This is a guest contribution for The Economist’s Open Future initiative, which aims to foster a global conversation on the challenges of the 21st century. You can comment here or on Facebook and ...

We have all encountered someone who constantly bemoans the difficulties of their life. Everyone needs to vent, but some people take it to an Olympic level. It can be exhausting to listen to all that ...

Compassion and altruism—like athletic and academic skills—appear to be traits that are not fixed. Researchers have confirmed that both compassion and altruism can be cultivated with training and ...