Happiness Without Getting What You Want
Who says we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want? According to Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert, our "psychological immune system" lets us feel real, enduring happiness even when things don't go as planned. This kind of happiness -- "synthetic happiness," Gilbert calls it -- is "every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aimi... posted on Sep 22, 5600 reads

Synagogue a Mosque During Ramadan
On Friday afternoons, the people coming to pray at this building take off their shoes, unfurl rugs to kneel on and pray in Arabic. The ones that come Friday evenings put on yarmulkes, light candles and pray in Hebrew. The building is a synagogue on a tree-lined street in suburban Virginia, but for the past few weeks -- during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- it has also been doubling daily as a... posted on Sep 20, 4732 reads

Chuck Close Alchemy: Using Adversity to Create Magic
If you're an artist in the 21st century, chances are you've heard of master-colorist and brush-wielder extraordinaire, Chuck Close. Considered one of the most influential artists of our time, he is quite frankly, unstoppable. Recognizing his thirst to paint at a very young age, he has not allowed anything to stand in his way, maneuvering every challenge into an opportunity. At age 48, after an awa... posted on Sep 21, 4241 reads

Smashing Stereotypes of Old Age
Jack Borden has found the fountain of youth. It's in his office. Borden has been practicing law for more than seven decades. At 101, he was recently honored as America's "Outstanding Oldest Worker" by the nonprofit group Experience Works. Will Miles Clark, D.D.S., on the other hand, is a spry 105-year-old who has gladly spent about half a century in retirement from his former profession, dentistry... posted on Sep 24, 4594 reads

The Man Behind 'Joy of Giving'
All his possessions fit in two suitcases. He doesn't earn much, he doesn't spend much. Most of his life is focused on birthing a culture of giving. In 2000, when he found out that formal giving was 0.2% of the GDP in India (compared to 1.8% in the US), he started an effort called 'GiveIndia', to promote good causes and to make their finances transparent. Millions of rupees were donated on that... posted on Oct 3, 3826 reads

The New Orleans Musician's Clinic
Eleven years ago, Bethany and her husband, Johann Bultman, decided the best way to keep the music alive was to keep the musicians healthy. "The reason we chose to target musicians in New Orleans is because they represent a pure American cultural form, jazz music," said Johann. Thanks to the Clinic's volunteer doctors, a grant from the federal government, and various charitable donations, the non-p... posted on Nov 3, 1963 reads

Angels in the Dust
In South Africa's Pilanesberg National Park, the longtime government practice of culling -- killing adult elephants to control herd sizes -- tore apart the complex social fabric of elephant culture, a fabric that is not unlike that of the traditionally close-knit African village. As a result, orphaned elephants grew up exhibiting unusually violent behavior, such as attacking and goring rhinos. But... posted on Oct 10, 2501 reads

Notes Left Behind by A Five-Year-Old
After 5-year-old Elena Desserich was diagnosed with an inoperable kind of cancer, she managed to spread a message of hope and healing. Elena knew that every coming day would be a gift, not to be wasted, so she created a to-do list of sorts -- swim with dolphins, drive a car and more. During her nine-month battle with cancer, Elena was planning an even greater gift for her family. She was hiding no... posted on Nov 6, 7411 reads

Taking In The Good
Much as your body is built from the foods you eat, your mind is built from the experiences you have. The flow of experience gradually sculpts your brain, thus shaping your mind. Some of the results can be explicitly recalled: This is what I did last summer; that is how I felt when I was in love. But most of them remain forever unconscious. This is called implicit memory, and it helps form your exp... posted on Nov 7, 7498 reads

Triumph Of A Dreamer
"Of all the people earning university degrees this year, perhaps the most remarkable story belongs to Tererai (pronounced TEH-reh-rye), a middle-aged woman who is one of my heroes. She is celebrating a personal triumph, but she's also a monument to the aid organizations and individuals who helped her. When you hear that foreign-aid groups just squander money or build dependency, remember that by a... posted on Nov 17, 3721 reads

