The Science of a Meaningful Life: Building Compassion, Trust, and Happiness

A day-long seminar featuring Dacher Keltner and John Gottman as part of the GGSC’s Science of a Meaningful Life series.

This seminar will offer strategies for cultivating compassion, developing resilience, and strengthening relationships in your personal and professional life

It will be led by Dacher Keltner, a renowned professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the founding faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center. Drawing on cutting-edge research from psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Keltner will reveal the deep roots of human goodness, and he will explain why humans have strong propensities for caring and compassionate behavior. His presentation will highlight the strong connections between happiness, compassion, and altruism, identifying the health and social benefits that come from practicing trust, empathy, gratitude, kindness, and other positive behaviors. For instance, cultivating feelings of gratitude have been shown to boost people’s health, make them happier, and improve their relationships.

Building on this science, Dr. Keltner will present research-based tips for fostering positive emotions and behaviors in yourself, in children, and in colleagues and clients. He will also shed light on those who have trouble forming relationships, such as those who suffer from social disorders like autism.

The seminar will also feature a special guest presentation by John Gottman, the nation’s foremost researcher of marriage and parenting. Dr. Gottman will explain how attendees can develop stronger, more compassionate, and more trusting relationships with their romantic partners and others. He will focus on how to practice constructive, compassionate conflict resolution in relationships, including (but not limited to) marriages. He will also discuss how that approach is complicated after one partner has betrayed the other, and explain how can partners restore trust, compassion, and empathy to their relationship after such a betrayal has occurred. Ultimately, he will identify principles and practices that are vital to any healthy relationship.

To register only for John Gottman’s presentation (from 1-2:30pm), click here. To register for the full day, click here.