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Jonathan Haidt

Person

Author of the book 'The Anxious Generation,' which discusses the mental health impacts of technology on children.


First Mentioned

10/22/2025, 4:59:33 AM

Last Updated

10/22/2025, 5:03:49 AM

Research Retrieved

10/22/2025, 5:03:49 AM

Summary

Jonathan Haidt is a prominent American social psychologist and author, widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on the psychology of morality and moral emotions, particularly his development of the moral foundations theory. This theory posits that human moral reasoning is rooted in innate 'gut feelings' and has been extended to explain the link between moral priorities and political ideologies. He currently serves as the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. Haidt has authored several influential books for a general audience, including "The Happiness Hypothesis" (2006), "The Righteous Mind" (2012), and "The Coddling of the American Mind" (2018), co-authored with Greg Lukianoff. His 2024 book, "The Anxious Generation," which argues that smartphones and overprotective parenting negatively impact childhood development and mental health, was notably recommended on the All-In Podcast.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Born

    1963-10-19

  • Full Name

    Jonathan David Haidt

  • Occupation

    Social psychologist, Author, Professor

  • Citizenship

    United States

  • Place of Birth

    New York City, United States

  • Research Focus

    Psychology of morality and moral emotions

  • Alma Mater (BA)

    Yale University

  • Alma Mater (PhD)

    University of Pennsylvania

  • Current Position

    Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business

  • Notable Recognition

    Among the top 25 most influential living psychologists

  • Main Scientific Contribution

    Moral Foundations Theory

Timeline
  • Born in New York City, United States. (Source: Wikidata, Web Search)

    1963-10-19

  • Earned a BA in philosophy from Yale University. (Source: Web Search)

    1985

  • Received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. (Source: Web Search)

    1992

  • Hired as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia, where he taught for 16 years. (Source: Web Search)

    1995

  • Published his book "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom." (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

    2006

  • Joined New York University Stern School of Business as the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership. (Source: Web Search)

    2011-07

  • Published his book "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion." (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

    2012

  • Published "The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure," co-authored with Greg Lukianoff. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

    2018

  • Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (Source: Web Search)

    2019

  • Published his book "The Anxious Generation," arguing about the negative impact of smartphones and overprotective parenting on childhood development and mental health. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

    2024

  • His book "The Anxious Generation" was recommended on the All-In Podcast, episode 175. (Source: Related Documents)

    2024

Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan David Haidt (; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the New York University Stern School of Business. Haidt's main areas of study are the psychology of morality and moral emotions. Haidt's main scientific contributions come from the psychological field of moral foundations theory, which attempts to explain the evolutionary origins of human moral reasoning on the basis of innate, gut feelings rather than logic and reason. The theory was later extended to explain the different moral reasoning and how they relate to political ideology, with different political orientations prioritizing different sets of morals. The research served as a foundation for future books on various topics. Haidt has written multiple books for general audiences, including The Happiness Hypothesis (2006) examining the relationship between ancient philosophies and modern science, The Righteous Mind (2012) on moral politics, and The Coddling of the American Mind (2018) on rising political polarization, mental health, and college culture. In 2024, he published The Anxious Generation, arguing that the rise of smartphones and overprotective parenting has led to a "rewiring" of childhood and increased mental illness.

Web Search Results
  • Bio | Jonathan Haidt

    Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia [...] # Bio ## Short Bio Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. [...] Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, and of The New York Times bestsellers The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure(co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). He has written more than 100 academic articles, which have been cited nearly 100,000 times. In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts

  • [PDF] Jonathan Haidt Extended Biography - The Righteous Mind

    Jonathan Haidt Extended Biography 1 Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His academic specialization is morality and the moral emotions. Haidt is the author of two books: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (2006) and The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012), which became a New York Times [...] post-doctoral fellow. His supervisors were Jonathan Baron and Alan Fiske (at the University of Pennsylvania,) and cultural anthropologist Richard Shweder (University of Chicago). During his post-doctoral appointment, Haidt won a Fulbright fellowship to fund three months of research on morality in Orissa, India. In 1995, Haidt was hired as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia, where he worked until 2011, winning four awards for teaching, including a statewide award conferred by [...] bestseller. He was named one of the “top global thinkers” by Foreign Policy Magazine, and one of the “top world thinkers” by Prospect magazine. His three TED talks have been viewed more than 3 million times. Education and Career Haidt was born in New York City and raised in Scarsdale, New York. He earned a BA in philosophy from Yale University in 1985, and a PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. He then studied cultural psychology at the University of Chicago as a

  • About Jonathan Haidt - The Coddling of the American Mind

    top of page ## Read Ch. 1 on Antifragility ## Read Ch. 1 on Antifragility ###### Follow Jon ###### Watch Jon ## About Jonathan Haidt ## Short Bio: ​ Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia ​ [...] Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, and of The New York Times bestsellers The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). He has written more than 100 academic articles. In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was chosen by Prospect

  • Jonathan Haidt - Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership

    Haidt is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, and of The New York Times bestsellers The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). He has written more than 100 academic articles. In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was chosen by Prospect [...] Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) joined New York University Stern School of Business in July 2011. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, based in the Business and Society Program. [...] Skip to Main Content Home / Experience Stern / Faculty & Research / Faculty Directory / Jonathan Haidt # Jonathan Haidt – Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership Joined Stern 2011 Leonard N. Stern School of Business Kaufman Management Center 44 West Fourth Street, 7-98 New York, NY 10012 E-mail jh3390@stern.nyu.edu Personal website Biography Research Interests Courses Taught Academic Background Awards & Appointments ## Biography

  • Jonathan Haidt: books, biography, latest update - Amazon.com

    Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the... Read full bio ## Most popular Best Seller Parenting Teenagers The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of... 4.6 out of 5 stars 9,877 4.6 out of 5 stars. 9,877 customer reviews. Kindle Edition $14.99Strike through - was: $30.00

Jonathan David Haidt (/haɪt/; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business, and author. His main areas of study are the psychology of morality and moral emotions. Haidt's main scientific contributions come from the psychological field of moral foundations theory, which attempts to explain the evolutionary origins of human moral reasoning on the basis of innate, gut feelings rather than logic and reason. The theory was later extended to explain the different moral reasoning and how they relate to political ideology, with different political orientations prioritizing different sets of morals. The research served as a foundation for future books on various topics. Haidt has written three books for general audiences: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (2006) explores the relationship between ancient philosophies and modern science; The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012) examines how morality is shaped by emotion and intuition more than by reasoning, and why differing political groups have different notions of right and wrong; and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (2018), co-written with Greg Lukianoff, explores the rising political polarization and changing culture on college campuses, and its effects on mental health. Haidt has attracted both support and criticism for his critique of the current state of universities and his interpretation of progressive values. He has been named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine. He is among the most cited researchers in political and moral psychology, and is considered among the top 25 most influential living psychologists.

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