Leadership Without a Secret Code
Being a leader anywhere can be a difficult job. In this interview, Drew Gilpin Faust discusses what her life has been like as the leader of one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Harvard. Read how Faust uses simple tools like communication and team-building to create a cohesive atmosphere. Learn how hectic and rewarding a position of leadership can be.... posted on Dec 5, 3942 reads

How Food Shapes Our Cities
Ten thousand years ago, humans began settling in cities, moving away from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Since then, food has shaped our cities. In her speech, Carolyn Steel discusses how food has dictated so much of human activity, and more specifically, city growth. Steel gives a realistic appraisal of our current consumption, and what our food patterns mean for the future of humanity. Learn... posted on Nov 30, 3462 reads

Jose Bright's Saturday School
When Jose Bright arrived in South Africa in 1994, he felt daunted by the task ahead. After all, as director for regional affairs for the mayor of Washington, D.C., he had been asked by South Africa to help transform its schools, designed to benefit the white minority of 4 million, into a system to educate the 40 million black majority as well. Nobody would have blamed him if he'd simply declared v... posted on Nov 21, 2871 reads

The Henry Ford of Heart Surgery
Dr. Shetty entered the limelight in the early 1990s as Mother Teresa's cardiac surgeon. Today he offers cutting-edge medical care in India at a fraction of what it costs elsewhere in the world. His flagship heart hospital charges $2,000, on average, for open-heart surgery, compared with hospitals in the U.S. that are paid between $20,000 and $100,000, depending on the complexity of the surgery. Th... posted on Jan 6, 3136 reads

11 Myths of Decluttering
With the coming New Year, many people make a resolution to become more organized, and to tie up sundry loose ends in their lives. But taking on the task of decluttering your home or workplace can often be daunting. In this article, Gretchen Rubin offers some time-tested and helpful advice for figuring out what stays by pointing out what she calls, "the 11 myths of Decluttering"... posted on Dec 28, 16092 reads

Greenest School in America
Spending a day sorting through trash is not how most high school students use their free time. However, students at Irvington High SChool in Fremont, CA, do exactly that. This school's environmental club was recently voted the Greenest School in America. Watch how the school earned this title by sorting through all the school's trash, looking for recyclables and things to be composted. These s... posted on Dec 3, 3099 reads

A School That Serves As A Lifeline
Principal Sherrie Gahn said she was shocked when she first came to Whitney Elementary School seven years ago."The kids were eating ketchup packets," Gahn said. "I said to one of my teachers, 'What on Earth are they doing?' and she said, 'That's their dinner.' " Whitney Elementary is in a dusty, rundown neighborhood of Las Vegas. Families here live at the edge of financial disaster. Gahn estimates ... posted on Dec 10, 3578 reads

Africa's Schindler
Today, Congo is still reeling from the fallout of the world's worst conflict since the second World War. Although the Congo combat officially ended in 2002, an estimated 1,500 people are still dying every day. While hope is often a scarce commodity in this poor African nation, people like Henri Bura Ladyi are working hard to find a way to peace. A modern-day African version of Oskar Schindler, t... posted on Dec 30, 2268 reads

A Payment, 38 Years Later
A woman who wanted to clear her conscience after she bought three blankets but was only charged for one -- 38 years ago -- returned to the shop and paid it back, with interest. Unable to believe that someone would do this, the shopkeeper pinched himself and then paid it forward!... posted on Feb 6, 6722 reads

Help Portrait: A Worldwide Photo Shoot
"Jeremy Cowart is a professional artist in Nashville, Tennessee, who has photographed rock stars such as Sting and Britney Spears. But on Saturday, he turned his lens on people unlikely to be recognized by anyone but family. Cowart staged a one-day, worldwide photo shoot called Help Portrait. "We just want to show people that they are beautiful, that they are valued," Cowart told CNN. Cowart used ... posted on Dec 18, 4514 reads

