History of Jonathan Haidt in Timeline

Jonathan Haidt is an American social psychologist and author known for his work on the psychology of morality and moral emotions. He is currently the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the New York University Stern School of Business. His research focuses on understanding the foundations of morality, exploring concepts like moral intuition, moral reasoning, and the cultural variations in moral values. Haidt's work often examines the role of emotions in moral judgment and the differences in moral frameworks across political and cultural divides.

Sections (2)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements

October 19, 1963: Jonathan Haidt's Birth

On October 19, 1963, Jonathan David Haidt was born. He would later become an American social psychologist and author.

Others born on this day/year

1985: Graduation from Yale University

In 1985, Jonathan Haidt graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.

1988: Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania

In 1988, Jonathan Haidt received a Master of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

July 1992: NIMH Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Chicago

In July 1992, Jonathan Haidt became an NIMH postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, studying cultural psychology under Richard Shweder.

1992: PhD from the University of Pennsylvania

In 1992, Jonathan Haidt received a PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, with his dissertation focusing on moral judgment, affect, and culture.

June 1994: End of Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Chicago

In June 1994, Jonathan Haidt concluded his NIMH postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago.

July 1994: Postdoctoral Associate with the MacArthur Foundation

In July 1994, Jonathan Haidt became a postdoctoral associate with the MacArthur Foundation under psychologist Judith Rodin.

August 1995: End of Postdoctoral Associate position with MacArthur Foundation

In August 1995, Jonathan Haidt concluded his position as a postdoctoral associate with the MacArthur Foundation.

August 1995: Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia

In August 1995, Jonathan Haidt started as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia (UVA).

1999: Active in Positive Psychology

In 1999, Jonathan Haidt became active in the new field of positive psychology, studying positive moral emotions.

August 2001: Associate Professor at the University of Virginia

In August 2001, Jonathan Haidt was named an associate professor at the University of Virginia.

2003: Publication of Flourishing

In 2003, Jonathan Haidt published an edited volume titled "Flourishing".

2004: Application of Moral Psychology to Politics

In 2004, Jonathan Haidt began applying moral psychology to the study of politics and researched the psychological foundations of ideology.

2004: Extension of the Social Intuitionist Model

In 2004, Jonathan Haidt extended the social intuitionist model to identify categories of moral intuition, leading to the moral foundations theory.

2006: Publication of The Happiness Hypothesis

In 2006, Jonathan Haidt published "The Happiness Hypothesis", a book examining the relationship between ancient philosophies and modern science.

2007: Arguments on Religion and Atheism

In 2007, Jonathan Haidt argued that religion contains psychological wisdom and criticized the New Atheists for succumbing to moralistic dogma, eliciting responses in an online debate.

2007: Founding of CivilPolitics.org

In 2007, Jonathan Haidt founded the website CivilPolitics.org, a clearinghouse for research on political civility.

2007: Visiting Professor at Princeton University

Jonathan Haidt spent the 2007-2008 academic year, as of 2007, at Princeton University as the Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching.

2008: Visiting Professor at Princeton University

Jonathan Haidt spent the 2007-2008 academic year, as of 2008, at Princeton University as the Visiting Professor for Distinguished Teaching.

August 2009: Full Professor at the University of Virginia

In August 2009, Jonathan Haidt became a full professor in the psychology department at the University of Virginia.

July 2010: Talk at the Edge Foundation

In July 2010, Jonathan Haidt delivered a talk at the Edge Foundation on new advances in moral psychology.

2011: Departure from the University of Virginia

In 2011, Jonathan Haidt left the University of Virginia.

2011: Move to New York University Stern School of Business

In 2011, Jonathan Haidt moved to New York University's Stern School of Business as the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership.

2011: Ted Talk on Value Systems

In a 2011 Ted talk, Jonathan Haidt argued that liberals and conservatives differ in their value systems and that disciplines like psychology have biases against conservative viewpoints.

2012: Publication of The Righteous Mind

In 2012, Jonathan Haidt published "The Righteous Mind", a book focusing on moral politics.

2012: Named Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine

In 2012, Jonathan Haidt was named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine.

2013: Co-founding of Ethical Systems

In 2013, Jonathan Haidt co-founded Ethical Systems, a non-profit organization that makes academic research on ethics more accessible to businesses.

2013: Named Top World Thinker by Prospect Magazine

In 2013, Jonathan Haidt was named one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine.

2015: Co-founding of Heterodox Academy

In 2015, Jonathan Haidt co-founded Heterodox Academy, a non-profit organization that works to increase viewpoint diversity, mutual understanding, and productive disagreement.

2018: Co-edited All Minus One: John Stuart Mill's Ideas on Free Speech Illustrated

In 2018, Jonathan Haidt and Richard Reeves co-edited an illustrated edition of John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty", titled "All Minus One: John Stuart Mill's Ideas on Free Speech Illustrated".

2018: Publication of The Coddling of the American Mind

In 2018, Jonathan Haidt published "The Coddling of the American Mind", discussing political polarization, mental health, and college culture.

2019: Argument on potential failure of American democracy

In 2019, Jonathan Haidt argued that there is a "very good chance American democracy will fail, that in the next 30 years we will have a catastrophic failure of our democracy".

2020: Peter Wehner's Commentary in The Atlantic

In 2020, Peter Wehner wrote in The Atlantic that Jonathan Haidt has significantly contributed to the understanding of politics and religion, and is trying to heal divisions and increase compassion.

2024: Publication of The Anxious Generation

In 2024, Jonathan Haidt published "The Anxious Generation", arguing that the rise of smartphones and overprotective parenting has rewired childhood and increased mental illness.