Spreading Love Through the Media

Extreme social division and polarization. An epidemic of loneliness. “Deaths of despair.” These are modern challenges in the United States. But one timeless virtue might help to address them all: Love.

The Greater Good Science Center's "Spreading Love Through the Media" initiative, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, is a three-year effort aimed at harnessing the transformative power of love to tackle social challenges like polarization and loneliness. The initiative seeks to expand the concept of love beyond romantic relationships, emphasizing its role in fostering compassion, altruism, and social cohesion. 

Drawing on current research, we will highlight the power of love to strengthen the social fabric, bridge divides, and contribute to a good, meaningful life. The project's activities will promote research and stories about love, encouraging a cultural shift toward greater empathy and connection. In addition to content produced by the GGSC, we will work with other journalists and other media creators to produce their own stories on love—from magazine articles to podcast episodes to videos for the web and social media—that will reach a broad and diverse audience.

We plan to hold a webinar in late January to answer questions about the love reporting grants that are part of this initiative.

More specifically, the project's goals are to:

1. Expand the public’s understanding and appreciation of love and its contemporary significance, encouraging them to see love as a virtue essential to flourishing in life—and to building a good society; 
2. Inspire more people to recognize their own capacity for love, particularly to expand their circle of care and concern beyond their own group;
3. Build a network of journalists and other media producers committed to exploring different angles on the science and experience of love, highlighting its implications for different audiences, sectors, and timely challenges;
4. Strengthen relationships between media producers and love researchers to enhance the quality and impact of reporting on love in the near-term and long-term.

We will pursue these goals through the following activities.

1. Content Creation: We will produce a variety of research-based content on love, including articles, videos, and podcast episodes. This content will be distributed across multiple platforms to reach a broad audience, including thought leaders and practitioners.
2. Grants and Support: The GGSC will provide grants to journalists and other media producers to support pieces exploring love’s impact on individuals and society. We will also pair grantees with leading love researchers to serve as scientific advisors on their stories.
3. Convenings and Community: Their 18-month grant period will be bookended by two events for the grantees, their advisors, and other media professionals and researchers interested in love where they can exchange insights and learn from one another. In between these two events, we will bring them together for quarterly Zoom calls where the grantees can share updates on their projects and receive input on them.
4. Public Radio Special: The GGSC will produce an hour-long program for public radio stations, exploring different aspects of the science and experience of love.
5. "Love Summit": We will produce a major public event featuring presentations and discussions led by researchers, practitioners, and other cultural figures--all to spark a deeper exploration of how to foster love in order to address societal challenges and widen feelings of connection.

Ultimately, "Spreading Love Through the Media" aims to create a more compassionate and connected world by elevating love as a central value in public life. Through this initiative, the GGSC wants to reinvigorate a movement that values and prioritizes love as essential to the well-being of individuals and society.