Supersurvivors

The research behind post-traumatic growth.

David B. Feldman Ph.D.

Building Emotional Intelligence Isn't as Hard as You Think

It can feel risky to get in touch with our feelings, let alone express them. But one psychologist argues that getting to know our feelings can be one of the best things we ever do.

The Power of Rituals to Heal Grief

Rituals are important ways to find meaning when we lose a loved one. But rituals don’t have to be formal or complicated. Here are four questions to help develop a personal ritual.

Five Myths About Grief You May Believe

Our reluctance to talk about grief can provide a space for myths to proliferate, ultimately making it harder to cope.

Four Steps to Discovering Your Life’s Calling

A small handful of surprisingly simple practices may help connect us with what makes the journey of life meaningful.

The Three Conditions for Hope to Thrive

We may increase our hopefulness quotient by setting three simple conditions in our lives.

What's the Right Thing to Say When Someone Is Grieving?

Four simple steps for supporting the people we care about.

How Important is Character in Choosing a President?

Though people say presidential elections should hinge on issues, candidates’ personalities inevitably come into play. Is there an objective, scientific way to gauge good character?

Happiness for Sale

Science shows that people's obsession with money runs deeper than you might think.

5 Tips for Setting Healthy Goals

According to research, not all goals are equally good for us. Here are five tips for setting yourself up for success and happiness.

Is Optimism Ever Unhealthy?

As children, many of us were taught to think positively. But is it possible to have too much of a good thing?

The Second Middle Age

As people live longer, a new stage of life has emerged. Here’s what all of us can learn from people who find meaning and happiness in their 60s and 70s.

Five Lessons for a Better Life

One of the secrets to a good life may be to live like we’re dying. Here are five important lessons to help us do just that.

Three Negative Feelings That Can Sometimes Be Good

There may be a good reason that human beings evolved the ability to experience negative emotions: In measured amounts, they can protect us from harm and help us to be successful.

Is Religion Good or Bad for Us?

Research reveals three reasons religion and spirituality may be good for our well-being (and a few reasons they might not be).

The Tragedy of Mental Illness Stigma

When Stephen Hinshaw was five, his father mysteriously vanished. Decades later, he still advocates for people who, like his dad, have serious mental illness.

Is There an Alternative to Diagnosing Mental Illness?

For most of the history of modern psychology, therapists paid a lot more attention to people’s deficits than their strengths. Now, this might be changing.

Why the Least Competent People Often Think They're the Best

There’s a simple antidote to the cycle of poor performance.

The Paradoxical Secret to Finding Meaning in Life

The great psychiatrist Viktor Frankl actually warned against searching for meaning in life, because not searching for meaning may be the best way to find it.

Are There Really Two Americas?

It is indisputable that people living in red and blue states have differing political stances. But, do we have fundamentally different definitions of what constitutes goodness?

Why Do People Blame the Victim?

Even with the rise of the #MeToo movement, victim-blaming remains a problem. Could this tendency be programmed into the mind at a basic level? And how can we combat it?

Do Dreams Really Mean Anything?

To understand dreams, we must interpret them as if they were written in secret code. But what if there’s no code, and we’ve been reading into a bunch of meaningless images?

The Psychology of Star Wars: Dark Side Edition

Star Wars makes lots of claims about our darker emotions. Are they accurate?

Why Daydreaming Is Good for Us

Though many of us were told by our grade-school teachers to get our heads out of clouds, research shows that this may not have been good advice.

Five Questions to Decide If a Therapist Is Right for You

Although search engines make finding therapists simpler than ever, it’s easy to suffer from information overload. Five questions can help you cut through the confusion.

Is Psychology Really a Science?

Is psychology a science or is it better classified as one of the humanities, like philosophy, theology, or literature? It’s a bit of a sore spot for most psychologists.

Why Giving Up Can Sometimes Be Good

As children, many of us were told, “Never give up.” But new research shows that giving up on a dream can sometimes be the healthiest option.

Does What Doesn’t Kill us Really Make us Stronger?

As the U.S. reels from two deadly hurricanes, it’s easy to wonder if there’s any meaning to suffering.

Does the Unconscious Really Exist?

One of the oldest ideas in psychology is that we have an unconscious mind that, despite our best intentions, is the real controlling force in our lives. But is this really true?

Why the Five Stages of Grief Are Wrong

Despite our society’s widespread belief that grief proceeds in five simple stages, research shows that this isn’t the case. So what is true?

How Terrorism Changes Us

The London Bridge attack is the latest terror incident to rock the UK in the past 10 weeks. How are acts of terror changing us?

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