Photo: Matthias Schrader/AP
Photo: Matthias Schrader/AP

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Essential advice for the class of 2026

First published in The Atlantic on May 14, 2026.

by Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic
May 21, 2026 | reading time: 8 Min.

Editor’s Note: On Thursday, May 14, 2026, Jonathan Haidt—a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a social psychologist at New York University—delivered this commencement address at NYU. His selection prompted objections from a small group of student leaders. We are reproducing his speech in full, so that readers may judge it for themselves.

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