Mental Health Campaigns Can Do More Harm Than Good
A year ago, I questioned whether we were overdoing Mental health awareness. Since then, the evidence has only strengthened: The answer is yes. To be clear, conversations about Mental health remain vital in the right context. The danger lies in how broadcast and social networks amplify this messaging in ways that frequently cause more harm […]
Why Your Emotional Bond With Nature Is Good for You
When life feels overwhelming, many people instinctively turn to nature. A walk in a park. Sitting by the ocean. Watching a sunset. Is this just a pleasant feeling, or is there something deeper at work? A multitude of studies have linked spending time in nature with different aspects of Mental health and wellness. For example, […]
Letting Go of the “Good Person” Identity and Spiritual Expectations
Does everything feel like too much these days? Get When Life Sucks: 21 Days of Laughs and Light for free when you join the Tiny Buddha list. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lao Tzu For many years, I was deeply involved in spiritual communities—satsangs, meditation centers, […]
Is It Good or Bad to Use Rewards for Motivation?
Author’s Note: Right now a great many people are trying to comply with their New Year’s resolutions. Many of them will rely on rewards of some sort to motivate themselves, never realizing that this is an extremely controversial practice and the subject of heated debate among psychologists. Should it be? Here’s my personal take: After […]
We’re Missing the Good News About Youth Mental Health
Let’s play a word-association game. If I say “youth Mental health,” what’s the next word that comes to mind? It’s probably “crisis.” For over a decade, researchers, policymakers, teachers, parents, and the media have been raising the alarm about the rising prevalence of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress among young people. Most alarmingly, the suicide […]
The Best Greater Good Articles of 2025
Here are the 20 most popular Greater Good articles from the past year, according to Google Analytics, followed by our staff’s nominations for the 10 best (but not-as-popular) articles we published in 2025. 1. 14 Movies That Highlight the Best in Humanity: 2025, by Sahar Habib Ghazi, Maryam Abdullah, Zaid Jilani, Joanne Chen, Jason Marsh, […]
Greater Good Resources for Thriving Over the Holidays
The holidays can be rough—and Greater Good has always been there to help. Through the years, we’ve published dozens of articles that try to help readers navigate the issues that arise when far-flung family members gather, everyone expects a present, and they all have an opinion. We’ve also collected articles on making sense of the […]
The Trouble With Self-Love | Greater Good
Scientists have a problem studying self-love. Research abounds on Self-compassion, self-esteem, self-care, and even unconditional positive self-regard. Scholars have published definitions of these concepts, established scales for measuring them, and explored their practice and impact on people’s well-being. But self-love, on its own, not so much. One of the few scholars who published a definition […]
The Greater Good Guide to Aging Well
The actor Meryl Streep once said: “One day you wake up and realize that your youth is gone, but along with it, so go insecurity, haste, and the need to please. . . . You learn to walk more slowly, but with greater certainty. You say goodbye without fear, and you cherish those who stay. […]
Three Ways Cooking Is Good for Your Well-Being
Food is more than sustenance. Whether cooking at home or sharing a meal with others, I’ve learned that food can be a powerful pathway to greater well-being. Yet for many years, I’ve observed that food, particularly cooking, occupies a paradoxical space. On one hand, we romanticize cooking as a wholesome, nourishing activity. On the other, […]