What’s the best number of friends for a person to have? Click this link to hear from a professor whose research explores this very question.
Category Archives: The Individual and Society
The History of the American Flag
Learn fun facts about the symbol that represents all Americans, regardless of background or politics.
Americans Are Getting Better at Cooperating With Strangers
Click this link to learn more about a recent study that suggests Americans have become more willing to cooperate with strangers over the past several decades.
Creating Common Ground in Tense, Difficult Situations
It can be hard to find common ground in a tense situation. Click here to read an interview with Chicago’s Superintendent of Police David Brown, who urges Americans involved in conflicts to really listen to each other, see past their differences, and work together in a spirit of collaboration.
How Watching a Good Deed Elevates and Inspires
You might do a good deed for someone else just because it’s the right thing to do. Research shows, though, that you’re more likely to do that good deed if you’ve recently seen someone else do a good deed. This article discusses the infectiousness of altruism.
How Conformity Can Be Good and Bad for Society
Is it best to conform to the rules and expectations of a society, or should people do what they think is best, even it it makes them stick out from the herd? Click here to dig deeper into this question.
Attacks against Asian Americans are on the rise. Here’s what you can do
In recent months, there’s been an increase in violence against Asian Americans. One way you can help is by speaking out against violence and racism. Click this link to find out other ways to help.
How do children choose a best friend?
How important is it to have a best friend? This article explains the health benefits of having close relationships with others. It also points out some interesting differences in cultural expectations related to friendship.
Searching for Common Ground in Angry Times
In this article, two authors explain how polarization in American society can be a major roadblock to productive, civil discussions about difficult issues.
Our choices may be making us more individualistic
Whether it’s picking out a box of cereal from the grocery aisle or deciding which sources to get our information from, we make all kinds of choices every day. This article suggests that having all these choices may ultimately have a negative impact on society.
The Pandemic Has Shaken Students’ Sense of Themselves
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected young people and their sense of how they fit into society?
What We Owe Each Other
A social contract is an implied agreement among the people of a society about the rules that define their government. The author of this piece believes it’s time to establish new social contracts to replace systems that aren’t working well anymore.
What the ‘Lyme wars’ can teach us about COVID-19 and how to find common ground in the school reopening debate
Lyme disease, which people get from tick bites, is a subject of controversy in the medical field. What can we learn from this controversy that might help people deal with disagreements about COVID-19 and reopening schools?
Coronavirus: How can society thrive post-pandemic?
How has COVID-19 affected our connections with one other? What other questions should we be asking about how society should move forward from the pandemic? Click this link to read what a diverse group of experts think.
How social media turns online arguments between teenagers into real-world violence
What role does social media play in creating conflict in our society? This article explains how online disagreements can lead to violence in real life.
Conflict Resolution Skills
The most you can control in any conflict is one side—your own. Learn ways to manage your emotions and use approaches that will help you work toward resolving conflicts with other people.
Need to Dust Off Your Social Skills?
This article provides some advice for re-learning the social skills we may have lost during the many isolating months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has shown the flaws of American individualism
Many Americans firmly believe that individuals should be independent and self-reliant. But the author of this commentary argues that too much individualism can lead to tyranny rather than freedom.
For America to Succeed, We Must Find Common Ground
The author of this article points out that humans are more successful when they cooperate. He urges Americans to unite under our nation’s flag, in spite of political differences.
Healing the political divide
This article examines the reasons for the current level of political division in the United States and considers how we might go about trying to improve the situation.