Science & the Big Questions

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Making Nice

Topics: Altruism David DeSteno Emotion Flourishing Gratitude Happiness Social Relationships

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Giving Thanks May Make Your Brain More Altruistic

Topics: Altruism Generosity Gratitude

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How Cultural Differences Shape Your Gratitude

Topics: Gratitude Values

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Why Gratitude Is Wasted on Thanksgiving

Topics: David DeSteno Emotion Gratitude

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The Science of Gratitude

Topics: Gratitude Happiness

Featured

The Positive Impact of Gratitude on Mental and Physical Health

Topics: Gratitude

The Powerful Are More Grateful

The more powerful people feel, the more gratitude they report feeling.

Character & Context, Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Topics: Emotion Gratitude Power

How to Make Your Post-Pandemic Happiness Last

Human happiness is surprisingly resistant to change — even to positive shifts. So as the pandemic wanes in the U.S., is it possible to make these good feelings stay?

GQ

Topics: Gratitude Happiness

The Other Side of Languishing Is Flourishing. Here’s How to Get There.

Research shows that the pandemic took a toll on our overall well-being and left many of us drained. Here are seven simple steps to get you thriving again.

The New York Times

Topics: Flourishing Gratitude Happiness Meaning Purpose

Can Gratitude Help You Live More Sustainably?

A new study suggests that when people give thanks, they’re less likely to overdraw from shared resources.

Greater Good Magazine

Topics: Cooperation David DeSteno Emotion Gratitude Happiness

How Gratitude Makes You More Attractive

New research shows that having an attitude of gratitude is key to healthy relationships, and it can virally impact society.

Freethink

Topics: Emotion Gratitude Social Networks Social Relationships

A New Study Focuses on the Traits Essential for Flourishing

Jesse Owen, along with a team of researchers from Boston University and Harvard University’s McLean Hospital, is embarking on a three-year study to look at what flourishing means within the context of psychotherapy.

University of Denver Magazine

Topics: Flourishing Forgiveness Gratitude Humility

New Year’s Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness

Set goals to improve your well-being — not your wallet or your waistline.

The Atlantic

Topics: Forgiveness Gratitude Happiness

The Science of Generosity

Let’s end the year with a moment of gratitude.

Elemental, Medium

Topics: Altruism Empathy Generosity Gratitude

Want to Be Happier? Evidence-Based Tricks to Get You There

Laurie Santos, the host of The Happiness Lab podcast, shares the science of cultivating gratitude and reframing positive thinking.

Life Kit, NPR

Topics: Gratitude Happiness Social Relationships

Express Gratitude — Not Because You Will Benefit From It, But Others Might

Gratitude has a strong connection to well-being, but more than that, two psychologists say, it could have a powerful effect on others. So, don’t hold back when it comes to expressing it.

The Conversation

Topics: Gratitude Happiness

How to Mix Compassion and Cooperation Into Social Distancing

COVID-19 is threatening our social ties because it scrambles the ways we normally support our friends and communities.

Los Angeles Times

Topics: Bonding Compassion Cooperation David DeSteno Emotion Gratitude Resilience

Gratitude Helps You Cooperate. Does It Also Make You a Sucker?

The clear signal of honest, generous intent that comes with feeling and expressing gratitude can cut both ways. Having more “cooperators” in a group means there are more opportunities for these good people to work together. But it also means there are more opportunities for bad actors to exploit.

Behavioral Scientist

Topics: Cooperation David DeSteno Emotion Fairness Generosity Gratitude Honesty Trust

Research Shows Gratitude Has a Drastically Positive Impact

It’s a parent virtue of sorts — one that, when cultivated, gives rise to others.

Sojourners

Topics: David DeSteno Emotion Generosity Gratitude Honesty Resilience Self-Control

Calling Donors to Thank Them Doesn’t Make Them More Likely to Give Again

Like any personal touch, there’s a chance this common fundraising step makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside. But a five-year research project found that it doesn’t make donors more generous.

The Conversation

Topics: Generosity Gratitude

The Fast Track to a Life Well Lived Is Feeling Grateful

The more gratitude people feel toward those who have helped them, the more diligently they will work to pay them back.

Aeon

Topics: Emotion Ethics Gratitude Morality Self-Control

Gratitude Makes Us Care

When and why gratitude helps us care about other people.

Character & Context, Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Topics: Altruism Gratitude

The Yale Happiness Class, Distilled

The psychology professor Laurie Santos delivers the “shortest possible crash-course version” of the university’s most popular course ever.

The Atlantic

Topics: Gratitude Happiness

When Employees Feel Grateful, They’re Less Likely to Be Dishonest

According to new research.

Harvard Business Review

Topics: David DeSteno Ethics Gratitude Honesty Morality Self-Control

If You Feel Thankful, Write It Down. It’s Good for Your Health

A growing body of research shows keeping a log of what you are thankful for can lower stress, help you sleep better, and may even reduce the risk of heart disease. But it’s not for everyone.

Shots, NPR

Topics: Gratitude

Gratitude Has a Dark Side

In certain contexts, practicing gratitude can diminish well-being.

Quartz at Work

Topics: Gratitude Happiness Michael McCullough Robert Emmons

The Secret to Happiness? Gratitude.

Knowing how to manufacture a feeling of gratitude is a skill that really can make every aspect of your life better.

Men’s Health

Topics: Gratitude Michael McCullough Robert Emmons