The Greater Good Science Center was created in 2001 when then UC Berkeley Dean of Social Science George Breslauer connected Berkeley alumnae Thomas and Ruth Ann Hornaday (pictured) with several members of the university's psychology faculty. Believing that “you can't have peaceful institutions without peaceful people,” the Hornadays wanted to create an interdisciplinary research center that would promote the science of interpersonal peace and well-being. They found tremendous synergy between their personal interests and the research of psychologists Dacher Keltner, Phil and Carolyn Cowan, and Steve Hinshaw.

Together with the Center's founding executive committee, Tom and Ruth Ann Hornaday imagined an organization that would study qualities such as compassion, tolerance, patience, and wisdom. Such a center would not only sponsor academic research but also put that research in the hands of parents, teachers, and other practitioners.

The Hornaday's initial gift established the Greater Good Science Center, its fellowship program, and a series of public events. Together with funding from the Herb Alpert Foundation, their initial gift also enabled the GGSC to launch Greater Good magazine. Subsequent gifts from the Hornadays and the Alpert Foundation have enabled the magazine to expand to quarterly production, and funded the Center’s Science Initiative, its postdoctoral research scientist position, and its parenting website and blog.

Since its inception, the Center has established itself as a leader in the scientific study of social and emotional well-being, bringing together prominent scholars from across academic disciplines. The Science Initiative and Fellowship Program support a postdoctoral research scientist and up to a dozen undergraduate and graduate research fellows each year. Greater Good magazine has been praised widely by readers and the media for its cutting-edge science and inspiring stories. And in the Fall of 2007, the GGSC launched a new online resource center for parents looking for practical—and science-based—For Parents: How to Raise Happy Kids.

The Center is now well-positioned to expand its research initiatives and cultural impact. If you would like to contribute to the Greater Good Science Center, we welcome your support. Please contact Christine Carter at 510-642-2451 or christinecarter@berkeley.edu.