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More on the MORE Life Experience Model: What We Have Learned (So Far)
Judith glück.
1 Department of Psychology, University of Klagenfurt, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria
Susan Bluck
2 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
Nic M. Weststrate
3 University of Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria
We have all had difficult times and challenges in our lives, and most of us feel that we learned something from those experiences. At the same time, few people actually become wise in the course of their lives – while most of us become (or remain) well-adapted and happy, generally satisfied, or even bitter or depressed. Why is it that some people, but not others, grow wise over time by learning from life’s challenges (Linley & Joseph, 2004 )? In the MORE Life Experience Model (Glück & Bluck, 2013 ), we argued that life challenges are catalysts for the development of wisdom, and that psychological resources crucially influence how people appraise life challenges, how they deal with them, and how they integrate them into their life story as time goes on. Based on the literature on wisdom and growth from challenging experiences, we proposed five resources as important for the development of wisdom: Mastery, Openness, Reflectivity, and Emotion Regulation including Empathy – in short, MORE.
Since proposing the model, we have conducted a first empirical test of its predictions. This paper describes our expected and unexpected findings, which provide insights that we integrate to further refine and elaborate the MORE Life Experience Model. First, we describe the theoretical and empirical background of the original model.
The MORE Life Experience Model
Life challenges as catalysts of wisdom.
Our first proposition was that life experiences that challenge a person’s beliefs and worldviews are: (a) the main life context in which wisdom manifests, and (b) necessary for the continual development of wisdom. When people are asked about situations in their life in which they did something wise, most describe an important, difficult situation such as a long-term life decision, a complicated social conflict, or a serious illness (Glück, Bluck, Baron, & McAdams, 2005 ). That is, wisdom is both manifest, and has a chance to further grow, when individuals face difficult obstacles or decisions that force them to question their own priorities and worldviews. We proposed specifically that use of the MORE resources should help individuals to manifest wisdom in the face of these challenging situations.
We also suggested that use of the MORE resources in reflecting on life challenges enables people to grow wiser. Life experience is agreed upon by laypeople and wisdom researchers (e.g., Ardelt, 2005 ; Baltes & Staudinger, 2000 ; Bluck & Glück, 2005 ; Glück & Bluck, 2011 ; Jeste, Ardelt, Blazer, Kraemer, Vaillant, & Meeks, 2010 ; Sternberg, 1998 ; Webster, 2003 ) as playing an important role in the continued development of wisdom. The MORE Life Experience Model draws specifically upon work suggesting that crises and obstacles can challenge people’s worldviews and thereby broaden their perspective (see also Ardelt; 2005 ; Kinnier, Tribbensee, Rose, & Vaughan, 2001 ; Kramer, 2003 ) and that particular psychological resources are essential for growth in the wake of adversity (e.g., Aldwin, 2007 ; Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006 ; Joseph & Linley, 2005 ).
The MORE Resources
We identified five resources that were repeatedly mentioned in the literature on life-span development, the development of wisdom, and growth from adversity, and are conceptually linked to growth in wisdom from difficult life experiences.
Sense of mastery . Most people have a healthy sense of illusory control that helps maintain stability and well-being (e.g., Peterson & Bossio, 2001 ; Taylor & Brown, 1988 ). Wise individuals, however, are more realistically aware of the uncertainty and unpredictability of life (Baltes & Staudinger, 2000 ; McKee & Barber, 1999 ) while also feeling that, having learned from experience, they will somehow be able to master whatever happens. Thus, mastery is a dialectical concept that combines full awareness of life’s uncontrollability and unpredictability with trust in one’s own ability to cope. Wise individuals are able to take action on things that they can control and accept things that they cannot control (Ardelt, 2005 ).
Openness . Wise individuals are interested in viewing situations from multiple perspectives (e.g., Staudinger, Lopez, & Baltes, 1997 ; Webster, 2003 ). They are non-judgmental, accept goals and values that differ from their own, and enjoy learning from others. They seek out new experiences and adapt well to the changes life inevitably brings. Webster ( 2003 , 2007 ) considers openness as one of five components of wisdom itself. We propose, however, that openness is a precursor to wisdom (cf. Ardelt, 2011 ) because it enables people to learn from experiences and from others. Openness is certainly also a component of wisdom, and it is an interesting question in itself how wise individuals are able to maintain their openness to new ideas and experiences way into old age, where openness usually declines (Glück, in press). However, we believe that it is there before wisdom is – it paves the way for new experiences and new perspectives that become part of an individual’s wisdom-related knowledge and expertise.
Reflectivity . We define reflectivity as a person’s motivation to think about complex issues in a complex way. Reflective people look back on life experiences and think deeply about them. They are willing to question their own past and current views and behavior, as their goal is to develop a deeper understanding and not to reassure their own views. Reflection is a key ingredient of wisdom in laypeople’s conceptions (Bluck & Glück, 2005 ) and a component of Ardelt’s ( 2003 , 2004 ) and Webster’s ( 2003 , 2007 ) definitions of wisdom. We assume that being reflective, like being open, sets the stage for the development and growth of wisdom (Staudinger, 2001 ).
Emotion regulation. Wise individuals are attentive to their emotions, tolerant of ambivalent feelings, and able to manage emotion as fits the situation. Laypeople’s theories of wisdom often include calm in the face of conflict, which is arguably the most visible sign of emotion regulation (Bluck & Glück, 2005 ), and of particular importance when dealing with negative events (Troy, Wilhelm, Shallcross, & Mauss, 2010 ). As their aim is to understand life more fully, wise individuals neither suppress negative feelings nor dwell on them extensively (Kunzmann, 2004 ). They are also able to appreciate the positive things in life (König & Glück, 2014 ). As with openness, Webster’s model of wisdom (Webster, 2003 , 2007 ) includes emotion regulation as a component, while we and Ardelt ( 2011 ) view it as a developmental precursor.
Empathy. We view empathy as an important precondition for the development of wisdom: those able to take others’ perspectives are more likely to develop a view of life that takes the needs of others and the common good into account (Jeste et al., 2010 ; Sternberg, 1998 ). Ardelt ( 2003 ) proposed compassion as the core of the affective dimension of wisdom. Such concern for others is also a component of wisdom in lay theories (Bluck & Glück, 2005 ): For wise individuals, concern for others is not limited to family or friends but includes a larger view of those in need of support, across humanity (Levenson, Jennings, Aldwin, & Shiraishi, 2005 ). Individuals popularly cited as wise have often created significant positive change in the world (Weststrate, Ferrari, & Ardelt, 2016 ).
Testing the MORE Life Experience Model: the First Empirical Study
The MORE Life Experience Model argues that people higher in a sense of mastery, openness, reflectivity, emotion regulation, and empathy are more likely than others both to display wisdom in dealing with life challenges and to continue growing towards greater wisdom across a lifetime. A strict test of these developmental dynamics would require longitudinal data of individuals before, during and after naturally-occurring stressful life events. Given the difficulty and duration of that type of research, as a first step, we empirically tested the hypothesis that the MORE resources are statistically correlated with measures of wisdom in a cross-sectional design. In the following, we describe this study and its main findings.
Participants. The fact that wisdom is a rare phenomenon makes it somewhat hard to investigate – as we have learned, recruiting a general-population sample yields few highly wise individuals. Therefore, we tried to increase the proportion of wise individuals in our sample by using a wisdom nomination approach. Through newspapers and radio programs, community members were invited to nominate any person that they felt was particularly wise. Excluding self-nominations, 82 people were nominated, and 47 of them agreed to participate. For comparison purposes, 123 other participants were recruited through invitation letters sent to a large population sample in the same region. Thus, the final sample consisted of 170 participants (90 women, 80 men), most of whom (86.5%) were 40 – 92 years of age. All participants came to the lab for two interview sessions and filled out some questionnaires at home (details are described in Glück et al., 2013 ). They were paid € 70 (about U.S. $80.00) for participation.
Measures. How wisdom is measured can affect results significantly. Most existing measures of wisdom are either self-report scales or open-ended responses to life problems. The two methods are not highly correlated (Glück, 2018 ; Glück et al., 2013 ). Self-report measures present a paradox: people who describe themselves as wise may lack the self-reflectivity that defines wisdom (Aldwin, 2009 ; Glück et al., 2013 ). Open-ended measures are not subject to such biases, but highly effort-consuming to analyze, and may overemphasize intellectual aspects of wisdom (Ardelt, 2004 ). We thus measured wisdom and the MORE resources using self-report measures in a relatively large sample and open-ended measures in a subsample, to ensure our results would not be an artifact of the methods used. The subsample consisted of the 47 wisdom nominees and 47 control participants parallel to the nominees in age and gender (for details, see Glück et al., 2013 ).
Participants completed three self-report measures of wisdom . The Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS; Webster, 2007 ) measures five components of wisdom: openness, emotional regulation, humor, critical life experience, and reminiscence and reflectiveness. The Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS; Ardelt, 2003 ) assesses cognitive, reflective, and compassionate dimensions of wisdom. The revised Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (ASTI; Levenson et al., 2005 ) defines wisdom as self-transcendence. Reliabilities were satisfactory to excellent for all self-report measures (see Glück et al., 2013 ).
The open-ended wisdom measure came from the Berlin Wisdom Paradigm (BWP; Staudinger, Smith, & Baltes, 1994 ). After some practice with thinking aloud, participants were presented with a standard life-review problem: “In reflecting over their life, people sometimes realize that they have not achieved what they had once wanted to achieve. What could a person consider and do in such a situation?” Response transcripts were evaluated by trained raters following the BWP manual (Staudinger et al., 1994 ). There were two independent raters for each criterion: factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, life-span contextualism, value relativism, and recognition/management of uncertainty.
