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The Coronavirus and Post-Traumatic Growth
On March 6, 1987, a ferry traveling from England to Belgium capsized, causing the death of 193 people. In the months after the disaster, many of the approximately 300 survivors suffered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including upsetting dreams; anxiety; emotional detachment and numbness; and difficulties with sleep and concentration. However, in time, some of the survivors reported some surprising positive effects. Three years after the disaster, psychologist Stephen Joseph, then a Ph.D.
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We Don’t Just Need to Connect — We Need to Reconnect
APS Member/Author: Adam Grant As unemployment climbs to its highest rate in nearly a century, many people are searching for work. Our natural instinct is to go to our strong ties — the people we know well and see regularly. But classic evidence suggests we’re more likely to get a job through our weak ties. It’s not just because we have more acquaintances than friends and family. It’s because our strong ties tend to give us redundant information: They know many of the same things and the same people as we do. Weak ties open up access to new people and new leads. That knowledge doesn’t always help us, though.
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Will Coronavirus Change How We Define Heroes?
Covid-19 might be a villain with global ambitions but it’s certainly not without its nemeses. The notion of the hero has become a global motif. In the UK, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has spoken of the “heroic” frontline key workers. Radio ads for the energy networks trumpet support for our “healthcare heroes”. In Thailand, artists have launched an online campaign dubbed ‘Support Our Heroes’, while in the US the Democrats have proposed a premium pay scheme for essential workers called the ‘Heroes Fund’. It’s given fresh food for thought to Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus at Stanford University in California.
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Is Your Family’s Chewing and Slurping Driving You Insane? Here’s What to Do
Many of us know the experience of feeling enraged while sitting with a friend or a family member who's eating a little loudly and that sound makes you want to scream. Now we're spending all of our time quarantined with the same family or friends, and every bite, chew, crunch and slurp is so LOUD. For some of us, it's worse than for others, and the subtle, seemingly irrational reaction can actually be heightened among people we know well. It's called "misophonia," said Zachary Rosenthal, a psychology professor at Duke University.
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7 Habits of the Happiest People (That Most of Us Rarely Practice)
There is no better time than now to be thinking about making wise choices to ensure your own happiness. What science continues to affirm is that doing and thinking positive things throughout your work week are not only good for your health and well-being, they are especially good for business. Here are seven habits of the happiest people -- all solidly grounded in research. 1. They choose kindness.
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In Praise of Pessimism
Confession: I have a secret talent for making lemons out of lemonade. It may not be readily apparent. I smile a lot and make cheerful conversation; my end of the dinner table is not some horrible event horizon beyond which all sunlight disappears. But tucked inside me, almost always, is a grumbling Eeyore. That Eeyore is having her moment. The coronavirus is springtime for pessimists. Every gloomy thought I’ve had about this pandemic has more or less come to pass.