A Child Entrepreneur Gives Back
In the home of eighth-grader Jason O'Neill, teddy bears are everywhere. They're white, black or brown. Some have bow ties and some have ribbons. They sit on chairs, tables, counter tops and the floor. Thanks to O'Neill, a young entrepreneur who started his own company at age 9, they're all going to sick children for Christmas.... posted on Dec 20, 4556 reads

The Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
In January of 2001, Christopher McDougall asked his doctor a simple question, "How come my foot hurts?" The doctor's response to that question would change the course of his life and ultimately send him on a journey where he would find an answer -- but only, as he puts it in his own words, "after I found myself in the middle of the greatest race the world would never see." This excerpt shares more... posted on Dec 21, 4457 reads

Modest Needs: Small Gifts, Big Impact
Gary Ribble would not be able to read this story if not for people like you. Ribble, who has chronic lymphocytic leukemia in addition to severe diabetes and impaired hearing, needed new eyeglasses last spring but couldn't afford them after losing a job he'd held for more than 40 years. Then he found out about the Modest Needs Foundation. The grass-roots charity pools thousands of small donations t... posted on Dec 31, 3479 reads

A Heartwarming Work of Edifying Genius
In What Is the What, Dave Eggers chronicled the trials of one of the "lost boys of Sudan," a young man named Valentino Deng. Deng escaped the Sudan and made it to the United States, where he met Eggers, who turned his story into the award-winning book. With the funds from the book's successful run, Deng and Eggers started the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation. Deng has since returned to the Sudan to... posted on Jan 8, 2335 reads

Design Thinking for Social Innovation
Designers have traditionally focused on enhancing the look and functionality of products. Recently, they have begun using design tools to tackle more complex problems, such as finding ways to provide low-cost healthcare throughout the world. Read about how nonprofits are using "design thinking" to tackle issues such as transporting clean water to arid areas and feeding malnourished children in d... posted on Jan 31, 2235 reads

The Melody of Birds On Wire
While reading a newspaper, Jarbas Agnelli was struck by a photograph of birds on an electric wire. Their positioning on several wires made him think of a musical staff. He cut out the photograph and decided to make a song, using the bird's exact locations to determine which notes to play. "I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe," Agnelli says in an explanation on his website. "I w... posted on Jan 4, 7264 reads

Rooster Valentini: Getting Kids to School
The sun hangs low in a cold morning sky, blasting Russell 'Rooster' Valentini's eyes as he steers the battered red minivan he calls ''The Beast'' east into Allentown. Valentini cannot put down the visor to block the glare because 13 parking tickets will rain down on his head. So he squints as he heads to the Salvation Army Hospitality House on Seventh Street to look for students he hopes he does n... posted on Jan 26, 4358 reads

Who Wants To Be A Billionaire? I Don't.
Jeffrey Lee is not interested in the soaring price of uranium, which could make him one of the world's richest men. "This is my country. Look, it's beautiful and I fear somebody will disturb it," he says, waving his arm across a view of rocky land surrounded by Kakadu National Park, where the French energy giant Areva wants to extract 14,000 tonnes of uranium worth more than $5 billion. Mr Lee, th... posted on Jan 12, 4057 reads

Superhero Animal Stories
A retriever fights off a cougar that attacked its 11 year old owner. A pot-bellied pig blocked traffic to get attention to its heart-attack stricken owner. Planet Green recounts these and the other top uplifting stories of "superhero" animals rescuing their owners. Watch to hear some amazing stories from both traditional and non-traditional pets.... posted on Jan 28, 3902 reads

A Missed Flight & A Connection Found
On a plane bound for O'Hare International Airport, Elsie Clark felt weak, scared and utterly alone -- until she spotted a pair of shiny leather shoes across the aisle. What happened to the 79-year-old Canadian over the next 12 hours-- being embraced by a good Samaritan, escorted through O'Hare in a wheelchair and welcomed to a swanky high-rise for dinner overlooking Lake Michigan-- saved her from ... posted on Jan 4, 8251 reads

