Handbook of Wise Interventions

“In the last decade, researchers from across psychology have been developing and testing a new generation of theory-guided brief interventions that are changing behaviors of hundreds of people at a time. These 'wise' interventions effectively alter the ways people think about themselves, their studying or eating habits, their marriages, and their health. The outcomes are usually objective and meaningful, and often last for years. From leading researchers in the field, this is the kind of book that has the potential to change the lives of undergraduates, graduate students, and even faculty who yearn to make a difference in the world and who also want to discover new insights about people, institutions, and culture.”

—James W. Pennebaker, PhD, Regents Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts and Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin


“This volume highlights innovative interventions and provides behind-the-scenes commentary from their developers. It is indispensable for anyone who wants to use psychological science to change behavior for the better. Each chapter explains a research-based approach to enhancing motivation or changing behavior, and discusses why it works, for whom, and under what conditions.”

—Angela Duckworth, PhD, Founder and CEO, Character Lab; Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania


“It’s not often that the world’s leading experts on the psychology of changing behavior and improving well-being come together to share their knowledge. This book presents the latest science on what it takes to promote learning, belonging, happiness, health, and peace.”

—Adam Grant, PhD, The Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management and Psychology, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania


“This book is particularly useful in terms of teaching about and critically evaluating the value of psychology in the real world. Its underlying framing is quite pragmatic for different ways to organize a course. It centers both the domains of interventions and the psychological concepts underlying those interventions. Instructors using this book as a text might organize their course around domains (for example, units on health, education, relationships) or psychological concepts (for example, belonging and groups, implicit theories, reappraisal).”

—Kody Manke, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University