Dacher Keltner, the co-founder of the University of California at Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center; Jason Marsh, the editor-in-chief of Greater Good magazine; and Jeremy Adam Smith, a contributing editor of Greater Good magazine, have chosen some of the best and most pathbreaking essays published by this interdisciplinary research center devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior. They believe that this research offers new avenues to healthier bodies, marriages, workplaces, families, and cultures.

The essays are divided into three groups:

1. The Scientific Roots of Human Goodness
2. How to Cultivate Goodness in Relationships with Friends, Family, Co-Workers, and Neighbors
3. How to Cultivate Goodness in Society and Politics

Among our favorite essays in this top-drawer collection are:

• Dacher Keltner on the compassionate instinct
• Frans B. M. de Waal on the evolution of empathy
• Michael McCullough on the forgiveness instinct
• Jonathan Haidt on wired to be inspired
• Daniel Goleman on hot to help
• Aaron Lazare on making peace through apology