George Zimmerman followed Trayvon Martin because he perceived him as dangerous. The defense argues he was, the prosecution argues he wasn’t. No one, of course, argues that Zimmerman approached Martin with kindness, or stopped to consider the boy …

Decades of clinical research has explored the psychology of human suffering. Yet that suffering, as unpleasant as it is, often has a bright side: compassion.’ Human suffering often inspires beautiful acts of compassion by people wishing to help re…

Why do some people risk their lives to help others? Kristen Renwick Monroe has dedicated her career to finding out. Whether this kind of limited intervention will foster the kind of heroic altruism found in World War II rescuers is another issue, …

Twenty-five kids sit in a large circle on bright red pillows on a Tuesday morning in Jonah Klein’s fifth grade class. They have a visitor this morning—a “teacher” wearing a tiny white t-shirt with the Roots of Empathy insignia o…