Pay Attention! How Being Less Distracted Will Make You Happy
Researchers say we’re distracted 47 percent of our lives. Increasing our focus could help us—and the people around us—feel happier.
YES! Article archive
Health & Happiness
Live Each Day Like It’s Your … First?
Five reasons “live each day like it’s your last” is the worst advice ever.
How an 1870 Suffragist’s Diary Helped a Modern Mormon Feminist Find Her Voice
Inspired by a 100-year-old diary, this founder of the Mormon feminist movement encourages everyone to keep journals and record their own history.
How America’s “Worst Walking City” Got Back on its Feet
When Oklahoma City was named the least walkable city in America, residents approved an $18 million sidewalk improvement project to help their community get moving.
5 Things Science Says Will Make You Happier
Happy people are healthier, make more money, and live longer. Thankfully researchers say it’s something we can cultivate with practice. Here’s how.
10 Black Women Innovators and the Awesome Things They Brought Us
From a better hairbrush to modern 3D technology, ten things that might never have existed without the invention or innovation of black women.
Poor Families and Blue-Collar Heroes: “The Confirmation” is Keeping Hollywood Real
“Nebraska” writer Bob Nelson on his new film and how economically depressed father and son characters are pulled from his own life story.
When Communities Decide They’ve Had Enough Violence
The new Nonviolent Cities project asks us to go beyond calls to end violence and instead create a pervasive culture of nonviolence.
Why Sex Ed Should Include Lessons on Young Love
The silence among adults about the existence of teen love may take a particular toll on adolescent boys.
How to Make Friends in the City: Grow Vegetables Together
We asked this East Londoner how a pop-up garden brought his neighborhood together and made friends out of strangers.
How Kissing Empowers Women
The rise of sexual-romantic kissing throughout history has defied cultural norms and put women in charge of romance.
Why Massive Snowstorms and Stranded Cars Make Us So Happy
Having fewer and slower cars on the streets where we live encourages neighborliness, makes us not only feel safer but actually be safer.
In Photos: 50 Years in a Housing Project Through the Eyes of Kids Who Lived There
Thanks to Polaroid and a basement arts center, the kids of Newtowne Court have built a photographic monument to their neighborhood since the 1960s.
Women Are Better At Expressing Emotions, Right? Why It’s Not That Simple
Men and women both suffer from a culture that discourages us from expressing complex emotions. The answer is deeper listening, and it's the key to healthier, more engaged lives.
A Neighborhood Revolution in a Pot of Soup
After living in the same town for 14 years, I decided it was finally time to meet my neighbors. My secret? Soup night.
Why Do Boys Dress as Warriors and Girls as Princesses? It Starts With the Books They Read
Research shows that children develop their understanding of things like gender and race before the age of 5 from the characters they meet in stories.
Our Favorite Books on How to Live a Happy and Meaningful Life
Thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for 2016? Here are 13 of this year’s most thought-provoking and useful nonfiction books on the science of a meaningful life.
How Sustainability Almost Ruined Christmas
As a new parent I tried to delight over stocking stuffers, wrapping paper, and battery-powered plastic thingamabobs. But none of it made me happy.
What Star Wars Taught Me About Being a Mindful Parent
After years reporting on the science of mindfulness, I now realize that the practice of moment-to-moment, nonjudgmental awareness darts in and out of the series. But as a kid, I just wanted to blow stuff up.
How Aziz Ansari Helped Me Embrace My “Otherhood”
Movies and TV shows are like the mirror American society looks into to understand itself. I didn’t see myself in that reflection until Aziz Ansari’s show, Master of None.
A Quarter of Pakistani Girls Are Married Before They’re 18. This Film Shows What That Feels Like
In her directorial debut, Afia Nathaniel brings the reality of Pakistan's child bride crisis to American audiences.
10 Kids’ Halloween Costumes Inspired By Rad American Women, From Angela Davis to Patti Smith
At a time when GOP candidates can barely name an important woman from history, these Rad American Women of Halloween are a great way to have fun and educate others.
Take a Walk: 11 Ways to Build the Healthy Habit
Walking might just be the easiest way to get in daily exercise. Here are a few ways to make the practice even easier.
Researchers Say Watching Movies Helps You Work Your Empathy Muscle
Can something as simple as watching movies—and empathizing with fictional characters—help generate more compassion and understanding in the real world?
Four Things That Matter to Millennials, From Lena Dunham’s Interview With Hillary Clinton
“I don’t trust anybody who says that they didn’t have some questions in their 20s.”
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