What if the most effective ways to fight climate change made you happy? On Sept 16, @dunnhappylab.bsky.social and @jiayingzhao.bsky.social will discuss their groundbreaking book 'Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species.' More: psych.ubc.ca/events/event...

UBC Dialogues Homecoming Book Event: Finding Joy in Fighting Climate Change - UBC Department of Psychology

Dr. Elizabeth Dunn and Dr. Jiaying Zhao will share how to make an impact on climate change by taking actions that bring you joy.

psych.ubc.ca

Honored to be featured in @pnas.org to discuss an important study showing that a one-time cash transfer to alleviate poverty can have lasting benefits on the recipients: www.pnas.org/post/journal...

My fabulous undergraduate student Melodie Zabbal just published an op-ed at the National Observer suggesting that history can teach us how to use joy to fight climate change, drawing on lessons from the Peloponnesian war in Athens over 2,000 years ago. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/08/13/o...

History can teach us how to use joy to motivate climate action

Perhaps what young people need isn’t another warning that the world is ending, but a new reason to believe that we are capable of saving it.

nationalobserver.com

Fighting climate change doesn’t have to involve sacrifice and misery—many environmentally friendly choices can add joy to life! @jiayingzhao.bsky.social and @dunnhappylab.bsky.social's new book is featured in @nextbigidea.bsky.social nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/hap...

The Happiest Way to Fight Climate Change

Co-authors Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying Zhao share 5 key insights from their new book, Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species.

nextbigideaclub.com

Thank you Douglas Kenrick for writing a review for our book at Psychology Today! www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sex-... happyclimate.org @psychologytoday.com

7 Ways to Make Yourself Happy While Saving the Planet

Climate change can trigger lots of negative emotions. But a new book suggests ways to make ourselves happier while saving the planet. Here are seven of them.

psychologytoday.com

What *actually* works — right here, right now — to address climate change? Here you go. This is the result of thousands of hours of painstaking research and analysis from the Project Drawdown team.

My weekly post on new nonfiction on @dailykos.com in part discusses the many books written and published now urging us to stay strong and involved in these troubled times. It's in the air, people! We're going to get through this and win! www.dailykos.com/stories/2026... Authors on Bluesky in comment

Nonfiction Views: This week’s notable new nonfiction, and the zeitgeist of hope

Good evening, everyone. As I was sifting through the hundreds of new release books to make my selections to feature on my Literate Lizard Online Bookstore or here on Nonfiction Views, I was struck by…

dailykos.com

Today is the day! My new book with Liz Dunn is officially out in bookstores around the world. Liz and I have spent the last 7 years figuring out how to use joy to fight climate change, and we had even more fun writing about it! Book website: happyclimate.org

Congratulations to @dunnhappylab.bsky.social and @jiayingzhao.bsky.social on their new book, out today! Leave the Lights On helps us see climate action as an opportunity to build a brighter future, without giving up the things that bring us joy. 😀 🌍

Climate change is a bummer on steroids, but rising to the challenge can actually be uplifting--at least I've found it to be so. Today, UBC professors @dunnhappylab.bsky.social & @jiayingzhao.bsky.social launched the first-ever book on how to make climate action joyful. May the joy be with you!

Leave the Lights On - Make Climate Action Joyful

What if the most effective ways to fight climate change made you happy? Psychologist Elizabeth Dunn and climate behavior scientist Jiaying Zhao challenge everything we think we know about sustainable ...

happyclimate.org

Drs @jiayingzhao.bsky.social & @dunnhappylab.bsky.social challenge everything we think we know about sustainable living to help us see climate action as an opportunity to build a brighter future, without giving up the things that bring us joy. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Opinion: Happiness is our best weapon to fight climate change

It turns out people are more inclined to change their habits when motivated by positivity rather doom-and-gloom warnings

theglobeandmail.com

When it comes to addressing the climate crisis, @jiayingzhao.bsky.social recommends prioritizing changes that actually make a difference. In other words, don't stress about turning all the lights off in your home. From Episode 117 of Opinion Science.

Episode 117! @dunnhappylab.bsky.social & @jiayingzhao.bsky.social talk about their latest collaboration--a book outlining how you can help address the climate crisis AND pursue happiness at the same time. Along the way, we also consider how a joy-focused approach is useful for all kinds of advocacy

AI is rapidly restructuring and displacing millions of jobs globally, including half of Canadian payroll. The defining political and economic question of our time is: How can the AI dividend help raise the economic floor for everyone, not just concentrating wealth for a narrow set of shareholders?

How AI Can Help Boost Wealth and Share It More Fairly - Policy Magazine

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our lives in ways that have inspired both awe and fear. On the one hand, it is generating hundreds of

policymagazine.ca

In our new op-ed published at Policy Magazine, we outline 5 concrete ways to build guaranteed basic income with AI. www.policymagazine.ca/how-ai-can-h...

