Greater Good Science Center
@greatergoodmag.bsky.social
Science-based resources for a compassionate and resilient society Based at UC Berkeley
Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it inspires you to invite someone to belong. 🤗 To open the clickable calendar, click on the image below. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Your Happiness & Connection Calendar for September 2026
This month, invite someone to belong.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Comparing yourself to your partner isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 💛 It can help us better understand ourselves, our partners, and even grow together. New research explores when partner comparison can be a useful tool: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item... @zachreese.bsky.social
Do You Compare Yourself to Your Partner? It’s Not All Bad
Comparison may sometimes be the thief of joy, but it’s also an important tool for making predictions and decisions in our love lives.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
"The next time a disagreement is brewing, instead of replying over text, try talking. Ten minutes of speaking could save you a lifetime of misunderstanding." greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Is Talking or Texting Better for Disagreements?
According to a new study, spoken conversations lead to more understanding, less conflict, and more openness to other opinions.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
We hope your August is off to a positive start! ☀️ If you haven't had a chance to explore our monthly Happiness Calendar, it's a day-by-day guide to well-being designed to help you cultivate more joy. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
What helps turn a stranger into a friend? 💙 New UC Berkeley research suggests oxytocin plays an important role in how we form close friendships. Read more: greatergood.berkeley...
NBCC member Hope Reese wrote about Justine van der Leun’s "Unreasonable Women" for Greater Good Magazine:
Why Do So Many Women Go to Prison After Surviving Domestic Violence?
A new book investigates how the U.S. criminal justice system targets survivors of domestic violence to prosecute them for fighting back.
buff.ly
What if the fastest way to be more creative... was to stop trying so hard? Neuroscientists have been scanning the brains of musicians, and what they found might change how you think about creativity (thread ⬇️)
What I found when I scanned the brains of kids creating tunes on the piano
Playing improv music activates the reward system of the brain.
theconversation.com
Who is your role model and what is the role they have played in shaping where and who you are today? This is such an inspiring episode... excited to share it with you! Find it here or anywhere you listen to podcasts: greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/ite... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
Why You Can’t Do It Alone
Can anyone truly succeed alone? We explore how role models, mentors, and strong social support make upward mobility far more possible than grit alone.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
New research explores how positive leadership may help reduce burnout, improve collaboration, and strengthen relationships within police departments and the communities they serve. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
"Kindness is swirling all around us, but the perception by ordinary people is that it's not." A new Gallup poll suggests Americans experience and witness more kindness than we might expect. greatergood.berkeley...
Can humor help us become more present, connected, and resilient? 😄 Join comedian, author, and podcaster Chris Duffy and GGSC's Kelly Rafferty, Ph.D., for a live conversation on the science of humor and how laughter can help us navigate life's challenges. Free! www.eventbrite.com/e/greater-go...
Fear may grab our attention, but research suggests joy is what helps us make sustainable climate choices. 🎧 In this new episode, scientists share how reframing climate action around happiness instead of guilt helps us build healthier habits. greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/ite... (1/7)
Detailed Spinning World Globe
Alt: Detailed Spinning World Globe
static.klipy.com
Our monthly Happiness Calendar is a day-by-day guide to well-being. This month, we hope it helps you build a better future together. 🌎 Get for the free clickable calendar here: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
When I turned 40, I kept waiting for the narrative around middle age to catch up with me—the whole “downhill from here” thing. It never did. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Why Midlife Might Actually Be Awesome
From stronger relationships to deeper purpose, research finds that midlife may come with unexpected gains.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Reconciliation in Rwanda is just one example of what can happen when people come together in dialog to create forgiveness and reconstruction. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Is There Hope for Forgiveness After Group Violence?
