A bunch of studies show that when we witness acts of kindness and pro-social cooperation by others we experience something called “moral elevation” - we are lifted into optimism and altruism and feel inclined to spread kindness onwards. I referred to the way awe works to connect us into our humanity a few chapters back. A global study showed that 9... See more
Why would rational and intelligent people want to contort their lives like a hyper-kinetic yoga instructor jacked up on an all-day energy drink?
Surely, it has something to do with our obsession with doing, over just being, and the endless pursuit of excitement, which we mistake for happiness. Add to this our collective fear that we will run out of... See more
The platforms may be new, but “the power structures remain stubbornly intact. And understanding how friction flows through them – who gets to avoid it and who gets crushed by it – tells us everything about how our economy actually works”.
We all know that life does not hand out bouquets. Flowers do not just appear in the world. The same is true for a life of meaning. Both are grown, over time, from the tiniest seeds. You have to cultivate meaning in your life. You need to do the hard work of tilling the soil and nurturing the seeds. No one can do it for you. Grow your own flowers an... See more
The four pillars of our approach are enabling meaningful interpersonal connection, facilitating participation to prime learning, sharing insights into scientific careers, and validating student competence and potential. According to data we collected in a post-course survey (Fig. 1), students attributed these strategies to helping them connect with... See more
Answers rise or fall to the questions they meet. And it is a deep, deep truth in science as in life that at any given moment we are being shaped as much by the questions we're carrying as by the answers we have it in us to give. Those moments when a new question rises up in us, stops us in our tracks, those are pivot points. Those are moments when ... See more