Despite controversy, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt delivered an unexpectedly optimistic commencement address at New York University’s Yankee Stadium ceremony on Thursday, offering graduates a hopeful vision for the future. Prior to the event, students protested NYU’s selection of Haidt, a social psychologist and Stern School of Business professor, as their graduation speaker. They contended that Haidt, a vocal critic of cancel culture, did not embody the “values of inclusion, care, and respect” they felt the graduating class deserved. During his speech, some students booed while others staged a walkout.
Haidt, author of the bestselling book “The Anxious Generation,” used his platform not to reignite cultural debates, but to offer a commencement address uniquely suited to an economy driven by distraction. His central message to the Class of 2026 emphasized that attention is their most precious asset and should be fiercely protected. “Treasure your attention,” Haidt advised, explaining, “What you pay attention to shapes what you care about and what you care about shapes what you become.”
He characterized attention as a dwindling and increasingly commodified resource. In a digital economy predicated on engagement, Haidt cautioned graduates that major global corporations are relentlessly vying for their focus. He cited Meta as an example, noting its trillion-dollar valuation despite users rarely paying directly. “It invented a business model that extracts attention from nearly half of all human beings on the planet, and it sells it to advertisers,” he stated. Haidt further described social media, gaming, and even investing applications as industries increasingly “gamified” to prolong screen time and heighten distraction.
Referencing exercises from his NYU Stern course, “Flourishing,” Haidt observed that students are frequently surprised by the significant improvement in their well-being after disabling notifications or removing social media apps from their phones for even a single week. This practice, he explained, allows them to “get back precious hours each day and a feeling of agency over how to spend that time,” which he deemed “priceless” for their lives.
Haidt also advocated for graduates to overcome their aversion to discomfort and proactively pursue challenges. “You should do hard things,” he urged, humorously referencing both Friedrich Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson with the line, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” He connected this idea to NYU colleague Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s concept of “anti-fragility,” where individuals gain strength, rather than weaken, through exposure to stress and adversity. Haidt encouraged them to “take chances” and “say yes to anything that will expand your capabilities,” asserting that such actions foster improved outcomes.
Reserving some of his most impactful advice for personal connections, Haidt cautioned graduates about the “strange kind of loneliness” prevalent in highly connected urban environments. He noted that “friendship now requires much more intentionality than it once did.” He advised prioritizing genuine, in-person interactions over digital ones: making calls, inviting friends to dinner, accepting invitations, and actively fostering real-world engagements. Haidt concluded with a comprehensive message on thriving amidst distraction, stating, “If you treasure your attention and then use it to do hard things in real life with other people, then—and trust me on this as a social psychologist—your life is going to be amazing, and the world is going to be a far better place, because you’re in it.”
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