Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt

"The NYU moral psychologist who explained why good people across the political spectrum see morality so differently."

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist and professor at NYU Stern School of Business whose research spans moral psychology, political polarization, and the effects of technology on mental health. His books "The Happiness Hypothesis" and "The Righteous Mind" drew on both ancient wisdom and modern research to explain why people across the political spectrum reason so differently about morality, arguing that moral judgments are typically driven by intuition first, with reasoning constructed afterward to justify them. "The Righteous Mind," published in 2012, became particularly influential for its account of the different moral "foundations" that liberals and conservatives emphasize, offering a framework for understanding political disagreement without dismissing the other side as simply wrong or immoral.

2 books featured·Professor, NYU Stern School of Business·Pioneer of Moral Foundations Theory
The Righteous Mind Summary & Review: Why Good People Disagree — Read SummaryBrowse All Books ↓
Jonathan Haidt

Books by Jonathan Haidt

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Key Ideas & Recurring Themes

Moral reasoning follows intuition, not the other way around

Haidt argues people form moral judgments quickly and intuitively, then construct reasoning afterward to justify what they already felt.

Morality both binds and blinds

Shared moral values unite people into strong groups, but that same binding also blinds each group to the legitimate concerns of the other side.

Happiness comes from getting the conditions right

In "The Happiness Hypothesis," Haidt argues happiness can't be pursued directly—it emerges when internal coherence and external relationships are aligned, then you wait.

Notable Quotes

"Morality binds and blinds. It binds us into ideological teams that fight each other as though the fate of the world depended on our side winning each battle."
— The Righteous Mind
"The human mind is a story processor, not a logic processor."
— The Righteous Mind
"Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants."
— The Happiness Hypothesis
"Happiness is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You have to get the conditions right and then wait."
— The Happiness Hypothesis

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Book Author Jonathan Haidt