Dr. Laurie Santos

No, because you're just kind of, things are fine right now. The world's not on fire. When you experience hope, what you feel is things are not fine right now, but there's a path. What does that path do? It gives you agency. It gives you a sense that something can be done, and probably I can be a small part of what needs to get done.

No, because you're just kind of, things are fine right now. The world's not on fire. When you experience hope, what you feel is things are not fine right now, but there's a path. What does that path do? It gives you agency. It gives you a sense that something can be done, and probably I can be a small part of what needs to get done.

No, because you're just kind of, things are fine right now. The world's not on fire. When you experience hope, what you feel is things are not fine right now, but there's a path. What does that path do? It gives you agency. It gives you a sense that something can be done, and probably I can be a small part of what needs to get done.

And that small part is key, because I think when we think we have to be the only one out there fixing everything, that also makes us feel a little overwhelmed and sad. But when you realize that your small action you're checking in on someone, you're donating five bucks to a cause you care about, you stepping up in any way to make things better, that actually matters.

And that small part is key, because I think when we think we have to be the only one out there fixing everything, that also makes us feel a little overwhelmed and sad. But when you realize that your small action you're checking in on someone, you're donating five bucks to a cause you care about, you stepping up in any way to make things better, that actually matters.

And that small part is key, because I think when we think we have to be the only one out there fixing everything, that also makes us feel a little overwhelmed and sad. But when you realize that your small action you're checking in on someone, you're donating five bucks to a cause you care about, you stepping up in any way to make things better, that actually matters.

And one of the things we know psychologically is that it also helps us feel a little bit more hopeful when we take action. So you show up at that cause you care about, go to protest, donate some money, Psychologically, you start to feel like, oh, we're even getting closer to a solution because I stepped up. Maybe other people step up. You also see good social evidence that you're not the only one.

And one of the things we know psychologically is that it also helps us feel a little bit more hopeful when we take action. So you show up at that cause you care about, go to protest, donate some money, Psychologically, you start to feel like, oh, we're even getting closer to a solution because I stepped up. Maybe other people step up. You also see good social evidence that you're not the only one.

And one of the things we know psychologically is that it also helps us feel a little bit more hopeful when we take action. So you show up at that cause you care about, go to protest, donate some money, Psychologically, you start to feel like, oh, we're even getting closer to a solution because I stepped up. Maybe other people step up. You also see good social evidence that you're not the only one.

You show up at a protest, you're usually not the only one there. You get a whole room like this full of people who care. Now, all of a sudden, your beliefs start to change. So you can, instead of being that vicious cycle of hopelessness that we talked about before, you can become part of a virtuous cycle of hopefulness. And that's the kind of thing that can also be socially contagious.

You show up at a protest, you're usually not the only one there. You get a whole room like this full of people who care. Now, all of a sudden, your beliefs start to change. So you can, instead of being that vicious cycle of hopelessness that we talked about before, you can become part of a virtuous cycle of hopefulness. And that's the kind of thing that can also be socially contagious.

You show up at a protest, you're usually not the only one there. You get a whole room like this full of people who care. Now, all of a sudden, your beliefs start to change. So you can, instead of being that vicious cycle of hopelessness that we talked about before, you can become part of a virtuous cycle of hopefulness. And that's the kind of thing that can also be socially contagious.

Yeah, and I love that you share the story of your father because it's also one of the strategies that we can use, tiny strategy we can use individually to do better, which is sharing these positive social stories. Like the world and social media, all these algorithms are filled with terrible stories, but you can actually see the good ones.

Yeah, and I love that you share the story of your father because it's also one of the strategies that we can use, tiny strategy we can use individually to do better, which is sharing these positive social stories. Like the world and social media, all these algorithms are filled with terrible stories, but you can actually see the good ones.

Yeah, and I love that you share the story of your father because it's also one of the strategies that we can use, tiny strategy we can use individually to do better, which is sharing these positive social stories. Like the world and social media, all these algorithms are filled with terrible stories, but you can actually see the good ones.

You can say, you know, my dad in the midst of experiencing this terrible disease was hopeful. He taught us gratitude, right? And, you know, it doesn't even have to be Michelle Obama's dad, right? You can find these little examples of moral goodness, but don't just keep them to yourself, share them. And I think if you're a parent, this is one of the best things you can do to your kids, right?

You can say, you know, my dad in the midst of experiencing this terrible disease was hopeful. He taught us gratitude, right? And, you know, it doesn't even have to be Michelle Obama's dad, right? You can find these little examples of moral goodness, but don't just keep them to yourself, share them. And I think if you're a parent, this is one of the best things you can do to your kids, right?

You can say, you know, my dad in the midst of experiencing this terrible disease was hopeful. He taught us gratitude, right? And, you know, it doesn't even have to be Michelle Obama's dad, right? You can find these little examples of moral goodness, but don't just keep them to yourself, share them. And I think if you're a parent, this is one of the best things you can do to your kids, right?

Because they maybe don't have as much kind of frontal lobe power to go out there and find those good stories. Over the dinner table, what moral goodness did you see today? What was something that delighted you, that kind of made you happy, specifically about what somebody else was doing? We don't share these enough, but the sad thing is, like, they're out there.

Because they maybe don't have as much kind of frontal lobe power to go out there and find those good stories. Over the dinner table, what moral goodness did you see today? What was something that delighted you, that kind of made you happy, specifically about what somebody else was doing? We don't share these enough, but the sad thing is, like, they're out there.