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United States Jonathan Haidt is a distinguished social psychologist and author, renowned for his research on moral psychology and its applications to business ethics, policy, and societal well-being.
Jonathan Haidt serves as the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU's Stern School of Business, where he applies moral and social psychology to business ethics. He joined the faculty in 2011 after 16 years at the University of Virginia.
Haidt co-founded Heterodox Academy, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing viewpoint diversity, mutual understanding, and productive disagreement in higher education and beyond.
Haidt co-founded Ethical Systems, a non-profit collaboration focused on making academic research on ethics readily available to businesses, promoting ethical practices within organizations.
Jonathan Haidt engaged in a discussion on business ethics, social responsibility, and decision-making values with Alison Taylor on The Decision Lab's podcast, 'Ethics for Aesthetics'.
Jonathan Haidt discussed the societal impact of smartphones and social media on teen mental health and childhood development in an episode of 'Conversations with Tyler'.
Jonathan Haidt participated in a conversation with Long Now co-founders Stewart Brand and Kevin Kelly, discussing the impact of technological tools.
Jonathan Haidt is on the advisory board of RepresentUs, a non-partisan anti-corruption organization.
Jonathan Haidt is on the advisory board of Braver Angels, a bipartisan group working to reduce political polarization.
Jonathan Haidt, born on October 19, 1963, in New York City, is an American social psychologist and author currently serving as the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His academic journey began at Yale University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in philosophy in 1985, graduating magna cum laude. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his Master of Arts in 1988 and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1992. His doctoral dissertation, “Moral judgment, affect, and culture, or, is it wrong to eat your dog?”, was inspired by cultural anthropologist Richard Shweder, under whose supervision Haidt later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago from 1992 to 1994, focusing on cultural psychology. This early work laid the foundation for his later groundbreaking theories on morality and human behavior.
Haidt’s career progressed significantly following his postdoctoral research, including a postdoctoral associate position with the MacArthur Foundation from 1994 to 1995. In August 1995, he joined the University of Virginia as an assistant professor, rising to full professor in August 2009. During his 16 years at UVA, he earned multiple teaching awards, including a statewide award from Governor Mark Warner. His research at Virginia centered on the emotional origins of morality, particularly disgust and elevation, culminating in his first widely acclaimed book, “The Happiness Hypothesis” (2006). In 1999, Haidt became active in positive psychology, and by 2004, he applied moral psychology to political studies, leading to his influential book “The Righteous Mind” (2012).
In July 2011, Haidt transitioned to New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he became the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership. His work there applies moral psychology to business ethics, and he has co-founded organizations like Ethical Systems (2013) and Heterodox Academy (2015) to promote his research and foster viewpoint diversity. His later works, “The Coddling of the American Mind” (2018), co-authored with Greg Lukianoff, and “The Anxious Generation” (2024), address contemporary issues such as rising political polarization, mental health challenges among youth, and the impact of social media, further solidifying his position as a prominent public intellectual and a top global thinker.
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