, adapt, and recover from shared threats, a concept rooted in a 2011 paper by Cacioppo, Reis, and Zautra. The authors argue that individual resilience alone cannot guarantee collective survival; instead, empathy, trust, and collaborative problem‑solving are essential. They outline nine personal resources that can be practiced to strengthen social resilience, distilled into three actionable steps: connect with others, recognize shared struggles, and engage in constructive problem‑solving. The article links these behaviors to brain reward pathways, health benefits, and broader societal outcomes such as improved public policy and community well‑being.
Five Ways Parents Can Help Teens Connect Across Differences
Greater Good Science Center released a video series outlining five practical ways parents can help teens bridge cultural, racial, and ideological differences. The series follows families who participated in a cross‑country program, illustrating lessons such as compassionate listening, fostering a...
Happiness Break: A Walking Meditation With Dan Harris of 10% Happier
Dan Harris of 10 % Happier teamed with psychologist Dacher Keltner to launch a six‑minute "Happiness Break" walking meditation. The guided practice walks listeners through body awareness, sensory observation, and gentle refocusing when the mind wanders. It highlights research showing that...
Are You Struggling with Work-Family Balance? Let Purpose Guide You
Rising financial pressures, gig work, and constant digital connectivity are eroding traditional work‑family balance, prompting many employees to seek more meaningful employment. Recent research suggests that anchoring decisions in a personal sense of purpose can buffer stress, improve well‑being, and...
How Layoffs Hurt All of Us—And What Companies Can Do Instead
Tech firms have dismissed over 245,000 workers in 2025, adding 131,504 layoffs this year, sparking debate over the true financial value of workforce cuts. Peer‑reviewed research consistently shows that layoffs rarely deliver sustained profit gains and often depress stock performance,...
How to Navigate Anticipatory Grief
Anticipatory grief is the emotional response to an impending loss, such as a loved one’s terminal illness, career transition, or divorce. It blends sadness, anxiety, and even relief, often leaving caregivers and professionals feeling stuck between caring and grieving. Alan...
Happiness Break: The Unexpected Joy of Slow Looking
The Science of Happiness series released a new "slow‑looking" practice led by Nathalie Ryan of the National Gallery of Art. The six‑step exercise guides listeners to breathe, scan an image, and imagine sensory details, all in under ten minutes. Research...
The Art of Slowing Down
“The Art of Slowing Down” episode of The Science of Happiness explores the practice of “slow looking” at art, featuring the Nevada Museum of Art and neuroaesthetic experts. Researchers found that while participants’ liking of artworks stayed constant, a 15‑minute...
How Self-Awareness Makes Every Habit Easier
Self‑awareness is a rare skill—only about 12% of people truly possess it despite 95% believing they do. The article explains how genuine self‑awareness, not rumination or narcissism, lets individuals observe thoughts, feelings, and actions non‑judgmentally, which in turn fuels habit...
Your Happiness & Forgiveness Calendar for May 2026
Greater Good Science Center released a free May 2026 Happiness & Forgiveness Calendar, a downloadable PDF that offers daily well‑being prompts focused on forgiveness and personal growth. The calendar is authored by managing editor Kira M. Newman, whose background spans psychology research and popular media....
Happiness Break: A Meditation to Inspire a Sense of Purpose
Greater Good Science Center introduced a new “Happiness Break” meditation led by psychologist Dacher Keltner, encouraging listeners to reflect on a role model’s moral beauty to uncover personal purpose. The guided practice walks participants through breathing, vivid recollection, bodily awareness,...
What You’re Listening For (And What You Might Be Missing)
The article introduces Listening Intelligence (LQ) as a habit‑based framework that helps people recognize and adjust their default listening filters—connective, conceptual, reflective, and analytical. Using the ECHO Listening Profile, individuals can map these filters, identify blind spots, and deliberately shift...
What We Get Wrong About Teaching Kids to Apologize and Forgive
The article argues that forcing children to apologize or forgive on demand undermines genuine emotional growth. It highlights research showing forgiveness is a multi‑stage process requiring emotional readiness, empathy, and choice, not just scripted words. The piece outlines the Enright...
How Does Forgiveness Benefit People Around the World?
Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program surveyed over 200,000 adults in 22 nations, tracking forgiveness habits and 56 well‑being indicators a year later. The analysis found that regular, dispositional forgiveness is associated with modest gains in psychological health, happiness, and prosocial traits...
An Awe Walk Through History and Possibility
In the latest *Cities of Awe* episode, psychologist Bob McKinnon leads a walking tour of historic Harlem sites for City College of New York students, illustrating how moments of awe can deepen belonging and spark curiosity. The tour visits Alexander Hamilton’s home,...