During the last few years, I've often turned to thoughts of my Grandmother Bridget McMahon, an Irish immigrant who found herself newly transplanted, and suddenly left alone raising three young daughters in Chicago.
If she were still alive today, I know that she'd have much to tell me about resilience, and courage and pushing forth against all odds. Instead, I draw on the strength I saw with my own eyes and the stories I've heard about her supporting herself and her children as a nanny, having to lug logs up three flights of steps to heat the small West Side three-flat.
Always, these memories push me forward, make me feel better, and strengthen my resolve to stay on course and stay steady in the storm on days when I find myself faced with the challenges of raising three children solo myself.
So, a gift this holiday season came in the form of a new study that says remembering our ancestors boosts our performance on intelligence tests and actually makes us feel better as well.
Psychologists have always made it clear that thinking about our own goals and where we are going, boosts our self esteem. But little research until now has pointed to the psychological effects of thinking about those who came before us. They call it "the ancestor effect," according to the study.
Turns out Peter Fisher and his colleagues at the Universities of Graz, Berlin and Munich have shown that thinking about our ancestors reminds us that as humans who are genetically similar to us we can successfully overcome a multitude of problems and adversities, the British Psychology report says.
The researchers looked at 80 college students asking them to spend five minutes a day thinking about their 15th century ancestors, their great-grandparents or a recent shopping trip. Afterwards, those students in the two ancestor conditions were more confident about their likely performance in future exams, an effect that seemed to be mediated by their feeling more in control of their lives.
Think about it, can you remember a time when thinking about those who came before you helped you in some situation where you were afraid or faced adversity in moving ahead? Please share your experiences.