How AI Can Help Boost Wealth and Share It More Fairly - Policy Magazine

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our lives in ways that have inspired both awe and fear. On the one hand, it is generating hundreds of

policymagazine.ca

In a world heavy with crisis and despair, it’s easy to let the "doom and gloom" take over. Our book reframes the climate crisis as an opportunity to live better, be happier, and build a future worth fighting for. Leave the lights on! Make the joyful choice. happyclimate.org

Got a conference coming up? Cut your emissions with our Travel Decision Guide. Created @jiayingzhao.bsky.social and our Climate Action Committee, this guide will help you decide if you should stay local or fly smarter. Download here: bit.ly/stayorfly

My film debut is now free to watch online! The award-winning director Tom Acton sat me down for an interview that ended up in his powerful documentary - Close the Divide - to bridge the divide on climate change. Watch here: tubitv.com/movies/10005...

Close the Divide (2023)

A gripping journey to bridge the divide on climate change, revealing how uniting diverse perspectives can spark innovative solutions.

tubitv.com

Last week, I had the honour of presenting my latest research on guaranteed basic income to the All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus in the Parliament, led by Senator Kim Pate @kpateonthehill.bsky.social , MP Elizabeth May, and MP Sean Casey. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R16r...

All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus Meeting, Dr. Jiaying Zhao

YouTube video by Kim Pate

youtube.com

Porchlight has made my day: Anyone who pre-orders my new book with Liz Dunn, LEAVE THE LIGHTS ON, can now receive a signed copy and get $10 off! promo.porchlightbooks.com/pages/promot...

Thank you to Nature News for highlighting our research in a recent story about Pokémon turning 30: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Pokémon turns 30 — how the fictional pocket monsters shaped science

The Japanese media sensation has inspired generations of researchers in fields as diverse as evolution, biodiversity and research integrity.

nature.com

Our new study on a systematic map of methods for assessing societal benefits of Earth science information: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

A systematic map of methods for assessing societal benefits of Earth science information | PNAS

Remotely sensed Earth science information (ESI) has become increasingly central to addressing global challenges, yet its societal value, i.e., the ...

pnas.org

Does higher well-being come with a higher carbon cost? Our new study in Greece suggests NO. www.frontiersin.org/journals/cli...

Frontiers | Carbon emissions and subjective well-being in Blue Zone Ikaria and Athens, Greece

Reducing carbon emissions has become largely synonymous with personal sacrifice that can decrease subjective well-being (i.e., happiness, life satisfaction)....

frontiersin.org

Our new paper suggests climate communication should stop telling people what not to do and instead focus on what to do, to boost climate action likelihood and happiness: www.frontiersin.org/journals/com...

Frontiers | How do-more-good frames influence climate action likelihood and anticipated happiness

Calls for climate action often emphasize the need to reduce harm, such as by eating less meat, driving less, and shopping less. A more productive approach, h...

frontiersin.org

This week’s IBioS member Article Highlight! 🌳 Dr. @jiayingzhao.bsky.social and colleagues recently published an article on “How do-more-good frames influence climate action likelihood and anticipated happiness.” 😊 Read more about it here: www.frontiersin.org/journals/com...

Frontiers | How do-more-good frames influence climate action likelihood and anticipated happiness

Calls for climate action often emphasize the need to reduce harm, such as by eating less meat, driving less, and shopping less. A more productive approach, h...

frontiersin.org

Big news for 2026: My new book with Liz Dunn, titled Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species, is coming out from Penguin Random House on June 16th! Our book shows how we can fight climate change and get happier at the same time: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/773541...

Leave the Lights On by Elizabeth Dunn, Jiaying Zhao: 9780593853276 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

"Who knew that saving the world could be so much fun?"—Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness How to make an impact on climate change by taking actions that bring you joy What if the...

penguinrandomhouse.com

Would you prefer to get $0.10 for sure, or a 0.01% chance of getting $1,000 for every bottle recycled? Our new study shows that people prefer the chance to win $1,000 over the sure $0.10, feel happier about recycling, and bring 47% more bottles to recycle! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

[1/2] As part of #MentalHealthWeek, we launch a new episode of Appointed, where I speak with @jiayingzhao.bsky.social about how poverty affects the way our brains work, how we make decisions, and stress levels! appointedpod.simplecast.com/episodes/a-c... #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli

A Conversation with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor at UBC | Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the Centre

appointedpod.simplecast.com

Thrilled to share moments from the King Charles III Coronation Medal Ceremony to be among the inspiring group of medalists! Grateful for Senator Kim Pate's nomination and this incredible honour!

Jiaying Zhao@jiayingzhao.bsky.social · last yr.

I'm extremely honored to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal! 🏅 Thank you Senator Kim Pate @kpateonthehill.bsky.social for nominating me, I'm looking forward to the ceremony in April! psych.ubc.ca/news/jiaying...

I'm extremely honored to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal! 🏅 Thank you Senator Kim Pate @kpateonthehill.bsky.social for nominating me, I'm looking forward to the ceremony in April! psych.ubc.ca/news/jiaying...

Dr. Jiaying Zhao receives King Charles III Coronation Medal - UBC Department of Psychology

Dr. Jiaying Zhao was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, recognizing her outstanding contributions to research and society.

psych.ubc.ca