When you think of volunteering, you likely picture someone ladling up hearty bowls of soup at a food pantry or caring for pups at an animal shelter. But while these are among the most popular opportunities out there, there are myriad other ways to give back to society in your free time — and no […]
Can giving homeless people $750 a month to use any way they choose help them move into long-term housing? I am the director of the University of Southern California Homelessness Policy Research Institute. My research team, in partnership with Miracle Messages, a San Francisco social services nonprofit, set out to answer that question in a study that will be published in an upcoming peer-reviewed issue of Social Work Research.
Jason VanRuler is an author and psychotherapist specializing in communication, attachment, and relationships. Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking to yourself “That went really well,” only to learn later that the conversation did not actually go well? I can remember early on in my marriage having a challenging talk about relocating to
When Megan Keaveny didn’t get a great response to the flyers she posted asking strangers to share their good news using a QR code, the New York City transplant opted for a more direct approach. She took a black marker to some poster board and wrote “Tell Me Something Good.” Then she stood on the
An 11-year-old named Kirsty Waugh is on a unique mission. She’s tracking down every other Kirsty in the world. And she’s doing it for a good cause — to raise money and awareness for people with brain tumors.
Since going on vacation together 44 years ago, a group of friends has carried on a sweet tradition: posing for the same photo at the same spot every five years. Now 62 years old, pals John Wardlaw, Mark Rumer-Cleary, Dallas Burney, John Molony, and John “JD” Dickson all attended Southern California’s Santa Barbara High School.
These High School Friends Have Posed for the Same Photo Every 5 Years Since 1982 Continue Reading »
When homeless shelters allow people to stay with their dogs and other pets, more unhoused people become more willing to stay in a shelter.
That’s what my team at the University of Southern California’s Homelessness Policy Research Institute learned when we evaluated California’s Pet Assistance and Support Program.
“Humble” is not a word my colleagues would use to describe me, especially early in my career.
In fact, when word got around that I was researching humility, I suspect more than a few choked on their coffee.
And even though I have spent over a decade exploring the concept as an attribute and as a practice, it wasn’t until I recently reflected on my own professional challenges that I truly understood how to embrace humility.
We asked, and you answered: Nearly 700 people wrote in to Nice News to share what makes them happy, and that makes us very happy indeed. We put out a request earlier this month with the aim of sharing our readers’ ingredients for happiness — because the feeling can be contagious, even when it comes
Most of the time, we hear others when they’re talking to us. But are we truly listening to them and letting it be known? The answer to this question is what separates passive listeners from active ones — the former may retain what people are telling them, but the latter takes steps to show that
