The Greater Good Science Center (GGSC) is a research center located at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Introduction

The center was founded by Dacher Keltner in 2001, with a donation from UC Berkeley alumni Thomas and Ruth Hornaday following the death of their daughter from cancer. Based at the

, it sponsors scientific research into social and emotional well-being. The center draws upon academic fields such as psychology, sociology, education, economics, and neuroscience in its research. It publishes an online magazine, Greater Good; a podcast, The Science of Happiness; the Greater Good in Action website; and classes and events.

Podcasts and print magazine

The center produces the podcast ''The Science of Happiness''. ''Greater Good'' magazine (; 2004–2009) was a quarterly magazine published by the center, edited by Dacher Keltner, of the

, and journalist Jason Marsh. The magazine highlighted scientific research into the roots of

compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...

altruism Altruism is the concern for the well-being of others, independently of personal benefit or reciprocity. The word ''altruism'' was popularised (and possibly coined) by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in French, as , for an antonym of egoi ...

, and

empathy Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience. There are more (sometimes conflicting) definitions of empathy that include but are ...

and included stories of compassion in action, providing a bridge between social scientists and parents, educators, community leaders, and policy makers. The magazine was nominated by the ''

Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne''; , ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...

'' as one of the top independent publications in the country.

References

Notes

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External links

Greater Good Science Center WebsiteRaising Happiness Blog: Science for Joyful Kids and Happier ParentsGreater Good Education Blog
University of California, Berkeley Social psychology organizations 2001 establishments in California Moral psychology Positive psychology