As self-report measures of the MORE resources , we used scales or relevant parts of scales from well-established measures. Sense of Mastery includes eight items from Wagnild and Young’s ( 1993 ) Resilience Scale referring to acceptance of uncontrollability (e.g., “I do not dwell on things that I can’t do anything about”) and dealing with hardship (“I can get through difficult times because I’ve experienced difficulty before”); Cronbach’s α was .76. Openness was assessed with the Openness scale of the NEO FFI (12 items, α = .78). For Reflectivity, five items were selected from the Psychological Mindedness Scale (Conte, Plutchik, Jung, Picard, Karasu, & Lotterman, 1990 ; e.g., “I often find myself thinking about what made me act in a certain way”) and the directive-function scale of the Talking About Life Experiences scale (Bluck & Alea, 2002 ; e.g., “I think back over my life when I want to learn from my past mistakes”; α = .77). Emotion regulation was measured using the subscales for perception (9 items, e.g., “I am often uncertain about what I am feeling”) and regulation (6 items, e.g., “When I am afraid of something, there is little I can do about it”) of one’s own emotions from the German-language Emotional Competence Questionnaire (Freudenthaler & Neubauer, 2005 ; α = .83). Empathy was assessed by the Empathic Concern subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1983 ; α = .68).
Our open-ended measure of the MORE resources was an interview about a difficult interpersonal conflict from the participants’ past. As explained earlier, we propose that the MORE resources influence how people reflect upon past life challenges. Therefore, we assumed that participants’ levels of the MORE resources should manifest themselves in the way they talked about such experiences. Their accounts of a conflict should enable us to evaluate their willingness and ability to question their own position and take the opponent’s perspective in retrospect. In the interview, they were first asked to make a list of serious interpersonal conflicts they had encountered. Then, they selected the most difficult conflict they wanted to talk about. They were asked to freely narrate the event and then answer questions concerning what had happened later, how they and their opponent had felt at the time, how they felt about the experience now, and whether they had learned something from it. The interview transcripts were rated by two trained student raters for each MORE resource using 4-point scales from 0 = “no indication of the resource” to 3 = “extraordinary level of the resource”. Table 1 describes the rating criteria for each MORE resource and illustrates them with quotations from the interviews. Participants were also interviewed about another difficult event from their past, but those interviews were difficult to rate in a reliable way. Therefore, we focus on the conflict interviews in the following.
Table 1
Rating Criteria and Sample Quotations for the MORE Resources
Note: Resources were rated on scales from 0 (“no indication of the resource”) to 3 (“high level of the resource”). Each resource included two aspects, and level 3 was only coded if both aspects were present in the narrative.
Table 2 shows inter-rater reliabilities for the BWP criteria and the MORE resources. Inter-rater reliabilities for the BWP were comparable to other studies (Glück & Baltes, 2006 ; Mickler & Staudinger, 2008 ); the total BWP score had a Cronbach’s α of .85. Reliabilities for the conflict interview were in the same range, with a Cronbach’s α of .88.
Table 2
Inter-Rater Reliabilities for the MORE Resource and BWP Criterion Ratings
We used structural equation models to test our hypothesis that the MORE resources would be significantly correlated to wisdom. Separate analyses were performed for the self-report and the open-ended measures. In both cases, we first fit separate measurement models for the resources and the wisdom measures and then combined the optimized measurement models to test the full structural model.
Self-report measures. Table 3 displays the correlations between the self-report measures of the MORE resources and wisdom. Interestingly, there was some differentiation among the MORE resources: there were substantial correlations between mastery and emotion regulation and between empathy and reflectivity, but not across these two groups except for openness, which had significant correlations with both emotion regulation and empathy. Consistent with that, a one-factor measurement model for the self-report MORE measures did not fit the data. A two-factor model with mastery and emotion regulation on one factor, reflectivity and empathy on the other, and openness loading on both factors fit the data well. The correlations among the three wisdom scales were all significant (Glück et al., 2013 ), and they loaded on one factor.
Table 3
Correlations between Self-report Measures of the MORE Resources and Wisdom (N = 150)
Using these measurement models, we next fitted a structural model predicting the wisdom factor from the two MORE factors. As Table 3 shows, the correlations between the MORE resources and the wisdom scales were all significant except for a zero correlation between reflectivity and the 3D-WS. However, the model did not fit the data well, and the fit remained unsatisfactory after a residual negative correlation between the 3D-WS and SAWS, suggested by modification indices, was permitted, χ 2 (19) = 80.275, p < .001, GFI = .870, CFI = .839, RMSEA = .164. The remaining modification indices all required correlations between specific MORE resources and wisdom scales, which would have run against the logic of the model. Therefore, the structural model was retained as it was (see Figure 1 ). In spite of the problems with model fit, both resource factors were strong predictors of wisdom with standardized regression weights of .76 and .69. 1
Structural equation models for the self-report measures of the MORE resources and wisdom. Coefficients are standardized estimates
Open-ended measures. Table 4 displays the correlations between the MORE resource ratings of the conflict interviews and the BWP criteria. Here, the measurement model for the MORE resources did not require differentiation into two factors: the one-factor model fit the data very well, and the same was true for the five Berlin criteria. The structural model showed highly satisfactory fit, χ 2 (34) = 38.324, p = .280, GFI = .915, CFI = .986, RMSEA = .040. It is displayed in Figure 2 . As the figure shows, all paths were significant and substantial. The MORE resource ratings from the conflict interview predicted performance criteria in the Berlin wisdom paradigm with a significant regression weight of .45.
Table 4
Correlations between Interview Ratings of the MORE Resources and Criteria of the Berlin Wisdom Paradigm (N = 82)
Structural equation models for the open-ended measures of the MORE resources and wisdom. Coefficients are standardized estimates
This study provided a first, cross-sectional test of the hypothesis that the MORE resources are related to wisdom across different measurement methods. The models for both self-report and open-ended narrative measures showed significant and substantial positive relationships between the MORE resources and wisdom. This is not particularly surprising with respect to the self-report data: in our experience, self-report measures of positively valued constructs have a general tendency to covary, if only because they tap into people’s general way of thinking about themselves (Glück, 2018 ; Glück et al., 2013 ). Therefore, we were a bit surprised to find the clear dissociation between emotion regulation and mastery on the one hand and empathy and reflectivity on the other. There are at least two explanations for this finding. First, one could argue that emotion regulation and a sense of mastery are about a person’s “internal” way of dealing with experiences, by controlling emotions and by deciding whether to take action or to accept a given situation. Empathy and reflectivity are about taking “external” perspectives: imagining how another person is feeling and thinking about oneself from a self-distanced perspective. On the other hand, the two types of resources may have different developmental timelines: empathy and reflectivity may be predecessors of wisdom, whereas emotion regulation and mastery are acquired with experience and may co-develop with wisdom. We will come back to this point later.
Interestingly, no such dissociation was found for the open-ended data: in the autobiographical interviews about a difficult conflict, participants’ levels of all MORE resources were loading on one factor. Thus, the resources that people utilize when they are reflecting on a concrete event from their past are more closely related than people’s self-evaluations of those resources as traits. Perhaps this is the case because difficult conflicts require both perspective-taking and internal regulation capacities.
In sum, we consider our findings as an encouraging first step in our growing understanding of how wisdom develops. The next step will be to investigate how the resources longitudinally interact with life experiences: the MORE Life Experience Model predicts that the resources that individuals bring to a life challenge influence how they deal with the challenge, but also whether they then grow wiser in its aftermath.
Lessons We Have Learned
We have gained a number of insights from this study and some smaller “side studies” that we did in connection with it. We will detail these lessons in the following section. First, we discuss lessons that led us to refine the model, then, lessons that extend the model in new directions.
Optimizing the MORE Life Experience Model
Single events vs. life phases. Sometimes, participants had difficulty pinpointing one specific event that led to an important insight or a change in worldview. They might have been struggling with a problem for a long time and then at some point, a relatively minor experience, such as a conversation they had or a book that they read, gave them a whole new perspective on the issue. In addition, even when people felt that a single difficult event had led to a major insight, it was often only in the aftermath of the event, when they had the time and nerves to reflect upon what had happened, that they realized how much they had changed. Thus, we would like to shift the focus away from life-changing events to life-changing insights – which often but not always happen in the course of life-changing events. In future studies, we plan to ask participants more directly about the experiences that had the strongest effect on their views about life (see, e.g., Weststrate, Ferrari, Fournier, & McLean, 2018 ) instead of asking them about difficult events and lessons they derived from them.
Renaming some resources. First, while the acronym “MORE” was well suited to convey the general idea that wisdom should be related to “more life experience” as well as to M, O, R, and E/E plus life experience, we may not have chosen the optimal labels for all resources. We would like to change the labels of the “M” and “E” resources as follows.
Managing uncertainty and uncontrollability. The original label for the “M” resource, “sense of mastery,” is too closely related to concepts like self-efficacy and internal control beliefs. It captures the trust that wise individuals have in their own ability to master whatever may happen in their life, but it may not convey their above-average awareness of the unpredictability and uncontrollability of human life. We consider both sides to be equally important: wise individuals neither overestimate nor underestimate their control and knowledge about the world. As mentioned earlier, the psychological literature suggests that most people overestimate the control they have over their life and that these control illusions are actually beneficial to their well-being (Peterson & Bossio, 2001 ; Taylor & Brown, 1988 ). On the other hand, underestimating one’s control has been related to learned helplessness and associated with depression (Seligman, 1975 ); thus, there may also be people for whom wisdom comes from realizing that they actually do have control over important parts of their lives. However, as the majority of people tends to overestimate their control and other conceptions of wisdom have also included awareness of uncertainty as a criterion (Baltes & Staudinger, 2000 ; Grossmann, 2017 ), we prefer to emphasize in the new “M” that wise individuals are fully aware of the limitations of their control and knowledge, but able to manage this awareness well.
Emotional sensitivity and regulation. The original labels for the “E”, emotion regulation and empathy, were somewhat imprecise. Emotion regulation is often used for all phases of perceiving and managing one’s own feelings (e.g., Gross & Thompson, 2007 ). Empathy is usually distinguished from sympathy in that it refers to being aware of others’ emotions without necessarily sharing them. Our conception of the “E” resource is meant to convey that wisdom involves both an attentiveness and sensitivity to the feelings of oneself and others and the ability to regulate them, so as to remain (relatively) calm and to calm down others in challenging situations. Thus, the distinction between the two aspects of the “E” resource is no longer between the self and others but between (a) sensitivity to emotions, which involves being attentive to one’s own and others’ feelings and taking them seriously even if they are unwanted, and (b) regulation of one’s own and others’ emotions as a context requires, which includes the ability to maintain one’s calm even in emotionally challenging situations. As discussed later, sensitivity may actually be an early predecessor of wisdom like openness or empathy, whereas emotion regulation is more of an acquired competence that is learned with experience over the lifespan.
Differentiating reflectivity. One important step forward in our work has been specifying more precisely what kind of reflection about experiences can foster wisdom. Virtually every theory of wisdom involves some aspect of reflection or reflectivity, and virtually all authors agree that it is not having had certain experiences per se, but having reflected upon them that leads to wisdom (e.g., Ardelt, 2005 ; Glück & Bluck, 2013 ; Staudinger, 2001 ; Webster, 2007 ). However, what authors mean by reflection varies considerably. For example, Webster ( 2007 ) defined his subcomponent of reminiscence and reflectiveness as “seeking to understand and derive insight from both our mistakes and successes“ (p. 168) whereas Ardelt ( 2003 ) defined her reflective dimension as “looking at phenomena and events from many different perspectives to develop self-awareness and self-insight, [a practice that] will gradually reduce one’s self-centeredness, subjectivity, and projections, and increase one’s insight into the true nature of things, including the motivations of one’s own and other people’s behavior” (p. 278). These two conceptions touch upon somewhat different aspects of reflection; in fact, we found a low but significant negative correlation between them (Glück et al., 2013 ).
How do we understand reflectivity (originally called “reflective attitude”) in the MORE Life Experience Model? In a way, our conception combines Ardelt’s and Webster’s ideas: we believe that thinking back upon experiences is necessary but not sufficient for developing wisdom; how one thinks about them matters as well. In line with Ardelt’s characterization, wise individuals reflect upon experiences with the aim of gaining insights and learning more about themselves and life in general. Weststrate and Glück ( 2017 ) distinguished two forms of reflection in the interview transcripts from the study described earlier. Exploratory processing is an analytical and interpretive way of reflecting about life events that emphasizes meaning-making (i.e., extracting lessons and insights), complexity, and growth from the past. For example, a participant in our study who had a son born with severe mental disabilities said, “I learned trust and acceptance. I am still learning. I am learning the whole time. I very often say that my oldest son is my greatest teacher. […] I just realize that accompanying my son’s life, I am in a constant learning process… I think this has given me strength.” Redemptive processing , on the other hand, describes the tendency to transform an initially negative experience into an emotionally positive one, leading to sense of emotional closure and event resolution. A participant who had survived cancer said, “I have a very positive attitude. I thank my organs every day for working well. […] in retrospect, I am glad that I had cancer. […] Feelings of gratitude… I do not think about the cancer itself anymore. That is done. It is in the past. It doesn’t make sense to give in to the fear that it could come back.” (Weststrate & Glück, 2017 , p. 807)
Studies have shown that exploratory processing of negative experiences is related to psychological maturity, while redemptive processing is related to happiness and well-being (e.g., King, Scollon, Ramsey, & Williams, 2000 ; Lilgendahl & McAdams, 2011 ; Pals, 2006 ). In our data, exploratory processing was correlated with wisdom, whereas redemptive processing was associated with well-being (Weststrate & Glück, 2017 ). Thus, wisdom-fostering reflectivity is exploratory in focus, aimed at learning about life in its complexity, and not redemptive, aimed at achieving closure and feeling better.
Manifestational vs. developmental resources and their different developmental timelines. In our original model, we assumed that the same resources foster the manifestation of wisdom during life challenges and the development of wisdom from life experiences: a person higher in the MORE resources would deal with a difficult situation in a wiser way and would also be more likely to grow even wiser from that experience. We still believe in the first assumption: a person dealing wisely with a difficult situation will be able to manage uncertainty and uncontrollability, open to alternative views, reflective of his or her views and behaviors, and sensitive to his or her own emotions and those of others involved and able to regulate them as the situation requires. The idea that these same resources also foster the development of wisdom, however, needs some differentiation. Both theoretical considerations and the dissociation we found for the self-report measures suggest that the resources have different developmental trajectories and different ways of interacting with wisdom in the course of development. Some of the resources – especially openness and emotional sensitivity – may be relatively early predecessors of wisdom, already present to individually different degrees in children. Reflectivity is probably learned from experience, starting early on – parents and caregivers can be models of critical self-reflection (or of defensiveness and denial). On the other hand, learning to manage uncertainty and uncontrollability probably requires relevant life experiences. It is therefore most likely to develop as people move from the growth-oriented, self-confident, expansive mindset of adolescence and young adulthood towards a more balanced view of their own power and its limitations in middle adulthood, by which point most individuals have experienced many life challenges. Similarly, while most people learn the “basics” of emotion regulation in childhood, extraordinary levels of this resource may develop in the course of adulthood as people are faced with more difficult emotional challenges such as divorce or serious illness. There are certainly individual differences in the developmental trajectories of all the resources depending on people’s individual experiences. But generally, people at different ages are likely to show somewhat different constellations of the MORE resources.
Importantly, we also believe that the resources interact dynamically with one another. Ideally, they foster each other’s development over time (Glück & Bluck, 2013 ). For example, if a child who is highly empathetic and emotionally perceptive also has the cognitive resources and environmental modelling and support necessary to acquire reflectivity, he or she is likely to develop effective emotion-regulation skills and an awareness of the limitations of his or her control. These skills, in turn, may enable him or her to become an extraordinary source of support and advice for people in need without burning out emotionally in the process.
Optimal vs. maximal levels of the resources. We have also found that for all five MORE resources, the optimal level may not be the maximum possible. It is possible to be so aware of uncertainty and uncontrollability that one becomes helpless, so open to others’ views that one cannot hold one’s own positions, so self-critical that one loses any self-confidence, so sensitive to others’ feelings and concerned about acquiescing them that one sacrifices one’s own well-being. Thus, while for most people becoming wiser means gaining a bit more distance from themselves and learning to take others’ perspectives, for others it may mean building trust in their own feelings, standing by their own values, and taking care of their own needs as well as those of others. Wisdom is a matter of balance more than extremes, and it manifests itself in the way individuals deal with specific, contextualized problems where optimal solutions may not always be possible (Sternberg, 1998 ).
Extending the MORE Life Experience Model
Other potential resources. One question that we have repeatedly discussed is whether the original five MORE resources are really the most important possible ones. Even if, as we showed earlier, the relationships between them differ somewhat by method of assessment, they are related both empirically and conceptually. In fact, we believe that in their dynamic developmental interaction they form a kind of “self-reinforcing syndrome”. For example, openness and empathy are likely to reinforce a self-reflective attitude, and such an attitude is likely to foster the development of emotion regulation skills, which may again help people remain open to others’ perspectives. It is an interesting question whether this “wisdom syndrome,” which we imagine as a kind of general mindset, includes other attitudes and capacities as well, some of which may even be more specific to wisdom than the ones we have described.
In her master’s thesis, our project member Lara Dorner drew upon the literature on growth in psychological and psychotherapeutic contexts to identify other growth-fostering resources that would also seem relevant to wisdom (Christopher, 2004 ; Curnow, 1999 ; Deci & Ryan, 2008 ; Joseph & Linley, 2005 ; Jung, 1971 ; Kramer, 1990 ; Labouvie-Vief, 1990 ; Levenson, 2009 ; Linley, 2003 ; Pascual-Leone, 1990 ; Rathunde, 2010 ; Rogers, 1964 ; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004 ). She identified six resources that came up across various conceptions of growth (Dorner, 2012 ). The arguably most important ones are process orientation and self-integration. Process orientation is a view of life as continuous learning and growth. Process-oriented individuals know that change is inherent in life and that negative experiences are unavoidable; rather than avoiding these challenges and contradictions, they are open to them and embrace the insights they bring with them Self-integration is perceptiveness to and acceptance of one’s own emotions, intuitions, and physical sensations. Self-integrative individuals do not suppress or ignore these perceptions, but are attentive to and accepting of them, even if they run against their ideal of how they would like to be. They aim at integrating even complex and contradictory facets into their own self-concept, which leads to a continually more complex view of the self. Acceptance and trust is a general attitude toward life that is able to look at things and let them happen, trusting that things will be okay, or if they are not, one will be able to deal with them, instead of constantly needing to take action and control. Self-determination is a way of living one’s life that takes one’s own individual needs and personality into account, follows one’s intrinsic motivations, and does not care about external evaluations or reinforcements. Self-determined individuals take responsibility for their actions as they act in accordance with their own self, and value the autonomy and authenticity of others as well. Self-transcendence is a way of experiencing the world that is not centered on one’s own self. Self-transcendent individuals do not feel the need to evaluate others, do not feel threatened when others disagree with them or prove them wrong, and do not depend on the admiration of others. They are compassionate and unselfish as they feel deeply connected to others and the world at large.
These six resources have been shown to be characteristic of growth processes that happen as individuals grow from difficult experiences both inside and outside psychotherapeutic contexts. They have some obvious conceptual relations to the MORE resources (for example, self-integration is related to emotional sensitivity, and process orientation to managing uncertainty), and we find indications of them in our interview transcripts. Thus, they are likely to be facets of the “wisdom-resource syndrome” as well. We selected the original five MORE resources because they were relatively close to established psychological concepts, which made it easier to conceptualize and measure them. It is an open question for future conceptual and empirical work whether additional resources might be added to the model.
Situational variability of wisdom. One of our most important insights concerns the question whether wisdom is a stable personal trait or a more fluctuating phenomenon. The idea that people’s wisdom varies across situational contexts has been supported by experimental research (overview in Grossmann, 2017 ) as well as by studies showing that most people can recall situations in which they did something wise (Bluck & Glück, 2004 ; Glück et al., 2005 ). Our research suggests, however, that there is variation not just in how wisely people act across different situations, but also in how wisely they reflect upon past experiences. As described earlier, participants in our study were interviewed about two different experiences: a conflict and a difficult event. We did not only have raters who evaluated the interview transcripts for the MORE resources, but also raters for wisdom, as we thought that it might be possible to measure wisdom by interviewing participants about life challenges. Trained student raters evaluated each transcript concerning the components of three different wisdom models: the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Model (Ardelt, 2003 ), the Berlin wisdom paradigm (Baltes & Staudinger, 2000 ), and the Bremen wisdom paradigm (Mickler & Staudinger, 2008 ). A fourth group of so-called “lay raters” rated the transcripts for wisdom using their own understanding of wisdom. Interestingly, the correlations within each interview suggested that the different wisdom conceptions tap rather similar characteristics: the average correlation was .73 within the conflict interview and .69 within the difficult-event interview. However, the correlations across the interviews suggest much less commonality with an average of .31 (Glück, 2018 ). Thus, a participant might well have talked very wisely about a conflict from her past but much less wisely about the other difficult event and vice versa.
Much recent research has shown that wisdom varies by situations – the same person may act very wisely in one situation and much less wisely in another. In other words, wisdom is not only determined by a person’s stable personality, but also by situational context (Grossmann, 2017 ). Our findings suggest that wisdom varies even when the external context of life reflection is held constant: people who are talking about two different situations in the same interview room, with the same interviewer, may still be far wiser about one situation than about the other. Thus, how wisely we are able to think about a past experience varies as well. Different experiences have different meanings for us, they happened in different life phases and taught us different lessons. How wisely we think about them may also depend on how much we have thought about the event before, who we talked to about it, what kind of responses got from others as we talked about it. The stories we make of our past experiences are often constructed in close contact with others; thus, others may have a strong influence on how much wisdom we can gain from an experience. This insight, together with some others, has led us to think more generally about the role of interpersonal resources for wisdom.
The important role of interpersonal resources. We began to notice the importance of external resources early on in our study. In particular, Susanne König, a doctoral student and interviewer in the research project, noticed that wisdom nominees seemed to be talking about gratitude far more often than other participants did. Eventually she wrote her dissertation on the relationship between wisdom and gratitude, demonstrating that, indeed, wisdom nominees far more often mentioned spontaneously that they were grateful for something or someone (König & Glück, 2014 ). Asking the participants what they were most grateful for, she found four categories that were mentioned more often by wisdom nominees: life in general with all its ups and downs, their health, their faith, and their partners. Given that most of them were middle-aged and older adults who had been in their relationships for a long time, one would not necessarily expect them to still feel gratitude for having their partner. One participant described her relationship as the best “event” in her life: “… he feels it when I’m not feeling good, and I can talk to him about it, and yes, I am very grateful that I have such a wonderful relationship. I am happy and grateful that I have him.”
Beyond intimate relationships, we also saw the importance of other people for wise individuals in an ethnographic study that another project member, Katja Naschenweng, carried out (for other ethnographic work on wisdom see Edmondson, 2005 , 2013 ). She wanted to study the small tribe of wise individuals just as one would an indigenous people in a distant corner of the world: by observing how they live their lives. She did so with five particularly wise participants of our study. Among several interesting commonalities she found between those quite different people, one was that while they lived somewhat contemplative lives in quiet places, they had not at all turned away from the outside world: they used media actively and selectively, they were very interested in art, literature, and philosophy, and they valued their active social lives. They considered their partners, family, and friends as important sources of not just happiness, but also insight. One participant said, “You need people with whom you can discuss issues, not just the usual blah-blah. We talk about things that are really important to us. I grow through my friendships and relationships. Sometimes I really want to be challenged in those conversations” (see also Weststrate & Glück, 2017 ).
In sum, these findings drew our attention to the importance of external, especially interpersonal resources for wisdom. How much and with whom we talk about our experiences and what we make of them may be as important as our internal ways of reflecting upon them. There may be different ways of telling stories that parallel the different forms of reflection that we have identified. Sometimes we talk about an experience for redemption: we know exactly what we want the listener to say to make us feel better, and we choose our audience and tell the story so as to elicit that reaction. At other times, we want to explore, to get to see a viewpoint, to perhaps gain a new understanding. This form of storytelling is clearly more likely to lead to new insights. Perhaps wise people are less reluctant to explore their own experiences by talking about them in this exploratory way than most of us are. This idea may suggest a Vygotskyan perspective (e.g., Kozulin, 2014 ) on the development of wisdom. 2 Perhaps there is a “zone of proximal development” for wisdom in the sense that people’s previous life experiences and internal resources determine the extent to which they can grow towards wisdom if they get the right external feedback. A mentor, psychotherapist, or simply a wise friend may be able to open up new perspectives on an experience or situation that may not only help them to resolve a problem but also to grow wiser (Igarashi, Levenson, & Aldwin, 2018 ).
Conclusion: The MORE Life Experience Model 2.0
What have we learned so far? A lot, we believe. First of all, our general idea that wisdom develops through a dynamic interaction between experiences and resources has remained unchanged. We have refined some aspects, such as the labels of some resources or our understanding of reflectivity, and broadened our perspective in some ways by including longer life phases and external resources. Thinking about the MORE Life Experience Model has also helped us gain a better understanding of what wisdom itself may be. Some researchers have argued that wisdom is essentially a form of complex, deep and broad knowledge (Baltes & Staudinger, 2000 ; Sternberg, 1998 ). Others believe that wisdom is not knowledge but a personality type (Ardelt, 2003 ). Both these conceptualizations are rendered somewhat incomplete by recent findings that wisdom varies by situation (Grossmann, 2017 ). Thinking about our model, we have come to believe that wisdom is both: deep, personal, experience-based knowledge about life that is acquired through and goes along with a certain mindset: the willingness and ability to take a broad, non-self-centered perspective on life with the goal of understanding it in all its complexity. People who have this mindset are more likely than others to learn more about life and accumulate wisdom-related knowledge over time, and they are more often able to deal with difficult situations wisely. How we can foster this mindset in human beings may be one of the most crucial questions for humanity at this point.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Austrian Research Fund FWF (grant number P21011) and the University of Chicago’s Defining Wisdom Initiative (John Templeton Foundation). We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for very insightful and constructive comments. Open access funding provided by University of Klagenfurt.
1 A potential problem with this analysis was the high degree of conceptual overlap between the MORE Life Experience Model and the subscales of the 3D-WS and the SAWS. The 3D-WS includes a compassionate and a reflective dimension, and the SAWS includes subscales labeled openness, emotional regulation, and reminiscence and reflectiveness. Therefore, we also ran a model that only included the ASTI, which conceptualizes wisdom as self-transcendence and assesses aspects that are relatively distant from the MORE resources (see Koller, Levenson, & Glück, 2017 ). To have more than one indicator, separate ASTI scores were computed for even and uneven item numbers ( r = . 78, p < .001). This model had a far better fit than the first model, χ 2 (12) = 33.199, p = .001, GFI = .946, CFI = .933, RMSEA = .109. The standardized regression weights were .82 for the “crystallized” and .57 for the “fluid” MORE resources.
2 We are grateful to an anonymous reviewer for pointing this out!
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- Research article
- Open access
- Published: 21 September 2020
Lived experience research as a resource for recovery: a mixed methods study
- Anne Honey ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5918-0454 1 ,
- Katherine M. Boydell 2 ,
- Francesca Coniglio 3 ,
- Trang Thuy Do 1 ,
- Leonie Dunn 4 ,
- Katherine Gill 5 ,
- Helen Glover 6 ,
- Monique Hines 1 ,
- Justin Newton Scanlan 1 &
- Barbara Tooth 7
BMC Psychiatry volume 20 , Article number: 456 ( 2020 ) Cite this article
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Lived experience research is conducted by people who have experience of mental health issues and is therefore better placed than more traditional research to illuminate participants’ experiences. Findings that focus on identifying enablers of recovery from a lived experience perspective have the potential to assist people in their recovery process. However, this lived experience research is often difficult to find, access and interpret. We co-produced user-friendly and engaging resources to disseminate findings from six lived experience research studies. This paper seeks to answer the research questions: a) Did exposure to lived experience research increase hopefulness for participants?; and b) How else did interacting with lived experience research resources influence participants’ lives?
Thirty-eight participants were introduced to four resources of their choosing by peer workers over a four-week period. The helpfulness of resources was evaluated using mixed methods, including a quasi-experimental analysis of change in hope, an anonymous survey and in-depth interviews.
Findings indicated that the resources promoted hope, but that increases in hopefulness may not be seen immediately. Other impacts include that the resources: encouraged helpful activities; provided a positive experience; increased valued knowledge; encouraged people to reflect on their journey and think constructively about mental health issues; helped people to feel less alone; and assisted people to explain their situation to others.
Conclusions
The research suggests the potential usefulness of lived experience research resources, presented in user-friendly formats, in the lives of people who experience mental health issues and implies a need to nurture this type of research.
Peer Review reports
Lived experience research in mental health is research that illuminates the perspectives and experiences of people who live with mental health issues and is conducted either by researchers with their own lived experience or in collaborative research teams that include people with lived experience [ 1 , 2 ]. This paper investigates the usefulness of lived experience research in the lives of people living with mental health issues.
The importance of lived experience research in mental health is increasingly recognised and usually conceptualised in terms of three major benefits. First, consumer rights activists, using the slogan of “nothing about us without us” have argued that inclusion in research is a human right and a social justice issue [ 3 ]. Second, it can produce better quality research by enhancing methodological sensitivity, data accuracy, validity of results, and overall relevance to service users e.g., [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Third, people with lived experience have reported deriving benefits from doing research such as satisfaction, skill development, empowerment, and hope [ 4 , 6 ]. Lived experience researchers are increasingly adopting leading roles in conceptualising and conducting research in mental health.
Findings from lived experience research have the potential to be helpful to people in their recovery journeys. Numerous studies have reported the benefits of learning from the wisdom, strategies, challenges and successes of others e.g., [ 7 ]. Hope, a critical component of recovery [ 8 ], is also a major benefit of being exposed to the stories and experiences of others in similar situations. A recent study examined the types of experiences that people living with mental health issues described as igniting and maintaining hope [ 9 ]. Two sources of hope were particularly relevant to lived experience research. First, hearing positive stories of others’ experiences was important. As one participant stated: “the consumers’ voice was hope and healing”. Second, hope was promoted by learning gained from others with lived experience, such as “the key tips and strategies that other peers discussed.”
Observing peers who are living well and reading or listening to individual narratives of recovery are important ways in which people learn from each other and derive hope. However, lived experience research has the potential to bring together the stories of a variety of different people to provide a range of ideas and a bigger picture on particular issues, thus contributing to an individual’s store of resources for recovery.
While the researchers were unable to locate research about the direct use of lived experience research by people living with mental health issues, our collective experience has indicated that many who are not themselves involved in user-led or collaborative research, do not even know that it exists, let alone how to access the findings. Little is known, therefore, about how useful people might find lived experience research in their daily lives.
Our research team, consisting of researchers with and without lived experience of mental health issues, set out to address this issue. As research is rarely presented for a lay readership, we developed a range of user-friendly formats to disseminate lived experience research findings to people living with mental health issues.
This paper seeks to answer the following research questions:
a) Did exposure to lived experience research increase hopefulness for participants?
b) How else did interacting with lived experience research resources influence participants’ lives?
Study design
We collaborated with peer workers and final year design students to develop a suite of six lived experience research resources. These were introduced to consumers by peer workers, and the intervention was evaluated using a mixed methods approach. A mixed methods approach enabled the research questions to be addressed from different perspectives, providing a fuller picture than could be gained using a single method [ 10 , 11 ]. A quasi-experimental evaluation of hope sought to provide relatively objective evidence of the impact of the intervention; an anonymous survey provided comparable participant ratings of the intervention’s impact in expected areas; and qualitative interviews enabled inductive identification of experiences of most importance to participants. Ethical approval was obtained from the LHD’s Human Research Ethics Committee. Reporting adheres to guidelines for Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) in health service research [ 12 , 13 ].
We reviewed the literature to identify lived experience research papers in which the findings were directly relevant to the daily lives of people living with mental health issues. We consulted with peer workers and others with lived experience to identify topics most likely to be of interest to users. Through these processes, we identified six research studies to develop into user-friendly resources. Translating these began with a conference workshop [ 14 ] and a full day design lab focused on design thinking [ 15 ]. These were attended by service users, peer workers, researchers, clinicians and final year design students from the University of Technology Sydney. After the design lab, the ideas and prototypes were taken up by the design students for further development. They designed and produced the resources with regular input on content and format from the research team and peer workers. The resources are summarised in Table 1 . Detailed descriptions and photographs are provided in the supplementary materials.
Change in Herth Hope Index over time: all participants and by group allocation
Intervention
During peer worker training, each of the finalised resources was examined by peer workers and the research team, who together reached consensus on how each resource would be introduced to consumers. This was flexible however, enabling peer workers to adapt their explanations and activities to be most appropriate to the needs of individual participants. The agreed upon protocols were developed into a peer worker manual.
In recognition that different content is relevant to different people, participants were asked to select four of the six resources. Peer workers introduced participants to one resource per week for 4 weeks. For most resources, the peer workers showed each participant the resource, went through some of it in detail, explained how it was designed to be used, then gave it to the participant to keep and use in whatever way they preferred.
Sampling and recruitment
The project was carried out in one Local Health District (LHD) in Sydney, Australia. The LHD employs 18 peer workers over three inpatient and four community sites. The project employed five of these peer workers to recruit and provide the intervention to clients of these services. Contacts between peer workers and participants took place wherever peer workers normally met with their clients, for example on an inpatient unit, at a community mental health service, or in a community venue such as a coffee shop.
Eligible participants were: clients of the LHD; able to speak and read English; and able to provide informed consent. Clients were excluded if they were considered by their peer worker or primary clinician to be unable to fully understand the procedures, risks and benefits of participation due to acute illness. We planned to recruit 30–40 participants as previous research indicated that this sample size was sufficient to show change [ 21 ].
Recruitment
Peer workers explained the study to all eligible clients that they saw in the course of their work. If a client was interested, the peer worker gave them written project materials (flyer, participant information sheet and consent form), offered to read through the forms with them, and answered any questions. Clients were given several days to read and think about the project and were invited to call the Chief Investigator to discuss the project further if they wished. In several days, the peer worker recontacted the client and, if they wished to participate, obtained written informed consent. Peer workers emphasised that the research was voluntary, participants could withdraw at any time, and participation or refusal would have no impact on their other interactions with peer workers or health service. Consent was considered not as a one-off event, but an ongoing negotiation between peer workers and participants [ 22 ], where the primary concern was participants’ well-being. Therefore, at each research-related interaction, peer workers obtained verbal confirmation that the client was happy to continue taking part. Participants were given a $50 gift voucher after study completion to thank them for their time.
Allocation to groups
After providing informed consent, participants were allocated to group A or group B to determine when they would receive the intervention. In most cases this was done using a coin toss, however, the staggered timing of recruitment and other peer worker commitments made it necessary for 13 participants to be allocated based on logistical issues. This also meant that the groups were uneven, with 25 participants allocated to group A and 13 participants allocated to group B.
Data collection
Hopefulness was measured using the Herth Hope Index (HHI). The HHI is a 12-item scale that was developed for clinical populations, takes just a few minutes to do, has good psychometric properties [ 23 ] and has been used with a variety of different clinical groups in at least seven languages e.g., [ 24 ]. It includes three factors of: temporality and future ; positive readiness and expectancy ; and interconnectedness . Participants completed the HHI at three timepoints. Group A received the intervention between T1 and T2; group B received the intervention between T2 and T3.
Participants were asked to complete an anonymous online evaluation survey once only, after they had received their four resources (at T2 for group A and T3 for group B). This consisted of a series of fixed-choice questions about each resource including its impact on various aspects of participants’ lives and their overall experience of the project.
Semi-structured interviews [ 25 ] were conducted after participants had received the resources and completed T2 (group A) or T3 (group B). They were conducted by Author 8, who had not been involved in the intervention. An interview guide was used containing open ended questions. The interview guide was used flexibly, allowing for conversational flow and follow-up questions to gather detail about issues that were of importance to participants [ 25 ]. Participants were asked for feedback on the individual resources and about the impact of the resources on them. Questions included: ‘Do you think you got any benefits out of being a participant in this study?’ ‘Was there anything that you didn’t like about being in the study?’ and ‘Did anything change for you as a result of engaging with the resources?’
Interviews were conducted in person in a private room in the health service or, where the participant preferred, over the phone. Interviews lasted between 7 and 30 min, averaging 17 min. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim for detailed analysis. Participants were provided with both a copy of their transcript and a summary of findings and invited to comment, however, no participants provided additional feedback.
Data analysis
Herth hope index.
Total scores were calculated for each factor ( temporality and future ; positive readiness and expectancy ; and interconnectedness ) and the overall total score. To examine change over time, paired t -tests were completed between Time 1 and Time 2; Time 2 and Time 3 and Time 1 and Time 3 for all participants as well as for Group A and Group B participants separately. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS.
Anonymous survey
Frequencies were calculated and presented in visual format to understand the range of responses.
Qualitative interviews
Data from participant interviews were analysed using interpretative content analysis (ICA). This hybrid method combines qualitative and quantitative techniques [ 26 , 27 ], enabling inductive identification of themes as well and reporting of the frequency of those themes [ 26 , 28 ].
The first step in ICA is inductive coding. Constant comparative analysis (CCA) was employed, as it is a systematic, rigorous, and well-established coding technique which minimises the risk of omission of data (Charmaz, 2014). Segments of data, such as phrases or sentences were examined and allocated one or more code names to reflect the underlying concepts they represented. Each new segment of data was compared to others to identify underlying similarities. For example, the data segments ‘just because you are unwell at times doesn’t mean staying unwell all the time’ and ‘Hope changed for me, it gave me a different angle of hope’ were found to represent the same concept: gaining hope. New data were also compared to existing codes and either added to these, or new codes were developed. Codes were compared to each other and refined by merging similar codes or grouping codes into higher level categories. NVivo computer software [ 29 ] was used to manage the data. Authors 1 and 4 independently coded the first three interviews, then met to discuss coding decisions and reach consensus. Thereafter, the authors met regularly to discuss and review coding decisions. These discussions were aimed at enhancing interpretive rigour, ensuring participants’ viewpoints were faithfully represented. When all interviews had been coded, and the coding list finalised, the transcripts were re-examined to ensure comprehensive coding [ 26 ]. NVivo was then used to identify the number of participants who discussed each theme.
Integration
When data from each component of the study had been analysed, the findings were compared to each other. Authors responsible for analysing different sections (primarily authors 1, 4 and 9) presented findings to the other authors and, through close discussion, questioning, and returning repeatedly to the data, derived an integrated interpretation of the results.
Participants
Sixty-four people were invited to be part of the study and 43 agreed to participate. Five participants (2 from group A and 3 from group B) withdrew from the study after the first assessment and did not receive any of the resources. No participants withdrew between receiving the first resource and the post intervention assessment. Participants were not required to provide explanation for not participating or withdrawing but reasons mentioned included: “limited time/too busy”; “not interested”; “couldn’t be bothered”; “school commitments”; “mental health is okay”; and “anxious”. Thirty-four completed all three assessments, while four participants completed only the pre and post intervention assessments. Thirty participants completed the anonymous survey and 33 participated in the qualitative interviews. Table 2 presents the characteristics of people who participated in the study ( n = 38).
While our intention was to recruit participants from inpatient and community settings, 36 of the 38 participants were living in the community. This was due to logistical and staff issues rather than potential inpatient participants declining.
The findings are presented below for each of the two research questions. During analysis, the impact of the research context emerged as a factor to be considered in the interpretation of the other findings. Therefore, findings around this issue are also presented.
Does exposure to lived experience research increase hopefulness?
Data about the impact on hopefulness of engaging with the resources comes from all three data sources: the HHI, anonymous survey, and qualitative interviews.
Participant responses to the HHI are summarised in Fig. 1 . There were no significant differences between Time 1 and Time 2 for Group A. However, significant improvements were seen in temporality and future (t = 3.4; p = 0.003), interconnectedness (t = 2.7; p = 0.013) and HHI Total Scores (t = 3.1; p = 0.006) from Time 2 to Time 3 and in temporality and future (t = 2.3; p = 0.030) and HHI total (t = 2.6; p = 0.019) from Time 1 to Time 3. There were no significant differences between time points for Group B. For the combined data set, significant improvements were seen in temporality and future (t = 3.1; p = 0.004), interconnectedness (t = 2.5; p = 0.018) and HHI Total Scores (t = 3.1; p = 0.004) from Time 2 to Time 3 and in temporality and future (t = 2.8; p = 0.008), interconnectedness (t = 2.2; p = 0.035) and HHI total (t = 2.4; p = 0.023) from Time 1 to Time 3 (Fig. 1 ).
In the anonymous survey, between 80 and 91% of participants who chose each resource reported that it had caused some improvement in their beliefs about their future or recovery, indicating an increase in hope. Responses for each resource are shown in Fig. 2 .
Has accessing the resource made a difference in your life in terms of your beliefs about your future or recovery?
In the qualitative interviews, more than half of the participants (17/33) described how interacting with the resources made them feel more hopeful, positive and empowered. For example, P13 stated, regarding the meaningful activities magazine, that “I just had a little bit of a light bulb moment saying, ‘Well, these things help these people feel better and all these ideas’, so it gave me a bit of understanding and hope for my future.” Similarly, P12, commenting generally about the resources, said that “Seeing other people’s experiences, and that’s really helped to know ‘I can do that too’.” It should be noted that participants were not asked about hope specifically; the theme of hope emerged in response to general questions about the impact of the resources.
How else did interacting with lived experience research resources influence participants’ lives?
It can be seen from Fig. 3 that an overwhelming majority of participants in the anonymous survey found each of the resources helpful, with between 46 and 75% of people finding each resource ‘very helpful’ or ‘extremely helpful’. Further, between 85 and 100% of people, depending on the resource, said that they would recommend it to other people.
Participant perceptions of resources
Participants also indicated that they perceived a positive impact of the resources on the specific aspects of their lives that were measured. For each resource, 60 to 80% of participants reported it had made a small improvement or a big improvement in their lives. Results are summarised in Fig. 4 .
Has accessing the resource made a difference in your life in terms of
The in-depth interviews allowed participants to state their perspectives on the impact of the resources that mattered to them. Overall, 30/33 participants stated, when asked specifically, that they had benefited from being part of the study. Of the remaining three, two answers were unclear and one was not sure if they had benefited. This participant, P31, also reported that nothing had changed for them as a result of the study. With the exception of P31, all other participants described some positive impact from interacting with the resources in subsequent discussion.
The positive impacts people described fell into a number of broad categories, described and exemplified in Table 3 . Counts are the total number of people who mentioned experiencing this impact. As noted above, these impacts emerged as responses to open questions, so a participant not mentioning an impact does not guarantee that they did not experience it.
Negative impacts
While most of the impacts participants described were, as seen above, very positive, a few participants reported negative impacts. In the anonymous survey, three people reported that accessing a specific resource had a negative impact in one or two of the specified areas, as seen in Fig. 4 . To contextualise these responses, they were considered alongside each participant’s responses to other questions and are reported in Table 4 .
The qualitative interviews also revealed some negative impacts of the resources and provided more detailed information. Three participants reported experiencing some distress from interacting with the resources. It is not possible to tell whether these are the same participants who reported the negative impacts in the anonymous survey. Two participants, while reporting a positive overall experience with the project, said that they had found the content of specific resources distressing because of their past experiences and life circumstances.
P26: Just some of the recommendations [from the hope box] felt like a stab in the gut. Something that I couldn't do in my own life … the one about spending time with friends because I felt that I'd lost friends during my hospital stay .
P19: Personal medicine was, I didn't want to use at all. I just didn't anticipate it. I just, I actually had an upset because I'm an astrologer. I have my own personal way of looking at life … I don't want to have more psychology stuff .
The third participant described feeling upset from hearing about other people’s experiences but did find them ultimately hopeful.
P13: Some of what the participants were experiencing, I experienced those symptoms and I thought it is upsetting. But with what they've set their hope in things to do, it also made me think, well, then I can still feel hopeful about the future .
Impact of the research context
Participants in the qualitative interviews reported that they enjoyed being part of the research project. Findings from the anonymous survey supported this; in response to the question “Overall, how would you describe your experience of participating in the study?”, 18 participants (60%) reported a very positive experience, 10 (33%) gave a ‘quite positive’ response, and two (7%) were neutral. No participants reported a negative experience.
These positive experiences may not, however, have been about the resources alone. Ten people specifically mentioned that they had found being part of the research process a valuable and affirming experience. They appreciated being asked for their opinions about the resources and valued being able to contribute to a piece of research that they saw as worthwhile. Some reported being pleased to know that people with lived experience were doing research and found this hope inspiring.
P25: I really valued being able to, like, participate and do something worthwhile .
P15: I felt stronger because of it, like there's people that care and people that are making an effort to try and help and improve the lives of others .
P26: I think it's helped a lot with my recovery. Engaging with the materials and trying to make them the best that they can be .
The responses of fourteen additional participants to a question about what had motivated them to be in the study, also suggested positive feelings about the research process. Six of these reported that they had agreed to participate in the project because of a desire to make a positive contribution to their community and to the mental health system, saying things like “I felt that maybe I can make a difference for other people like me” (P28). A further six were attracted to it as a piece of research. P29, for example “was interested in the type of research”, while for P27 it was “because I believe in research”. Two more participants wanted their voice to be heard, saying, for example: “I thought it would be good to sort of have my own opinion put out there” (P20).
Four participants spontaneously expressed the hope that the project would continue into the future.
P14: I just hope something, you guys are able to elaborate on, give more of it, the research, to people. I think it's really good, because it could save someone's life. So, I just think, just keep going with it .
This study is the first to examine the potential impacts of accessing lived experience research for people living with mental health issues. Overall, the findings suggest that lived experience research, presented in accessible formats, can result in positive experiences and outcomes.
Initially, the results obtained from the HHI appeared counter-intuitive. The original hypothesis was that participants would demonstrate improved hope between times 1 and 2, for group A and between times 2 and 3 for group B (i.e., that hope scores would increase immediately after engaging with the resource). This was not the case. Yet results from both the anonymous survey and the qualitative interviews indicated that many participants did find engaging with the resources to be hope inspiring. The significantly increased HHI scores between post-intervention and follow-up for group A could suggest that more time is required before the impact of the resources is seen in relation to hopefulness, possibly to integrate learnings from the resources into everyday life. Perhaps if group B had completed the HHI a month following engaging with the resources (i.e., 1 month after Time 3), then significant changes may have been observed. The idea that changes in hope may not be immediate is supported by findings from a recent systematic review of self-management interventions for people living with severe mental illness [ 30 ]. This review found no significant difference in change in hope scores between treatment and control groups at the end of treatment (2 studies, n = 389, p = 0.07) but a significant difference favouring the intervention group at follow-up (3 studies, n = 967, p = 0.03).
It is also possible that the hope scores for Time 1 were artificially inflated through the process of recruitment and consent relating to the research project. Previous research has found that two experiences that contribute to hope are: feeling respected, listened to and believed; and contributing or helping others [ 9 ]. Our qualitative data suggests that people may have derived hope from finding out about lived experience research and being asked to take part in the research project. People felt that their views and experiences were being valued and could see that by participating in the project they were contributing to something that may help others in the future. It may well be that levels of hope, if measured before the project was explained to participants (a hypothetical possibility only) may have been lower, suggesting that the change between Time 1 and Time 2 that relates to the resources may be underestimated. Given that hope is an overall feeling about life, which is influenced by many factors, the finding that hopefulness increased overall within the short timeframe of our small study suggests a potential benefit of lived experience research that should be further investigated.
While participants’ reports of the impact of the lived experience resources on their lives were very positive, there were a couple of instances where a participant reported a negative impact. This was despite the involvement of peer workers and other people with lived experience in resource development and our efforts to present positive and empowering perspectives. In each case, the negative experience did appear to be within the context of a wider positive experience with the resources. However, given that every individual’s situation and history is unique, it may be impossible to ensure that a resource will never cause distress. Further, short term discomfort may sometimes be ultimately productive. Shifts in perspectives and understandings can often involve tension and conflict as people grapple with new ways of thinking and what these might mean for their previously held stories e.g., [ 31 ]. The findings suggest the importance of involving, in dissemination of such resources, peer workers or others who have a relationship with the person and are experienced in dealing with these kinds of issues, and potential distress. For people who are vulnerable, it may be advisable for peer workers to go through the resource with them, rather than presenting it as a stand-alone resource, while for others it may be advisable to check in with people about their reactions. This issue and the role of peer workers is discussed in detail elsewhere [Authors, in preparation].
When searching for research to use for this study, it was more difficult than anticipated to find appropriate studies. This was for two main reasons. First, there are no standard keywords to identify lived experience research and authors do not always declare their lived experience status. Anecdotal evidence indicates that the latter may be a reflection of stigma and potential discrimination in publishing. Second, we found that only a small minority of lived experience research suggested implications that could be used directly in people’s daily lives. Rather, most was aimed at increasing the understanding or changing the behaviour of health professionals and policy makers [ 32 ]. This type of research is clearly important. However, the current study highlights the potential usefulness of lived experience research focused on facilitating positive knowledge, attitudes and strategies for services users. It suggests the need for funding bodies and publishers to support lived experience research that will produce findings that can be used directly in people’s daily lives. The current study contributes to knowledge translation by highlighting a strategy that addresses the problem of accessing the evidence base and rendering that evidence base user friendly [ 33 ].
This study has several limitations. As with any study relying on volunteers, it is possible that participants were, at the outset, more positively inclined toward lived experience research than those who declined to participate. Peer workers may also have inadvertently differentially approached people they thought would enjoy or benefit from the resources. The sample size was quite small so, for the analysis of change in hope, it is possible that some real differences may not have been identified. A further limitation of the study is that 36 of the 38 participants were living in the community. While peer workers believed that many of the resources would be useful in inpatient settings, logistical and staff issues meant that recruitment was primarily from the community. Future research is needed to confirm the findings of this study with a wider sample, including people in a variety of mental health settings.
It should be acknowledged that this study did not compare resources developed from lived experience research to similar resources developed from other research that was designed to illuminate lived experience perspectives but was not conducted by researchers with their own lived experience. Therefore, while a number of participants expressed positive feelings about the research being done by people with lived experience, it is still unclear to what extent the lived experience authorship was critical to participants’ engagement with the resources.
It is also important to recognise that participants engaged with the resources, not simply as part of their everyday interactions with their peer workers, but in the context of a research project. Participants’ positive experiences with being part of the research project may have affected their overall reactions to the resources. It was impossible to disentangle participants’ experiences of the resources themselves from their experiences of being a participant whose opinions and experiences were being sought for a research study which ultimately aimed to help improve the lives of other people who experience mental health issues. The authors are currently designing a project to investigate the use of the resources in peer workers’ routine practice. By offering resources and training to a large sample of peer workers, then allowing them to use the resources where they feel it is appropriate, we will get a clearer sense of the usefulness of these resources in everyday practice.
Many benefits have been acknowledged in recent years of mental health research being conducted by or in collaborations including researchers with lived experience, for both the researchers and the research itself e.g., [ 1 , 6 ]. The current research indicates that lived experience research, when brought to their attention and presented in user-friendly formats, also has the potential to provide direct benefits to people living with mental health issues. By advocating for lived experience research and sharing the findings in accessible ways, researchers, peer workers and others can support people living with mental health issues to develop new knowledge that they can use for their self-empowerment, recovery and wellbeing.
Availability of data and materials
The dataset for the qualitative interviews analysed during the current study are not publicly available as they consist of audio files and transcripts from in-depth interviews which, even with pseudonyms, might potentially allow individual participants to be identified. Deidentified data from the quantitative analysis are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Abbreviations
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the University of Technology Sydney students who provided their design skills for the resource development: Angus Armstrong, Emily Choi, Imogen Karp, Max Mamo, Bailey Tinta and Lilliah Woodham. We are indebted to our amazing research assistants, the peer workers from SESLHD who helped develop the resources and delivered the intervention: Alise Blayney, Nathan Clissold, Candice Fuller, Darren Wagner and Cheryl Wittingslow. Thanks also to the other peer workers and people with lived experience who provided helpful input and feedback about the project and resources as they developed. Finally, we sincerely thank our research participants, who gave up their time to be part of the study and provided us with their insightful feedback.
This research was funded by One Door Mental Health, through their Research Trust Fund. The funder was not involved with study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or publication.
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Mental Health Drug & Alcohol, Northern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Francesca Coniglio
St George and Sutherland Mental Health Services, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Consumer-Led Research Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Study conception: AH,KB,KG,HG,BT; Study design: AH,KB,FC,KG,HG,BT,JNS; Site access, ethics and governance management and research assistant support: FC,LD; Research assistant supervision and research management: MH, AH; Data collection: MH + research assistants; Data analysis and interpretation: AH, TD, MH, JNS. Manuscript preparation: AH; critical revision: KB, FC, KG, HG, MH, JNS, BT. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Honey, A., Boydell, K.M., Coniglio, F. et al. Lived experience research as a resource for recovery: a mixed methods study. BMC Psychiatry 20 , 456 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02861-0
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Why Lived Experience Matters
The limits of empathy..
Posted September 29, 2021 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader
- Empathy cannot always replace lived experience; people who have been through something know the nuances of dealing with it.
- By claiming to understand what people are going through, we sometimes hurt them by offering misguided solutions.
- We cannot always judge people who have been through different experiences in life by the same standards that we judge ourselves.
One of the most common movie tropes is that something tragic happens to a character, and their friend tries to console them saying “I know what that must feel like.” The friend usually gets met with a retort that goes something like this—“No. You have absolutely no idea what it feels like.” There’s a reason this trope is so common, and it has to do with lived experience. All of us have been through hard times, and we know how much it rankles when someone who hasn’t been through the same experience as us claims to understand what we’re going through, or worse, offers us advice based on their own point of view.
The Importance of Lived Experience
Lived experience matters for many reasons, not least of which is that only someone who has been through an experience knows the nuances and complexities of dealing with it. This is why, for instance, it is so important for company boards, policymakers, and even community surveys to make sure they are diverse and include the voices of people who have been through experiences as different from each other as possible.
Examples of situations where a group of people is excluded from an arena abound—to cite just one example, research for medical conditions affecting women, including endometriosis, are severely underfunded. In a medical and scientific community that has for decades been dominated by men, this is not surprising in the least, but has very real consequences for women all over the world.
When Empathy Just Doesn't Cut It
People are often told to empathize with others by “walking a mile in their shoes,” but the person stepping into the shoes comes with their own prejudices, baggage, and life experience. Of course, empathy is important, but it can only take us so far. By claiming to understand what other people are going through, we hurt them not only by offering them advice that might be totally out of place, but also sometimes by offering them solutions that might be completely misguided.
Very often, when people are in a position to help those in need, they end up offering solutions through their own lenses without first consulting the communities they aim to help. I recall visiting a home for orphaned children as a college student in India, and coming back with the realization that children get really attached to people, and that spending an hour or two with the kids and gaining their trust only to never return, was unfair and shortsighted. What happened that day was simply that I had decided, with blinders on, that I wanted to “do something good” with my time and settled upon what I thought would be good for the children.
The Insights That Lived Experience Can Offer
What, then, is the best way to contribute to society, if we are so inclined? One possible way would be to enter an arena that we have some experience with. Many colleges offer programs where current students meet up with alumni of the college to get career advice, and to clarify any questions they have about their future career paths. The alumni, having recently been through experiences that the students might encounter in the near future, act as the perfect sounding boards, and the insights they might offer can hold real value.
Lived experience is one reason why groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are so popular. Is any community better than a group of people who have gone through the exact same experiences as you have? The effortless understanding and the non-judgmental nature of such groups is what makes them so appealing and so effective. The insights that one can get from a group that has been through similar experiences are far superior to those given by well-meaning friends and family who might just not get it.
Speaking of “just not getting it," parents often are at a loss to understand their teenage children, largely because they’ve just forgotten what it feels like to have been one. Older people often invoke lived experience with the younger generation by telling them “I’ve been through the stage of life you’re going through, and so I know what I’m saying.” But this is often a moot point because a) times change, b) it’s usually not the exact same experiences that people go through, and c) different people can react to pretty much the same situation in very different ways.
The Mismatch Between Lived Experience and Empathy—The Focusing Illusion
There’s a fascinating explanation for why there’s usually such a big mismatch between lived experience and people’s perception of that experience from the outside, and it’s called the focusing illusion. This term, coined by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, is used to describe how we tend to give too much importance to a distinctive aspect of something just because we focus on it. In Kahneman’s words, “Paraplegics are often unhappy, but they are not unhappy all the time because they spend most of the time experiencing and thinking about other things than their disability. When we think of what it is like to be a paraplegic, or blind, or a lottery winner, we focus on the distinctive aspects of each of these conditions. The mismatch in the allocation of attention between thinking about a life condition and actually living it is the cause of the focusing illusion.”
The focusing illusion can be dangerous because it can cause us to view people in a uni-dimensional manner, causing us to pity them, or worse, offer them solutions that they might not even need. As author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says in this TED talk, believing a single story about a person can cause us to make flawed assumptions about people and dehumanize them. When we label a person as poor, for instance, we don’t see them as anything else. We don’t see that they have a life that is as nuanced as anyone else’s.
The Importance of Expertise and Deeply Listening to Communities
I don’t mean to say, however, that only people with lived experience can make meaningful decisions for themselves or their communities. This is where expertise comes in. A psychiatrist, for instance, doesn’t need to have experienced a hallucination to know what medications to prescribe to a person with schizophrenia. An economist need not have experienced poverty to offer solutions to the world’s problems, and so forth.
If a person who wishes to help a community doesn’t have expertise in the field they’re entering (which would be ideal), empathy has a role to play too, but any intervention can only go so far (or miss the mark entirely) if solutions are offered without consulting and deeply listening to the communities at the receiving end. Also, when it comes to charitable causes, it is very often a case of the rich helping the poor, which comes with a power differential that can make it very hard for the recipient of the charity to say no.
Without lived experience, not only can we not understand what a person has been through, we simply cannot judge them by the same standards we judge ourselves. We cannot, for instance, judge a daily wage laborer for not “making the time” to attend every parent-teacher meeting at school. Not everybody has a flexible job and the freedom to take a few hours off work. When we judge others by the same standards we use to judge ourselves, we are in essence saying “only my experience matters and not yours."
Understanding the limits of empathy and conceding to the irreplaceable insights that lived experience can offer has the potential to make dialogue deeper, and solutions more meaningful.
Aditi Subramaniam is a neuroscience Ph.D. turned science writer. Her Ph.D. work involved investigating eye movements as potential biomarkers for schizophrenia.
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Life Experiences Throughout the Lifespan: What Do People Say (or Not) About Them?
- Published: 21 November 2017
- Volume 25 , pages 69–85, ( 2018 )
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- Vanessa Azevedo ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4850-258X 1 ,
- Carla Martins 1 &
- Ângela Maia 1
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Life experiences have been a topic of interest for researchers and clinicians for decades. Current knowledge is rooted in two distinct approaches, i.e., personality psychology and psychosomatics. Whereas the first is interested in ordinary life stories of nonclinical individuals, based on a more qualitative, in-depth, and person-driven approach, psychosomatics stresses negative events, mainly in clinical samples, and presents a more quantitative, general, and construct-driven approach. Consequently, available evidence is dispersed and unrelated and many basic questions remain unanswered. This study aimed to explore occurrence, developmental stage, valence, and impact of life experiences and to analyze critical answering patterns (i.e., “I don’t remember,” missingness). Through a cross-sectional retrospective design, 394 adults from the community answered the Lifetime Experiences Scale, which covers 75 life experiences organized in eight domains (i.e., school, job, health, leisure, living conditions, adverse experiences, achievements, and people and relationships). Occurrence of life experiences varied greatly, and the mean number of experiences reported was approximately 30. Regarding developmental stage, most experiences were reported in just one stage—mainly adulthood—however, some could be considered chronic. Globally, life experiences tended to be clearly rated as positive or as negative; additionally, assessed experiences were mainly appraised as positive. Moreover, participants presented their experiences as significant, rating them as high impact. Overall, critical answering patterns were not very expressive: “I don’t remember” and missing answers were below 2 and 5%, respectively, in the majority of experiences. These findings offer several important new insights, suggesting that life experiences are mainly an idiosyncratic topic.
