Christine Carter, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and coach dedicated to redesigning how we live and work—so that we can lead our most joyful, productive, and fulfilling lives.
As a sociologist, she’s sought to inspire large-scale, systemic change in our most common and influential social structures: corporations, families, and schools. She has a particular interest in how cultures and institutions foster certain behaviors, beliefs, and emotions while inhibiting others.
For many years, Dr. Christine Carter was the executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (GGSC), where she remains a sociologist and Senior Fellow. She is an advisor on the BetterUp Science Board, and she writes for Greater Good, PsychologyToday, and FastCompany. Combining scientific research and practical application, she offers her clients, readers, and audiences not only a way to cope with modern pressures, but tactics to truly thrive.
Her books include The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Achieve More by Doing Less (2017), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (2011). A summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College and the recipient of multiple honors and awards, Dr. Carter earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!).
Dr. Carter has given three TedTalks, the most recent of which was in the top 5 most viewed in 2021. She has appeared on dozens of television and radio shows, including the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” the “Dr. Oz Show”, the “TODAY” show, the “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” PBS, NPR and BBC Radio. She has been quoted or featured in every major newspaper in the US, including The New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, she is often quoted in lifestyle magazines such as Real Simple and in dozens of other online news sources.
She and her husband have four adult children. They live in Berkeley, California, with their dog Lucky.