Siri Helle

Personal Journey

Siri has spent most of her life in Stockholm, although she briefly studied creative writing in Skurup. After working clinically as a psychologist for several years, she encountered Effective Altruism in 2016 through a Facebook group recommended by a friend. Since then, she has become an advocate and initiator for Psykisk hälsa på schemat (“Mental Health on the Schedule”), a coalition of over 30 NGOs — including the Swedish Red Cross and UNICEF Sweden — dedicated to integrating social and emotional learning into schools. This initiative aligns with the World Health Organization’s top recommendations for cost-effective mental health interventions.

Siri's Work

Siri’s insights are widely shared across Swedish media outlets, as well as on platforms like the Public Health Agency’s website and 1177 (a Swedish healthcare service). She has authored four books on well-being, the most recent being Existence Boost, where she distills cutting-edge research on living a meaningful and fulfilling life. Her work places a strong emphasis on managing stress, advocating for an individualized approach to stress management by distinguishing between different types of stress and tailoring remedies accordingly.

Effective Altruism and Well-Being

Siri’s involvement with Effective Altruism has evolved over time. Initially, she engaged with its community aspect, participating in social events and conferences. Today, her focus is on scaling her well-being initiatives within and beyond Sweden. She is also an ambassador for Ge Effektivt, and all her royalties from her book are directly donated to the charity.

She is particularly interested in addressing the psychological risks associated with artificial intelligence, such as the impact of chatbots used to meet social needs or the mental health consequences of harmful algorithms. While she appreciates the EA community’s curiosity and focus on impact, she also advocates for integrating wisdom into decision-making. This includes exploring emotions rather than suppressing them in favor of purely analytical thinking.

Siri prefers the mantra “doing good better” over “doing the most good,” emphasizing that perfectionism can hinder meaningful progress.

Advice and Philosophy

Siri believes that the values of Effective Altruism should be widely shared. Her advice to newcomers is to seek out like-minded individuals, both within and outside the EA community, to foster diverse perspectives and ideas. Her approach has included working pro bono, sharing her thoughts through various platforms (media, blogs, etc.), and volunteering at psychology conferences to gain deeper insights into the field. She encourages others to embrace a journey-oriented mindset, reminding them: “You don’t have to optimize every single step of the way—it’s about the journey.”