News: 2025/10
A 6-year research project found a surprisingly simple route to happiness
October 27, 2025In a new Washington Post article, NSCA member Anthony Burrow discusses his study on purpose during adolescence. During a six-year project, Burrow and his researchers selected around 1,200 adolescents to receive $400 no-strings “contributions” to pursue something that benefits their community, family, or even themselves. Eight weeks later, those who received the contributions scored significantly higher than the non-recipients on all measures: latent well-being, sense of purpose, sense of belonging, sense of feeling needed and useful, and affective balance.
Press Releases
February 25, 2025: Announcing the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent’s 2024 Annual Report
January 17, 2023: New Guides Help Organizations Build Effective Youth Engagement Programs
August 16, 2021: New Report Examines Intersection of Anti-Black Racism on Youth Development
November 30, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Advisory Board Members
October 1, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Leadership
Stay in the Know
CDA Founding Director Ron Dahl on the Gen Change Podcast
October 24, 2025CDA founding director Ron Dahl spoke on the Gen Change: Youth’s Potential for Societal Contribution podcast hosted by Erasmus University Rotterdam. During this episode, host Kayla Green, a postdoctoral researcher at the Erasmus SYNC Lab, and Dahl delve into the unique strengths and capacities that make youth potential agents of change for societal challenges.
Finding happiness through purpose: Cornell study shows it’s not about the money
October 24, 2025NSCA member Anthony Burrow joins Smerconish on CNN to discuss his research on the link between purpose and mental health. In this interview, Burrow discusses The Contribution project, a study and social experiment that provided young people with $400 to make a difference that mattered to them. The young people selected for this project who made contributions reported greater feelings of purpose and reported increased feelings of happiness, meaning, and belonging.