The Best of Greater Good

How we deal with our daily hassles can profoundly affect our health and relationships. Here’s how to do better.

A new book combines happiness research and relationship science to identify strategies within our control for experiencing more love in our lives.

While there are high-level critics of diversity today, research finds that diversity is good for society—and it has a long history of supporters.

Sports fandom isn’t just entertainment—it’s one of our most diverse and most consistent shared rituals.

A new study suggests that caring for a grandchild helps improve your thinking and memory and may help prevent cognitive decline.

You're not alone if you're feeling dread and anxiety about climate change. A new book explains how to channel these feelings to fight for a better world.

Knowing how depression works can help you to better support loved ones who are struggling.

«Serious depression literally changes your brain and how it perceives in three ways, which psychiatrist Aaron Beck called the “cognitive triad.” You develop a negative view of yourself (“I am worthless”), a negative view of the world (“No one cares about me”), and a negative view of the future (“Things will only get worse”).»

A new study finds that people who reflected on how they grew from the COVID-19 pandemic showed less depression and inflammation.

Americans say thanks a lot, but other cultures may have a deeper understanding of gratitude.

We can't expect students to cultivate growth mindsets if the school culture doesn't support them.

When was the last time you spent a moment savoring silence? Tricia Hersey, aka The Nap Bishop, guides us through an appreciation of silence and its restorative powers.

A research review finds that employees who are motivated to be kind and helpful tend to have higher well-being at work.

Researchers have found that practicing "cyclic sighing" for five minutes a day can help you feel less anxiety and more positive emotions.

«Controlled breathing exercises may have a more rapid, more direct effect on physiology than mindfulness,»

A large new study looks at how exercise can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression.

«a few ways to get yourself motivated to exercise»

A new book argues that we can harness the connection between our minds and our physiology for better health.

«What we should be learning from these studies is not that a particular drug is ineffective but rather how effective the placebo may have been»

Stuck in rumination? Here are some ways to break the cycle and move forward.

Small, everyday experiments can help us reach our goals and get better at the skills that are important to us.

«your focus is on getting better than you were in the past (rather than being preoccupied with whether you are better than others)»

Some days, nothing seems to go right. Here are four steps to calm down and get things back on track.

Avoiding our emotions is not good for our mental health. A psychologist explains how to break the habit and embrace your vulnerability.

«Identify where you feel the sensation; locate it precisely, one place at a time—not just “My muscles are tense,” but which ones and where»

There are many ways to be humble, according to recent research.

«Awe binds us to social collectives and enables us to act in more collaborative ways that enable strong groups, thus improving our odds for survival»

Research suggests that not everything you have heard or read about romantic love is true.

«More than 80% of American adolescents reported to have been involved in at least one romantic relationship by the age of 18, according to one 2003 study, and love has been observed in almost all cultures that have been studied. Second, when people fall in love, it greatly affects their lives.»

When life is uncertain, our usual responses and coping strategies might not always work. The practice of mental agility can help us be resilient.

«It comes down to the choice of stick or switch: Should I keep pursuing the same thoughts, feelings, and actions, or do I need to switch to something new?»

New research on empathic joy points the way to closer intimate relationships.

«At its core, the principle of compersion relies on the dissolution of the perception of separation between self and other.»

There are small things we can do in our everyday lives to feel accepted and valued, and to help others feel the same.

«The way we treat each other can help us feel like we belong—or not. Belonging is the sense that we’re part of a larger group that accepts and values us for who we are, to which we can contribute; we feel like we have roots, maybe even a home.»

Social conditions and inequality affect well-being. So, why do we keep insisting "happiness is a choice"?

«When I write that “structural forces” affect happiness, what do I mean? What does a structural force look like in society?»

When we're waiting, we often have the urge to distract ourselves—but a new study finds we’d enjoy doing nothing but think.

«there were no significant differences between those who waited with or without a computer; both groups liked the experience equally.»