Happenings

In May, students, professors, and guests gathered to listen to Bret Stephens— author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and New York Times columnist— speak on the role of the cultural elite in American polarization. The lecture was hosted by Wheatley Institute, the BYU Political Science Department, and the Initiative for Peacemaking, and served as the opening keynote for the 2026 Brigham Young University Peacemaking Conference.

As we begin the second quarter of the 21st century, what do the best medical and social science studies tell us about connections between religion and health? The Religion and Human Flourishing series, a three-part research series by Wheatley Institute, answers this question by synthesizing the findings from Koenig, VanderWeele, and Peteet’s Handbook of Religion and Health (3rd ed., 2024)— a collection of hundreds of rigorous and high-quality studies that make up the most comprehensive and methodologically discerning review on religion and health to date. Part one of Religion and Human Flourishing focuses on religion and mental health, while part three focuses on religion and social health.

A surprising number of young adults in real-life romantic relationships are simultaneously maintaining secret romantic interactions with AI chatbot companions.

In a collaborative event between Wheatley Institute and BYU's McKay School of Education, leading scholars and educators from across the country discussed the potential for religious faith to help bridge America's widening student learning opportunity gaps.

In honor of America's 250th anniversary, BYU history professor Tyson Reeder, with support from the Wheatley Institute, taught a semester-long history course on the Declaration of Independence. As a culminating learning experience, the entire class, which included several Wheatley Scholars, traveled to key historical sites associated with the Declaration in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.

Today, 80% of Americans say religion is losing influence in American life. Sociologist Christian Smith’s book-length study Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Decline of Traditional Religion (2025) provides data that support this perception. One international study in the last decade that examined national levels of religiosity found that the United States ranked 14% lower in religiosity than formerly communist Russia. Many Americans have replaced religious commitments and identity with devotion to aspects of politics, popular culture, science, or all three.

"The marital horizon functions as a behavioral organizer. It shapes what young men pay attention to, how they invest their time and energy, and how they weigh short-term pleasures against long-term flourishing."

Wheatley Institute collaborated with the BYU Marriott School of Business to host the third annual Faith and Belief at Work Case Competition, connecting executives from major global corporations and students from around the world.

What do you ask an expert on technology, culture, and generational psychology when you have the chance?

Are faith communities the key to closing opportunity gaps in public schools?

Building on its long-standing partnership with the National Marriage Project, Wheatley Institute helped co-sponsor the organization's 2026 Spring Conference held at the University of Virginia on March 17th.

There was standing room only as Tyson Reeder, Wheatley Affiliated Scholar and assistant professor of history at Brigham Young University, delivered a lecture at the Wheatley office earlier this month.