Why Did We Ever Send Sick Kids to School?
An overemphasis on attendance puts students’ health at risk and instills the value of working through illness. The pandemic has made it clear how dangerous that is.
The Type of Love That Makes People Happiest
When it comes to lasting romance, passion has nothing on friendship.
Welcome to the Post-pandemic Dream Home
Work “nooks,” sanitizer-stocked mudrooms, and other new features might soon appear in American houses—for those who can afford them.
Friendship and Stonework Grow More Beautiful With Time
“If the house was burning down, she would run in and carry me out. She shows up, boy does she show up.”
The Subtle Mindset Shift That Could Radically Change the Way You See the World
The Dalai Lama teaches that we are all interconnected and inseparable from one another. Acknowledging that can make us less lonely, more compassionate, and better investigators of the truth.
How Our Relationships Affect What We Eat
When couples, families, and friends compromise on their diets, it can lead to devastating fights or creative new food cultures.
Dear Therapist’s Guide to Love and Relationships
Talking honestly and openly won’t necessarily save a troubled relationship, but doing so can clarify whether one can and should be saved.
Diamonds Aren’t Special and Neither Is Your Love
We’ve coupled love to marriage and marriage to gems, and all three thrive on the assumption of rarity. What would it mean for love to be common?
There Are Two Kinds of Happy People
Some of us strive for a virtuous life. Others strive for a pleasant one. We could all use a better balance.
The Myth That Gets Men Out of Doing Chores
They’re just as good at recognizing messes as women—they just don’t feel the same pressure to clean them up.
What I Learned About Love When I Stopped Being Honest
After growing up in a family that never lied, I spent decades being off-puttingly truthful.
What It’s Like to Carry On a Tradition With a Friend Who Can’t Remember It
“He could tell if it rang true inside of him or not.”
Stop Keeping Score
She who dies with the most checked boxes wins, right? Wrong.
Why Your To-Do List Never Ends
For many Americans, there’s more to do, and less mental bandwidth with which to do it.
Find the Place You Love. Then Move There.
If where you live isn’t truly your home, and you have the resources to make a change, it could do wonders for your happiness.
A Shift in American Family Values Is Fueling Estrangement
Both parents and adult children often fail to recognize how profoundly the rules of family life have changed over the past half century.
I’ve Been Secret Friends With My Son’s Ex for 30 Years
“I’ve realized that you have to look for friendship in places you would never expect it.”
4 Numbers That Make the Pandemic’s Massive Death Toll Sink In
It’s difficult to fully comprehend the magnitude of 350,000 deaths. Other metrics can be more illuminating.
Dear Therapist’s Guide to Starting Over
Change can bring on a mixture of feelings; compassion is how you navigate them.
New Year’s Resolutions That Will Actually Lead to Happiness
Set goals to improve your well-being—not your wallet or your waistline.