Articles & Op Eds

This article was originally published in Fortune. America has a pessimism problem. Surveys show that large percentages of the public envision a future of decline and despair. This is concerning because building a better future starts with envisioning a better future....

This article was originally published in PR News. In a world of constant digital connectivity and rapid technological change, Generation Z is exhibiting a fascinating psychological phenomenon: They're deeply nostalgic for eras they never experienced firsthand. Far...

This article was originally published in the American Press Institute. I greatly enjoy sharing my expertise in social psychology with the media industry. Newsrooms often call upon me to share my knowledge of nostalgia and how my research on nostalgia’s psychological...

This article was originally published in the Washington Examiner. As we usher in a new year, countless resolutions will focus on our relationship with digital technology, with many centering on a singular goal: cutting back. Yet, instead of resolving to use...

This article was originally published in Real Clear Politics In the middle of a Trump transition, the “Resistance 2.0,” and the inevitable partisan mud-slinging, it is easy to lose faith in humanity’s future. Polls show growing pessimism about everything from...

This article was originally published in the Houston Chronicle. As political polarization deepens this election cycle, where can America find hope? The answer might lie with Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, George W. Bush, Michelle Obama, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. These...

This article was originally published in Dallas Morning News. Political division is exhausting, but a strategy of avoidance is the wrong approach. In a recent experiment between people who disagreed with each other on... In a recent experiment, participants...

This article was originally published in Fortune. In an era dominated by smartphones, social media, and streaming services, an unexpected trend is emerging: Young people are increasingly drawn to the analog past. Vinyl records, CDs, physical books, board...

This article was originally published in the Leadership and Happiness Laboratory. Americans are having fewer children than needed to sustain the nation’s population. As our country ages and a smaller working-age population struggles to support a larger elderly cohort,...

This article was originally published in Fortune Magazine. In an age when public discourse prioritizes sensationalism and cynical viewpoints about America over measured analysis and factual accuracy, a recently released survey of U.S. workers offers a data-driven...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. We often view hope as a feeling that reflects our outlook on something we wish for. Sometimes we feel hope in positive situations, such as eagerly awaiting news of a job offer or promotion. Here, hope...

This article was originally published in Human Progress. Even if technological advances help mitigate the problems with a shrinking population, young people are an irreplaceable existential resource. Summary: The decline in global birth rates has shifted concerns from...

This article was originally published in Business Insider. Gen Z wants to talk about mental health. And these days, they want to talk about it at the office. In a 2023 survey of nearly 3,000 people, Gen Z was almost twice as likely as other generations to say...

This article was originally published in USA Today. The seeming indifference of many to below-replacement fertility rates sweeping across nations may stem from a disproportionate emphasis on practical matters that fail to stir the soul. During the pandemic, I came...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine Americans are increasingly concerned about mental health. In recent decades, there has been a push for people to think and talk more about their psychological vulnerabilities and struggles. While this...

This article was originally published in DC Journal. Hope is essential for a thriving society, yet only half of Americans are hopeful for the nation’s future. To address this challenge, we must cultivate a shared patriotic spirit that rises above divisive politics....

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. We love the rags-to-riches story, where the protagonist comes from humble beginnings and overcomes numerous obstacles to have an impactful, fulfilling, and lucrative career. I think we are drawn to these...

This article was originally published in Newsweek. Political polarization has become a fixture of American society. While stoking outrage and division may benefit certain media outlets and political agendas, it obstructs our ability to thrive as individuals and come...

This article was originally published in Fortune Magazine. Americans have a long reputation for being hopeful. The United States is often characterized by its can-do attitude and the pursuit of the American Dream–the idea that motivated individuals have the freedom to...

The article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. Years ago, William Dunn encountered a young boy who was having behavioral problems. After learning that the boy’s father wasn’t in his life, William offered to take the young man fishing. For William, fishing...

This article was originally published in Business Insider. Nostalgia has taken over our culture. The top-grossing movies of 2023 were "Barbie" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." "Hogwarts Legacy" and "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" were two of the most...

This article was originally published in Fortune Magazine. Nostalgia is often portrayed as lighthearted entertainment, or worse, a mental barrier to living fully in the present and planning for the future. However, most Americans have a deeper appreciation for the...

This article was originally published in Discourse Magazine. The journey to the past that nostalgia takes us on is really about the present and the future. A few years ago, I attended a presentation by a professor who studies scientific, medical and technological...

This article was originally published in Los Angeles Daily News. As we enter the winter holiday season, we are especially likely to feel nostalgic. Gathering with loved ones or participating in cherished social and cultural traditions elevates our sentimentality...

This article was originally published in Harvard Business Review. Employers and managers are increasingly focused on the mental health needs of their workers, and for good reason. In the last decade in the U.S., there has been a consistent increase...

This article was originally published in NorthJersey.com Therapy is becoming politicized in ways that deviate from its foundations and turn people away from its unique benefits. One need only watch popular shows such as "Ted Lasso" or "The Shrink Next Door" to see...

This article was originally published in The Hill. The fertility decline in the U.S. and around the world has prompted growing concern. Much of the focus has been on societal-level economic problems that could result from sub-replacement fertility.  However, it...