Reconciliation work in Rwanda can serve as a model for what political forgiveness could look like between groups in conflict.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
What does forgiveness look like after the worst loss imaginable? When Maria's brother was killed, she was left with a difficult request he had made years before: forgive the person responsible, and help others do the same. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
How I Practiced Forgiveness When It Hurt the Most
When "the Compassion Guy" was killed, his sister was presented with the ultimate test of forgiveness and compassion.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
You know social media affects your mood. But do you know why and what's actually happening in your brain? greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
How Social Media Brings Out the Worst in Us
A new book argues that social media does more harm than good and we might be happier and healthier using it less.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Why does soccer make people happier? "There’s also a psychological phenomenon known as basking in reflected glory (BIRGing)... The thought is, ‘Because I’m associating with winners, I get glory as well.'" www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a715364...
There’s a Science-Backed Reason Soccer Makes People So Happy—And It’s Not What You Think
Come for the sports talk, stay for the BIRG-ing, collective effervescence, and emotional contagion discussion.
womenshealthmag.com
Although we are wired to connect with others, we don’t always prioritize social connection in the midst of our busy lives. Here are some specific, science-based activities for cultivating more social connection... (1/5)
Write the sentence: “I come from a place where…” and pause briefly before continuing. Let the words that follow come from memory, feeling, or imagery—whatever shows up first. greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/ite...
Happiness Break: Where Did You Come From? A Guided Reflection Practice
Indigenous artist Lyla June Johnston leads a five-minute freewriting exercise about our personal journeys. Autobiographical writing has been shown to help us do better in relationships and feel more s...
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Repeated studies find that children’s media can reduce prejudice and increase self-confidence if what’s being shown is inclusive and thoughtfully engaged with. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
What Research Says About Gender Representation in Children’s TV
Research suggests inclusive representation can support empathy, identity development, and belonging.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
Robichaud refers to apologies as “psychological vitamins”—that’s how good for parents and children he believes them to be. greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
What Happens When Parents Say “I Was Wrong”
Accountability matters in family relationships. Here's what research says about getting it right.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
“When life feels chaotic, acting on our values, even in small ways, can restore a sense of direction,” says psychologist Pninit Russo-Netzer. “Not because circumstances improve, but because we remember who we are within them.” greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
How to Find Inner Resolve in Times of Upheaval
Amid ongoing social, governmental, and climate crises, small values-driven actions help to keep us afloat.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
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. greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/ite... #edusky
How To Find the Wow In Life
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 ...
greatergood.berkeley.edu
How Do You Learn to Care When Caring Is Your Job? - Training people across differences ~ Greater Good Magazine
How Do You Learn to Care When Caring Is Your Job?
See how a pharmacy school is teaching students to step outside their comfort zones and care for patients with different backgrounds, beliefs, and access to power.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
"When people experience emotions as a group, those feelings tend to be more intense & long-lasting. And few shared experiences can match the emotional ups & downs of cheering for a pro sports team..." greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
How My Daughter and I Connected Over the Knicks
A shared love of the Knicks gave us a common language, strengthened our relationship, and taught us lessons about belonging, resilience, and joy.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
When someone hurts you, are you more likely to turn the other cheek—or seek revenge? Take our quiz to find out. greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take...
Forgiveness Quiz
When someone hurts you, are you more likely to turn the other cheek—or seek revenge?
greatergood.berkeley.edu
"As elite athletes and endurance experts know, going 110% without respite often sets up a crash that takes months or even years to overcome." Here are some ideas for how to pace our energy more deliberately from Elizabeth Svoboda: greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
🎧 Berkeley Talks: Can awe help kids thrive? Hear the creators of Jim Henson Company’s new PBS Kids’ puppet special “Wowsabout” and @greatergoodmag.bsky.social researchers discuss how wonder shapes resilience, learning and prosocial behavior. bit.ly/3SqSKky
Berkeley Talks: Why kids need awe — and how puppets can help - Berkeley News
Creators of the new Jim Henson Company puppet special “Wowsabout” join researchers from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to discuss the complex psychology of wonder as a powerful tool for ear...
bit.ly
