ABSTRACT
Social psychology is rich in implications for the issues with which individuals and society as a whole must cope. This chapter considers how the lessons of social psychology can be applied to four features of contemporary life that could use a little help: stress and modern life, happiness, law and criminal justice, and the environment. It outlines the relevance of social psychology for each issue, suggesting how each can be approached in a more enlightened manner. Modernity may have substantial material benefits, but it also has psychological consequences that can offset these benefits. In a sense, stress is the price of choice and personal freedom associated with modernity. Happiness is the holy grail of psychological pursuit, the emotional state that everyone strives for. Indeed, the pursuit of happiness is considered a fundamental human right in the US Declaration of Independence, given equal billing with life and liberty. Criminal justice is at the intersection of several social psychological processes.
