Today is the second in a two-part series that explores the subject of forgiveness. We hear more about the ground-breaking, six-site, five-country, four-continent study of Dr. Everett Worthington’s REACH forgiveness method’s effectiveness. We’re joined in conversation with Dr. Tyler VanderWeele, project  Research Director; Principal Investigator Dr. Man Yee Ho; and site directors  Andrea Ortega Bechara (Columbia) and Dr. Shaun Joynt (South Africa). They describe the impact of the study on individual participants and their communities, how they hope to scale the study, and who they consider an exemplar of forgiveness.

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• Listen to Part 1 of our Forgiveness series
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Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today we bring you the first of a special two-part series that dives deep into the subject of forgiveness. Our guests include Dr. Everett Worthington, Science Director in a worldwide research project studying the REACH forgiveness method’s effectiveness in facilitating not only individual forgiveness, but community forgiveness, a study that he and several colleagues conducted across six sites, five countries, and four continents. We’ll also hear from two of those research collaborators today: Ukrainian citizens Dr. Liudmyla Shtanko and Dr. Sergiy Tymchenko, who were in the midst of the forgiveness research project when Russia began to wage war in their country. Dr. Shtanko and Dr. Tymchenko will open up about how they coped with the brutality being inflicted upon them, and how forgiveness played a role in their thinking and planning for a hopefully peaceful and free future. 

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• Listen to our Season 4 episode featuring Dr. Everett Worthington
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Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

The Stories of Impact podcast is coming to you for the next two weeks for a special exploration of forgiveness. Long-time listeners to the podcast may recognize Dr. Everett Worthington, who returns to discuss the largest-ever scientific study of forgiveness in the world. He joins Ukrainian citizens and fellow researchers  Dr. Liudmyla Shtanko and  Dr. Sergiy Tymchenko,  for these important and timely conversations. We will be honored to bring you these three courageous and thoughtful experts, and introduce you to their colleagues, as they discuss applying the science of forgiveness to their own pain and heartache, and share the findings of their research.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

In this episode of Stories of Impact, we’re listening to a session from the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Global Scientific Conference on Human Flourishing, which took place last fall. The conference aimed to showcase the latest and most meaningful scientific advances in understanding how humans flourish across cultures and alongside innovative new tools and strategies. Today’s session is a remarkable discussion on the human need for beauty and purpose in order to flourish, featuring a presentation by Dr. Dacher Keltner, musician ELEW discussing his approach to his art and performing for us on piano, and a panel with Dr. Frank Wilczek and Dr. Katherine Cotter, moderated by  Dr. Philip Ball.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

In this episode of Stories of Impact, we’re listening to a session from the Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Global Scientific Conference on Human Flourishing, which took place last fall. The conference aimed to showcase the latest and most meaningful scientific advances in understanding how humans flourish across cultures and alongside innovative new tools and strategies. Today’s session is a discussion on climate change and other global challenges to human flourishing, featuring moderator Philip Ball, Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Dr. David DeSteno, and Dekila Chungyalpa.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

This the conclusion of a special three-part series on polarization. In today’s episode, we hear some good news from three leaders of Templeton World Charity Foundation’s Listening and Learning in a Polarized World Initiative. Dr. Andrew Serazin, president of TWCF; Virginia Cooper, project lead; and Dr. Eric Marshall, Principal Advisor, celebrate the $20 million investment in exploring polarization, and share what innovative tools and solutions will be discovered during the five year open-science, interdisciplinary study.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

This the second of a special three-part series on polarization. In today’s episode, we consider what writers, researchers, and scholars say we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries and learn about some of their potential solutions for polarization.

Today’s episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer, co-authors of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. We also hear from Dr. Hahrie Han, Professor of Political Science and the Director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University; Uriel Epshtein, Executive Director of the Renew Democracy Initiative; Joshua Fryday, Chief Service Officer for the State of California with California Volunteers; and Evan Mawarire, a Zimbabwean clergyman who founded #ThisFlag Citizen’s Movement.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

The first of a special three-part series, this episode defines polarization and explores its causes and effects. Next, we consider what we can learn from the history of polarization in other countries, share the antidotes to polarization that research has uncovered, and finally, explain why it’s important to make a long-term investment in polarization research.

Today’s episode features researchers Jay J. Van Bavel and Dominic J. Packer, co-authors of The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. We also hear from Alison Taylor, Executive Director at Ethical Systems, a research collaborative affiliated with NYU; Dr. Hahrie Han, Professor of Political Science and the Director of the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University; Uriel Epshtein, Executive Director of the Renew Democracy Initiative; and Joshua Fryday, Chief Service Officer for the State of California with California Volunteers.

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Have you ever been in a group of people, everyone focused on the same thing — a sports competition or a sermon or a performance — and you’ve had a feeling that you’re being transported or transformed by what you’re experiencing? It’s when you’re been a part of a collective moment of being that is so powerful and so meaningful that you forget about any self-consciousness or shyness or hesitation, and you feel swept up in what might be called celebration or rapture, or joy, or love.There’s actually a term for those beautiful, resonant, collective experiences — collective effervescence. Today, we’re exploring the collective effervescence of Koolulam, “a social-musical initiative aimed at strengthening the fabric of society, centering around mass-singing events.” Featuring Professor of Psychology at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Dr. Shira Gabriel and Koolulam’s co-founders, Or Taicher, Michal Shahaf, and Ben Yaffet. 

Music for this episode courtesy of Koolulam, featuring One Day and other choral works

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• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation

Today’s episode features Templeton World Charity Foundation President Dr. Andrew Serazin and John Templeton Foundation President Heather Templeton Dill, as they discuss Sir John Templeton’s legacy while considering human flourishing at TWCF’s first-annual Global Scientific Conference on Human Flourishing. We also hear from conference participants Maritza Trejo, Regional Director for Education Programs for Glasswing International in Central America, and Dr. Duncan Astle, a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.

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• Share your comments, questions and suggestions at [email protected]
• Supported by Templeton World Charity Foundation