Home / Authors / Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt Quotes

Psychologist

Jonathan Haidt is an American psychologist known for his research in moral psychology and social psychology. His work focuses on moral judgment, political ideology, and religious beliefs. Haidt's book, 'The Righteous Mind,' explores the evolution of morality and ideology and how they shape human behavior and social structures.

Filter quotes by topic

All People Moral Morality Thinking Psychology Ifs Evolutionary Psychology Humans Groups Mind Community World Giving Believe Brain Feelings Happiness Sex Should Society

Famous Jonathan Haidt Quotes

“. . . people care a great deal more about appearance and reputation than about reality . . . the most important principle for designing an ethical society is to make sure that everyone's reputation is on the line all the time, so that bad behavior will always bring bad consequences.”

People Society Behavior Ethics Appearance Reputation

Author:Jonathan Haidt

“Loyalty, respect for authority and some degree of sanctification create a more binding social order that places some limits on individualism and egoism.”

Values Culture Society Morality Respect Harmony Loyalty Individualism

Author:Jonathan Haidt

“Because appearing concerned about other people's opinions makes us look weak, we (like politicians) often deny that we care about public opinion polls. But the fact is that we care a lot about what others think of us. The only people known to have no sociometer are psychopaths.”

Opinion Society Caring Public Opinion Social Psychology Psychopathy

Author:Jonathan Haidt

“Sports are not exactly spiritual, but playing them depends on some of spirituality’s key ingredients for bonding people together, like coordinated and collective physical movement and group celebrations. Research consistently shows that teen who play team sports are happier than those who don’t. humans are embodied; a phone-based life is not. Screens lead us to forget that our physical bodies matter.”

Religion Community Society Ritual Evolutionary Psychology Bond Cohesion Collective Effervescence

Book:The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Source: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

“The simple act of eating together, especially from the same plate or serving dish, strengthens that bond and reduces the likelihood of conflict. This is one deficiency the virtual world can never overcome, no matter how good VR gets.”

Religion Community Society Ritual Evolutionary Psychology Bond Cohesion Collective Effervescence

Book:The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Source: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

“In short, there is no consensual structuring of time, space, or objects around which people can use their ancient programming for sacredness to create religious or quasi-religious communities. Everything is available to every individual, all the time, with little or no effort. There is no Sabbath and there are no holy days. Everything is profane. Living in a world of structureless anomie makes adolescents more vulnerable to online recruitment into radical political movements that offer moral clarity and a moral community, thereby pulling them further away from their in-person communities.”

Community Society Ritual Evolutionary Psychology Bond Cohesion Smartphones Gen Z Virtual Life

Book:The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Source: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness

“No man, woman or child is an island. We are ultrasocial creatures, and we can't be happy without having friends and secure attachments to other people.”

Happiness Community Society Ultrasocial

Book:The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

Source: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom