15 May The most important resilience skill to deal with life stressors!
via Psychology Today by Melanie Greenberg
On a recent trip to New York City, I had the privilege of visiting the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This experience touched me deeply and inspired awe. The exhibits showcased human malevolence and hatred, but they also vividly demonstrated the resilience of the human spirit in the face of even the most awful events. This visit renewed my interest in human resilience – the ability to experience negative events yet still maintain a sense of wellbeing and not get derailed by them. Some research shows that resilience is actually the most common response to potentially traumatic events. It’s also true that not everyone is resilient; some people succumb to the long-term negative physical and psychological effects of chronic stress and trauma. What makes the difference? A 2017 study suggests that a single character strength is the prime predictor of continued wellbeing in the face of negative life events.
Which character strength has the strongest protective effect?
In this study, published in the Journal of Personality, researchers from George Mason University (including fellow Psychology Today blogger Todd Kashdan) compared the effects of seven different character strengths in their ability to predict resilience, defined as continued wellbeing despite the occurrence of negative life events. In this study of almost 800 adults from 42 countries, participants completed questionnaires assessing different strengths (hope, grit, meaning in life, curiosity, gratitude, beliefs in the ability to control life outcomes), their use of strengths in everyday life, subjective well-being, and negative life events. Subjective wellbeing was defined as a combination of satisfaction with life, happiness, and low depression. Negative life events were defined as experiencing serious conflict, financial or job loss, disappointment, illness or injury, or a loved one having a serious problem…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE