Finding happiness through purpose: Cornell study shows it’s not about the money
CNN Health October 24, 2025
NSCA 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.
Recent News
December 9, 2025
Adolescence is a critical time in development when we form our identities, explore the world around us, and build the skills we need to succeed economically in adulthood. Today’s young adults are coming of age in a world of uncertainty, with changing technological and economic landscapes. In a new joint blog post with the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF, Jobs for the Future’s Erica Bouris and CDA’s Natalie Saragosa-Harris explore how adolescents navigate their careers and build their economic lives during adolescence, and offer ways to support young people as they navigate educational and career decisions during periods of economic uncertainty.
December 4, 2025
NSCA member Jacqueline Nesi was quoted in the New York Times discussing the recent Pediatrics article that suggests giving smartphones to adolescents before the age of 12 could pose health and well-being risks. “Giving a child a device with access to everything on the internet is going to be risky,” says Nesi, but “it’s incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get that kind of causal evidence on this topic.” Caregivers “do not need to wait for perfect evidence to make these kinds of decisions,” she explains; they should feel empowered to trust their gut and to hold off on giving their child a smartphone until everyone is ready.
back to top
