Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist who studies how culture, technology, and moral beliefs shape human behavior. He is a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Earlier in his career, he taught psychology at the University of Virginia for 16 years.
Since 2018, Haidt has focused on one urgent question: how smartphones and social media are affecting the mental health of young people and the health of society. His 2024 book, The Anxious Generation, explores what he calls the “great rewiring of childhood,” in which play-based, independent childhood has been replaced by phone-based childhood. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was named a book of the year by outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates, and Goodreads. In 2025, he co-authored The Amazing Generation with Catherine Price, offering practical guidance for growing up well in a screen-filled world.
Haidt is also the co-founder of the Anxious Generation Movement, a nonprofit working to address the youth mental health crisis by restoring play, independence, and real-world connection. Earlier in his career, his research explored moral psychology and political division, with a long-standing goal of helping people better understand one another across deep differences.
Jonathan Haidt has authored more than 100 scientific papers, given four TED Talks, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
