Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt
Haidt in 2012
Born	Jonathan David Haidt (1963-10-19) October 19, 1963 (age 60) New York City, U.S.
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MA, PhD)
Known for	Elevation Moral foundations theory Social intuitionism
Spouse	Jayne Riew
Children	2
Scientific career
Fields	Social psychology Moral psychology
Institutions	University of Chicago University of Virginia New York University
Thesis	Moral Judgment, Affect, and Culture, or, Is it Wrong to Eat Your Dog? (1992)
Doctoral advisor	Jonathan Baron Alan Fiske
Website	jonathanhaidt.com

Jonathan David Haidt (/haɪt/; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the New York University Stern School of Business.^[1] His main areas of study are the psychology of morality and moral emotions.

Haidt's main scientific contributions come from the psychological field of moral foundations theory,^[2] which attempts to explain the evolutionary origins of human moral reasoning on the basis of innate, gut feelings rather than logic and reason.^[3] The theory was later extended to explain the different moral reasoning and how they relate to political ideology, with different political orientations prioritizing different sets of morals.^[4] The research served as a foundation for future books on various topics.

Haidt has written four books for general audiences: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom (2006) explores the relationship between ancient philosophies and modern science;^[5] The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012) examines how morality is shaped by emotion and intuition more than by reasoning, and why differing political groups have different notions of right and wrong;^[6] The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (2018), co-written with Greg Lukianoff, explores the rising political polarization and changing culture on college campuses, and its effects on mental health; and The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024) makes the case that the rise of smartphones and overprotective parenting have led to a "rewiring" of childhood and a rise in mental illness.