Is It Too Late To Not Be a Jerk?

A Discussion Of the Teachability Of Kindness

We can all point to some dreadful people who seem to live forever, but in general the numbers favor the good guys. According to researchers, being charitable in behavior—being kind—promotes happiness, healthiness, and longevity. Since kindness tends to be good for ourselves and others, maybe we should even teach it. But does that make any sense? In advance of the Zócalo event “Is Altruism a Wonder Drug?” we approached several people who make a profession of empathy to tackle a simple question: Can kindness be taught?