We Know Nature Makes Us Happier. Now Science Says It Makes Us Kinder Too
New studies show being in nature may increase your willingness to be generous, trusting, and helpful toward others.
Health & Happiness
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.
Are Candidates Exploiting the Families of Black Victims for Votes? Sandra Bland’s Mom Says “No”
Black votes matter, but some question whether Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton’s endorsements from relatives of police brutality victims are appropriate.
Eat to Boost Immunity: 6 Things You Need and Where to Find Them
Essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin D and Zinc can keep you from getting sick. But which foods have them, and when should you worry about consuming too much?
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.
A Kentucky Domestic Violence Shelter Helps Women Grow Food—and Confidence
Many survivors of domestic violence have had their attempts at work and creativity sabotaged for years. On these 40 acres of rolling farmland, they're being restored.
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.
Is Cooking the Future of Medicine?
At Tulane’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, students are learning to pair nutrition with allopathic care—and other schools are catching on.
People Are Happier in States That Allow Ballot Initiatives
Twenty-four states allow citizens to vote directly on policy matters, and research shows that life satisfaction is higher in them.
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.
What Our Breasts Are Telling Us
Author Florence Williams and her daughter discovered they had high levels of toxins—like flame retardants—in their bodies. Getting rid of the chemicals was harder than they expected.
Another Extinction: Words We Use to Describe the Natural World
Why naturalists and their linguistic allies fight to keep the language that gives us our sense of place from falling out of modern dictionaries.
The Bravest Response to Fear
From strangers on the street to Muslim refugees—why we should embrace the humanity of people we may fear.
The Brilliance of Using Pillowcases to #GiveRefugeesRest
A human rights campaign to protest Islamophobic rhetoric sent message-scrawled pillowcases to 31 governors who expressed support for refugee bans. And more are on the way.
6 Cities Designing for Health
From Detroit to Edinburgh, these cities are helping residents live more healthful and equitable lives.
How Strong Friendships Defy Dementia
The Momentia movement uses strong social ties to ward off the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
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.
Project Fatherhood: Uniting the Men of LA’s Toughest Communities
In the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, Project Fatherhood helps end the cycle of absent fathers and gives men a place to discuss what it means to be dads, partners, and sons in one of the city's roughest areas.
My Year of Magical Tidying
How getting rid of two-thirds of my belongings created more space for joy.
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.
After Trauma: A Graphic Journey Through Wild Healing
In this collection of watercolor illustrations, a comics artist illustrates her journey through grief after the sudden death of her first child.
It’s OK If Winter Makes You Sad
Four scientific strategies for an emotionally authentic holiday season.
Maintaining Real Relationships in the Digital World
Social media has become a fundamental part of my life. As an American in 2015, I am the rule, not the exception. So what does healthy use of these sites look like?
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