Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist, professor, and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business and one of the most influential public intellectuals in contemporary psychology. Born in New York City in 1963, Haidt received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and has written extensively about moral psychology, political psychology, and the psychology of happiness. Haidt's major books include The Happiness Hypothesis (2006), The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012)—which became a major bestseller and a widely referenced guide to understanding political polarization—and The Coddling of the American Mind (2018, co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). His book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024) became a cultural phenomenon, arguing that smartphones and social media are responsible for a dramatic decline in adolescent mental health. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for Nonfiction in 2024. Haidt is the co-founder of Heterodox Academy and a founder of the After Babel Substack newsletter. His work on the mental health crisis among young people has influenced legislators, educators, parents, and tech company executives. He lives in New York.