Ogori Cafe: Order It Forward!
When you walk in Japan's Ogori Cafe, you get whatever the person before you ordered and paid for; then, in return you order something for the person behind you. It doesn't matter what you order -- that's a surprise! The whole point is to get something random from a stranger, and buy something random for a stranger.... posted on Feb 8, 3137 reads

The Zero Rupee Note
A zero-sum game is one in which the gains of one player are exactly balanced by the losses of another. In India a local NGO has invented a new sort of zero sum which, it hopes, will leave everyone better off: the zero-rupee note. The note is not legal tender. It is simply a piece of paper the colour of a 50-rupee note with a picture of Gandhi on it and a value of nothing. Its aim is to shame corr... posted on Feb 16, 5650 reads

No Laptops Allowed At This Cafe
A North Oakland cafe is trying something revolutionary. No, it's not fat-free croissants or half-price lattes. The owner is asking customers to leave their laptops at home and actually speak to each other! "When we opened this place we wanted to create a community. Instead it's just been a room full of laptops," said Sal Bednarz, who opened Actual Cafe six weeks ago in Oakland. "I don't have anyt... posted on Feb 18, 3504 reads

10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy
What makes us happy? The emerging field of positive psychology is bursting with new findings that suggest your actions can have a significant effect on your happiness and satisfaction with life. Actions like: savor everyday moments, avoid comparisons, put money low on the list, have meaningful goals, take initiative at work, smile even when you don't feel like it, say thank you like you mean it, ... posted on Feb 13, 27127 reads

Kidney For a Grocery Store Clerk
Dan Coyne had the surprise all planned: near the end of Myra dela Vega's Friday night shift as a Jewel-Osco cashier in Evanston, IL, his children would buy groceries and hand her a card. Inside would be the unexpected news that Coyne could donate one of his kidneys to dela Vega, who is suffering from renal failure. But dela Vega, 49, who looked puzzled by the card, didn't open it. Instead, Coyne e... posted on Feb 22, 2142 reads

5 Ways to Start a Kindness Revolution at Work
We spend around 2,000 hours a year with our coworkers. Given how much time we spend with them, a little bit of kindness can really go a long way. It doesn't require any money or training, and you can start right away either individually or as a team. That's the beauty of it! Leading by example, putting an end to petty criticism, welcoming new employees with open arms and recognizing the strengt... posted on Feb 19, 8870 reads

Happiness Wards Off Heart Disease
Being happy and staying positive may help ward off heart disease, a study suggests. US researchers monitored the health of 1,700 people over 10 years, finding the most anxious and depressed were at the highest risk of the disease. Lead researcher Dr. Karina Davidson said people often wait for "two weeks of vacation to have fun" when instead we should seek enjoyment each day.... posted on Mar 21, 3936 reads

Art from Ashes
Orin spent a good chunk of 2009 sleeping on park benches. The 20-year-old admits he made it difficult on his parents. He ran away close to a half-dozen times. On the streets, though, he has become quite the poet. "I just want everyone to know I have something to say," Orin said. And every Tuesday night, Orin and other youth like him, get their chance to share their voice through 'Art from Ashes' ... posted on Feb 23, 3814 reads

Your Brain on Income Inequality
The human brain is a big believer in equality -- and a team of scientists from Caltech and Ireland's Trinity College has become the first to gather the images to prove it. Specifically, the team found that the reward centers in the human brain respond more strongly when a poor person receives a financial reward than when a rich person does. The surprising thing? This activity pattern holds true e... posted on Mar 2, 3652 reads

Journey of a Kindness Checkbook
How would you use $20 to bring more kindness in your community? A Bank employee, with a generous heart and an adventurous spirit, created a checkbook cover containing $20 and the following note: "Congratulations! You are currently the bearer of the Smile Transaction Register. This kindness checkbook began its journey with $20. Your only job is to keep it going."... posted on Mar 19, 9012 reads