This article was originally published in Fortune. Amidst America’s mental health crisis, emerging technologies now come to an anxious marketplace. Generative A.I, pundits claim, will inevitably lead to more loneliness, mass unemployment, and even the end of...

We can help solve our mental health crisis by getting out of our own heads This article was originally published in Discourse Magazine. Beyond a given point man is not helped by more “knowing,” but only by living and doing in a partly self-forgetful way. As Goethe put...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. The path to a college degree can be tough. Sometimes, students face difficulties that shake their confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed. As a college professor, it is common for a student to...

This article was originally published in the Wall Street Journal. Rather than ruminating, turn outward and engage with the world. We hear a lot about America’s mental-health crisis, and the crisis is real. But part of the problem is that we talk about it too...

This article was originally published in The Hill. May the Fourth be with you! Today, “Star Wars” fans from all over the world are celebrating their passion for the multi-billion-dollar science fiction franchise created by George Lucas 46 years...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. The following is an interview conducted by Archbridge Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab Clay Routledge with Coltan Scrivner, a research scientist at...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. The following is an interview conducted by Archbridge Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab Clay Routledge with Lucy Foulkes, an academic psychologist at the University of...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. Whether you read scientific journals or The Washington Post, you have no doubt seen many pieces about how anxious kids are these days. Unfortunately, it’s true. The numbers are grim and...

This article was originally published in Discourse Magazine. America is becoming a nation of anxious people. Psychologists point to the rapid rise in anxiety, especially among teenagers and young adults, as evidence that our country is facing a mental health crisis....

This article was originally published in the Progress Network. Today, thanks to scientific discoveries and technological innovations, we live safer, longer, and more comfortable lives than at any time in human history. Nearly all of us would be unwilling to surrender...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. The human brain is an amazing organ. Though it only accounts for 2% of the weight of an adult human, it uses 20% of the energy our bodies produce. Many of the tasks our brains complete happen without our...

This article was originally published by the Southern California News Group. Politics increasingly divides Americans. In a free, diverse, and dynamic society like ours, strong philosophical disagreements should be expected. They can be a sign of healthy pluralism —...

This article was originally published in USA Today. For much of our history, most humans lived far more perilous lives than we live today. Our challenge is less about our material conditions and more about our mindset. Declining birth rates are a major...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. Wellbeing is big business. Americans spend billions of dollars per year on wellbeing-related products, services, and experiences. The Global Wellness Institute estimates the value of the global wellbeing...

This article was originally published in Real Clear Policy. Almost every day, there is a news story or opinion piece blaming a societal problem on capitalism. A recent one blames capitalism for destroying art, citing Warner Brothers canceling the release...

This article was originally published in the Daily News. Tinder, a leader among American dating apps, is about to turn 10. Tinder is widely criticized as being bad for healthy relationships and even mental health. Generally, it’s a bad rap; the problem runs deeper...

This article was originally published in Fortune Magazine. We live in highly polarized times. Far-left activists act like the United States is a force for evil in the world, while far-right nationalists act as if they are the sole defenders of the American way of...

This article was originally published in Newsweek. As many of us gather this weekend with family and friends for the July 4 holiday, it's worthwhile reflecting on American pride. Although Americans are divided in many ways, our shared positive national identity will...

The article was originally published in Discourse Magazine. The data show that love of country correlates with optimism about the future, which facilitates positive change. Surveys show that patriotism is unpopular among progressives. To many of them, love of...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. The following is an interview conducted by Profectus Co-editor Clay Routledge with Brendan Case and Matthew T. Lee. Brendan Case, Th.D., is the Associate Director for Research of the Human Flourishing...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. For the vast majority of human history, the struggle for survival, let alone the aspiration to flourish, has been defined in large part by the battle against material scarcity. Our challenges were those of...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. Humans are often described as social animals because we are so driven by the need for connection and much of our success as a species relies on our ability to work together. This is certainly true but our...

This article was originally published in the Washington Examiner Meaning in life is central to individual and societal flourishing. People must believe that they have the power to live meaningful lives. The good news is that the majority of Americans do believe they...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. A couple of years after arriving in the United States to pursue a graduate degree, I became enamored with the American Dream. This feeling came from a mix of reading success stories of people...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. In these polarized times, people are regularly encouraged to think about differences between groups. Social commentators expound on the differences between conservatives and liberals, religious and...

This article was originally published in Profectus Magazine. I once attended a dinner where the keynote speaker was Mike Rowe. As a lover of “Dirty Jobs,” and someone who was interested in alternatives to traditional higher education, I was excited to hear what the...

This article was originally published on yahoo.com As overprotection goes up, entrepreneurship is going down American entrepreneurship has been declining for decades. The country that gave us Ford, Apple and the Thigh Master has seen new business...

Nostalgia can bring comfort and meaning, even inspiration. It’s about the future more than the past. This article was originally published in the Wall Street Journal Nostalgia has a bad reputation. Some people view it as unhealthy, a mental weakness signifying fear of...

‘Existential agency’ is correlated with belief in capitalism and entrepreneurship. This article was originally published in the Wall Street Journal A growing body of behavioral-science research indicates that believing life has meaning helps individuals thrive. People...