Berkeley - greatergood.berkeley.edu - Greater Good In Brief
General Information:
Latest News:
When Empathy Hurts, Compassion Can Heal 22 Aug 2013 | 12:37 pm
Empathy can be painful. Or so suggests a growing body of neuroscientific research. When we witness suffering and distress in others, our natural tendency to empathize can bring us vicarious pain. Is...
Do Rituals Help Us to Savor Food? 8 Aug 2013 | 04:14 am
Rituals are an integral part of many kinds of meals. We clink our glasses with cheer before a drink, bow our heads with grace before a meal, and sing hearty renditions of “Happy Birthday” before cutti...
Are Positive Emotions Good for Your Heart? 31 Jul 2013 | 12:53 pm
Having a bad attitude can kill you. That’s the upshot of a large body of scientific research which suggests that a negative approach to life—as well as conditions like depression and anxiety—is conne...
Want to Satisfy Your Partner? Give them Some Gratitude 23 Jul 2013 | 01:00 pm
Research has shown that expressing gratitude can improve our health and happiness, as well as our relationships. But what good is gratitude to someone on the receiving end of a “thank you”? “If grati...
How Positive Emotions Improve Our Health 20 Jun 2013 | 12:25 pm
We all know that physical health depends on a good diet and exercise. But recent research suggests that it also comes from a regular dose of positive emotions. Now a new study goes one step further, ...
How to Train the Compassionate Brain 23 May 2013 | 11:34 pm
The first time I ever tried a loving-kindness meditation, I was overcome by a feeling of complete… futility. Mentally extending compassion to others and wishing them free from suffering seemed nice en...
Meditation Makes Us Act with Compassion 11 Apr 2013 | 01:00 pm
You’re in a waiting room, seated next to two other people. There are only three chairs. A woman enters on crutches, a medical boot on one leg. She winces, checks her phone, sighs uncomfortably, and le...
Can a Bad Deed Lead to a Good One? 3 Apr 2013 | 06:00 pm
Imagine you are sitting at the train track switch, suddenly faced with a life-or-death decision. A train is barreling unstoppably toward five people. The good news? There’s a Y junction in the train’...
When Getting Angry Makes You Happy 2 Apr 2013 | 02:26 pm
Positive psychology tells us happiness generally comes to those who smile, practice kindness, and savor the moment—tips you’ll find here on Greater Good. But it also comes to those who let themselves...
Stressed Out? Try Helping Out 20 Mar 2013 | 07:31 pm
Stress kills, as research by Robert Sapolsky and others has found—and during stressful times, it’s tempting to look out only for yourself. But a new study suggests a healthier way to cope with the pe...