Story of the Brick
When a piece of art consisting of a porcelain brick arrived on the desk of key government officials during what is now known as the "California Water Wars" nobody knew it would change the course of environmental history. Years later, one of those officials, then head of California's Resource Agency, recounted how a gift of artwork moved his heart, and rippled out to move the hearts of the people o... posted on Jun 11, 3720 reads

Tanzanian Tribe Called Hadza
The Hadza tribe in Tanzania do not engage in warfare. They've never lived densely enough to be seriously threatened by an infectious outbreak. They have no known history of famine; rather, there is evidence of people from a farming group coming to live with them during a time of crop failure. The Hadza diet remains even today more stable and varied than that of most of the world's citizens. They e... posted on Mar 11, 6379 reads

Upside of Depression
It's everywhere. As inescapable as the common cold. Every year, 7 percent of us will be diagnosed with the grey clouds of depression. But how well do we really understand it? Charles Darwin claimed that depression was a clarifying force, focusing the mind on its most essential problems. And the grey clouds hit him hard, leaving him "not able to do anything one day out of three." More recently, res... posted on Apr 13, 6429 reads

Lifebox -- Thinking Outside the Box!
Not everything we will buy will always be local. So Paul Stamets has come up with an amazing solution to the troubling international issue of shipping waste -- Lifeboxes! They're shipping containers integrating seeds in their compostable wrapping that can give birth to a whole new garden. You tear it up, plant it, and water it -- the seeds and spores do the rest. That's thinking outside the box.... posted on Mar 18, 5160 reads

Meet Nepal's 'God of Sight'
Raj Kaliya Dhanuk sits on a wooden bench, barefoot, with a tattered sari covering thin arms as rough as bark. Thick clear tears bleed from her eyes, milky saucers that stare at nothing. Dhanuk and more than 500 others - most of whom have never seen a doctor before - have traveled for days by bicycle, motorbike, bus and even on their relatives' backs to reach Dr. Sanduk Ruit's mobile eye camp. Each... posted on Mar 30, 4937 reads

Kidney Transplant Record
Dr. Robert Montgomery, chief transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said that doctors at four hospitals in four states transplanted eight kidneys over three weeks in what he called the largest chain of donations in history. He believes such intricate, multi-state exchanges can drastically reduce the number of patients waiting for eligible donors. Multiple-kidney transplants occur when sever... posted on Apr 3, 1994 reads

Free Farm Stand
"I'm a simple person," says a man who goes by the name Tree. "We're going to grow food here, and then we're going to give it away to people who need it." On a 1/3 acre lot in San Francisco, known unofficially as the Free Farm, volunteers cultivate the land and its given freely to anyone who wants it. Since 2008, Tree has donated more than 6,000 pounds of food on Sunday mornings.... posted on Mar 23, 4127 reads

Does Activism Make You Happy?
New research says that it does! In a groundbreaking study, two university psychologists, Malte Klar and Tim Kasser, interviewed college students about their political engagement and level of happiness. The results show that taking action boosts morale: those who are politically involved are happier than those who aren't. Regardless of how engaging the political action, simply taking a stand for wh... posted on Apr 22, 4847 reads

Brazil Takes the Lead
No, we're not talking about soccer. Brazil, a nation known for its cutting-edge soccer skills, is also at the forefront of massive social reform. While many nations are struggling to keep up with the ambitious Millennium Development Goals put forth by the United Nations in 2000, Brazil is unperturbed. The Latin American country has already reduced poverty by a whopping 81 percent, drastically low... posted on Apr 16, 3478 reads

Where has all the meat gone?
What do Paul McCartney, the Baltimore Unified School District, and the city of San Francisco all have in common? They have all stopped eating meat on Mondays. In efforts to curb climate change, cities around the world are promoting citizens to eat less meat, since livestock is a large source of greenhouse emissions. From meatless Monday school lunches in Baltimore to "Veg Days" in San Francisco a... posted on Apr 12, 4156 reads