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The cover of The Coddling of the American Mind

The Coddling of the American Mind

Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt, 2018

See how three bad ideas about fragility, feelings, and enemies spread among young Americans, and how parents, schools, and universities can raise sturdier, wiser young people.

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15 parts, about 32 minutes to read.

Why read it

  • Names three harmful ideas taught to young people: that they are fragile, that feelings are always right, and that life is us against them
  • Links campus speaker fights, rising teen anxiety, overprotective parenting and the decline of play into one account of six trends
  • Offers concrete steps for parents, universities and societies, such as more free play, device limits and making truth a university's purpose

Who it is for

  • Parents wondering how much freedom and screen time children need
  • Students, professors and administrators dealing with campus speech disputes
  • Readers worried about polarization and teen mental health

What the summary covers

  1. Three Great Untruths2 min
  2. The Untruth of Fragility2 min
  3. The Untruth of Emotional Reasoning2 min
  4. The Untruth of Us Versus Them2 min
  5. Intimidation and Violence2 min
  6. Witch Hunts3 min
  7. The Polarization Cycle2 min
  8. Anxiety and Depression3 min
  9. Paranoid Parenting2 min
  10. The Decline of Play2 min
  11. The Bureaucracy of Safetyism2 min
  12. The Quest for Justice2 min
  13. Wiser Kids2 min
  14. Wiser Universities2 min
  15. Wiser Societies2 min

Recommended by

  • Steven PinkerProfessor, Harvard University
    No one is omniscient or infallible, so a willingness to evaluate new ideas is vital to understanding our world. Yet universities, which ought to be forums for open debate, are developing a reputation for dogmatism and intolerance.
  • Michael BloombergFounder of Bloomberg LP, 108th Mayor of New York City
    The future of our democracy requires us to understand what’s happening and why—so that we can find solutions and take action. Reading The Coddling of the American Mind is a great place to start.
  • Neil deGrasse TysonDirector, Hayden Planetarium
    Our behavior in society is not immune to the power of rational scientific analysis. Through that lens, prepare yourself for a candid look at the softening of America, and what we can do about it.
  • Jonathan SacksEmeritus Chief Rabbi of the UK and Commonwealth
    A compelling and timely argument against attitudes and practices that, however well-intended, are damaging our universities, harming our children and leaving an entire generation intellectually and emotionally ill-prepared for an ever-more fraught and complex world. A brave and necessary work.
  • Anne Marie SlaughterPresident and CEO, New America
    Equal parts mental health manual, parenting guide, sociological study, and political manifesto, it points to a positive way forward of hope, health, and humanism. I only wish I had read it when I was still a professor and a much younger mother.
  • Philip E. TetlockAuthor of Superforecasting
    We can talk ourselves into believing that some kinds of speech will shatter us, or we can talk ourselves out of that belief. The authors know the science. We are not as fragile as our self-appointed protectors suppose. Read this deeply informed book to become a more resilient soul in a more resilient democracy.

About the authors

  • Greg LukianoffAmerican lawyer and president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
  • Jonathan HaidtSocial psychologist and professor at NYU Stern School of Business
    • Born 19 October 1963 in New York City
    • BA in philosophy from Yale in 1985
    • MA 1988 and PhD 1992 in psychology
    • Assistant professor at the University of Virginia from August 1995, there until 2011
    • Moved to NYU Stern in 2011

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