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This manuscript is part of a doctoral dissertation, which had the support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the PhD grant with the reference SFRH/BD/76022/2011, funded by POPH-QREN-Typology 4.1-Advanced Training, reimbursed by the European Social Fund and national funds from State Budget. This study was conducted at Psychology Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013), University of Minho, and supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds and co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007653).
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Azevedo, V., Martins, C. & Maia, Â. Life Experiences Throughout the Lifespan: What Do People Say (or Not) About Them?. J Adult Dev 25 , 69–85 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-017-9277-6
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- The impact of globalization on identity formation.
- Age differences in the contemporary world.
- Criticism of identity as a social construct .
- Disability in the context of globalization.
- Early Childhood Education: The Ethical Dilemma.
- Crisis of masculinity in the global culture.
- Social class as the key to identity.
- What are the differences between modern and historical class systems?
- Socialization and ethnic identity in contemporary society.
- Racial theory and globalization principles.
- Consumerism in the modern world.
- Communication Process in Human Life.
- How does globalization affect the formation of consumerism?
- Production shifts in contemporary society.
- Functions of the modern family.
- Type of Homicide in Social Life.
- Society and family in contemporary society.
- Functionalism theory concerning family structure.
- Gender Roles and Family Life in the U.S.
- Social inequality and family in sociological perspective.
- Conflict theory and family relationships.
- How is family structure related to social inequality?
- Work-Life Balance in the High-Tech Industry.
- Family as a source of conflict.
- Patriarchal ideology in the family .
- Children’s education and family role in it.
- How does family contribute to patriarchal ideology?
- Interaction between family members in contemporary society.
- How does social class affect the institution of marriage?
- The Impact of Culture on Dementia Healthcare.
- Symbolic interactionism in the modern family.
- Divorce in contemporary society.
- Ethnic differences and their effect on the family composition.
- Emotional support in the era of globalization.
- What is the role of emotional support in the family?
- Bullying in Schools: Global Problem.
- How do patterns of social conflict affect the family construct?
- Future of the family unit from the sociological perspective.
- Social factors that affect health.
- Sociological processes in modern healthcare.
- Gender patterns in the globalized world.
- Divorce and Its Impact on Children.
- What is the social construction of modern healthcare?
- Prevalence of mental issues in the modern world.
- The social distribution of healthcare.
- Provision of healthcare in contemporary society.
- Social Groups’ Impact on Social Interactions.
- How do ethical differences hurdle healthcare?
- The role of globalization in the healthcare industry.
- What is the nature of mental issues in the modern world?
- Cultural Influences on Business Ethics.
- Regional inequality in healthcare access.
- The role of health professional education.
- Sociological models of modern healthcare.
- Globalization: Positive and Negative Impacts.
- Gender biases in contemporary healthcare.
- What are the critical components of healthcare inequalities?
- The connection between globalization and the rise of diseases.
- Pandemics and social development.
- Utopia as a Mythic Destination for Society.
- How can the sociological perspective influence healthcare development?
- What is the role of social relations in the pandemic?
- Poverty in contemporary society.
- Ethical Dilemma and Racism in Healthcare Leadership.
- What is the nature of poverty in the modern world?
- Historical repercussions of poverty.
- Persistence of poverty as a critical issue.
- How does globalization affect poverty?
- The distribution of wealth in the modern world.
- Ethical and Legal Responsibilities.
- Class divisions and the distribution of income.
- State solutions to poverty and their repercussions.
- Private companies and globalization.
- Non-governmental response to economic inequalities.
- Do private companies cope better with poverty elimination?
- Medical Ethical Issues of Family Attending Patient.
- Effects of globalization on poverty development.
- Labor processes in contemporary society.
- The role of technology in the modern world.
- Sociological skills in the modern workplace.
- Labor control in the era of globalization.
- Ethics of the workplace in contemporary society.
- Violence Against Women Problem in Modern Society.
- The sociological perspective on AI-driven developments.
- Robotics and labor in the light of globalization.
- Sociology and religion in the modern world.
- The relationship between social change and stability.
- Religion and social organizations in contemporary society.
- The Effects of Gambling Legalization in the Society.
- How does religion in the contemporary world contribute to social stability?
- Religious traditions in the sociological framework.
- Contemporary religious sects and their relations with main world religions.
- Social groups and religious affiliation.
- Practices and beliefs from the sociological perspective.
- Spread of religious beliefs in the context of globalization.
- Gangs and Social Learning Theory Relationship.
- Nature of secularization in the modern world.
- Effect of sociology on secular beliefs.
- Significance of religiosity in contemporary society.
- Globalization and the extent of secularization.
- Social classes and religion.
- Social Control Theory Versus Self-Control Theory.
- Spirituality and sociology in the contemporary world.
- What are the interactions between social groups and religious studies?
- Fundamentalism in the context of globalization.
- Are fundamentalist beliefs a danger to modernity?
- Globalization and Culture.
- Sociological perspective on fundamentalism.
- Clash of civilizations in the context of sociology.
- The religious aspect of social inequality perceptions.
- Intrareligious dialogue as social interaction.
- Slave Trade and Its Impact on West African Societies.
- Differences in sociological developments of different religions.
- Sociological perspective on global development.
- Underdeveloped countries in the sociological perception.
- Influence of globalization on societal relations.
- What are the cultural ties between modern societies?
- Heath Care Reform History in the United States.
- The phenomenon of global inequality.
- How does global development contribute to social inequalities?
- The role of transnational corporations in social development.
- Global strategies and transnational corporations.
- Impact of Divorce on the Emotional Well-being of Children.
- Non-governmental sector’s role in shaping world sociological processes.
- International agencies in the context of globalization.
- Industrialization from the sociology perspective.
- Urbanization and its effects on society.
- How are environmental changes affected by industrialization and urbanization?
- Sociological response to climate change.
- How Social Class Impacts Health Disparities.
- Can social relations shape the effect of climate change?
- Global demographic changes in the modern world.
- Aspects of education distribution from the sociological perspective.
- African-American History Before 1877.
- Employment and sociology within a globalization framework.
- What are the social aspects of employment strategies?
- Role of media in contemporary society.
- Significance in understanding the media effect in the modern world.
- Middle East Society Approach to Consumerism.
- New types of media and their influence on social processes.
- Role of social media in shaping identity.
- Media companies’ capabilities from the sociological perspectives.
- State-controlled media and their effect on society.
- Ownership of the media holdings in the context of globalization.
- Media bias in modern news coverage.
- Business Ethical Issues: Consumers and Society.
- The sociological impact of media selection.
- Content of media and its relation to the target audience.
- Representation of ethnicity and gender from a sociological perspective.
- Relationship between media and their audience.
- Fake news and social reactions.
- The Feminist Movement: The Background and the Connection to Sociology.
- Impact of selectivity on social development.
- The connection between media, politics, and economy.
- What is the theoretical approach to the sociology of media?
- Causes of migration from a sociological perspective.
- Impact of globalization on migration .
- Sociology of Religious Movements.
- Impact of migration on social processes.
- Social security and migration.
- Social policy and countering the migration.
- Control of migration in contemporary society.
- Legalizing Medical Marijuana: History and Purpose.
- Illegal migration and its repercussions.
- Sociological perspectives on modern slavery.
- Impact of international agencies on countering illegal migration and slavery.
- Approaches to Media: Audiences and Effects.
- Sociological framework on interactions between government and migrant representatives.
- Adaptation of immigrants and their social status.
- Social inclusion or social inclusivity in the issue of migration.
- Roman History: Julius Caesar’s Assassination by Liberators.
- Waves of modern migration and sociology framework.
- Social stratification and its impact on social development.
- Globalization and social differentiation.
- Radio, Need for Entertainment and Impact on Society.
- Impact of contemporary society on the development of stratification.
- Social classes and social differentiation.
- The nature of social mobility in contemporary society.
- History of the Great Depression.
- Patterns of social mobility in the era of globalization.
- Impact of stratification on the significance of social mobility.
- How do age, ethnicity, and gender affect social mobility?
- Positive Impact of Social Responsibility on Business.
- To what extent does differentiation influence social development?
- Transnational perspectives of stratification in the context of sociology.
- The impact of political ideology on daily life in the United States.
- The role of social media in shaping political attitudes and behaviors in daily life.
- The effects of political polarization on daily interactions and relationships.
- Plato and Aristotle on Women in Politics.
- The influence of political affiliation on consumer purchasing decisions in daily life.
- The impact of government policies on daily routines and activities.
- Migration Processes and Their Impact on the Economy and Politics.
- The effects of political activism on daily life and community engagement.
- The effects of political campaign advertising on daily mental well-being.
- The impact of political representation on daily life satisfaction.
- The role of political identity in shaping daily interactions and relationships.
- The effects of political corruption on daily living conditions.
- Korean War Impact on Economy and Foreign Politics.
- The relationship between political freedoms and daily quality of life.
- The impact of political dictatorships on daily decision-making abilities.
- The influence of political propaganda on daily media consumption.
- The effects of political extremism on daily social cohesion.
- The impact of political surveillance on daily privacy and personal freedom.
- The Impact of Subprime Lending Crisis on the United States Economy.
- The relationship between political participation and daily community development.
- The effects of political polarization on daily communication patterns.
- The impact of political correctness on daily language use and expression.
- The influence of political corruption on daily access to healthcare.
- The effects of political censorship on daily access to education.
- Worldview Analysis of Abortion Policy in America.
- The relationship between political power and daily access to justice.
- The impact of political instability on daily emotional well-being.
- The influence of political propaganda on daily attitudes towards minorities and marginalized groups.
- The effects of political activism on daily work productivity.
- World War I and Its Impact on Germany.
- The impact of political extremism on daily travel and tourism.
- The relationship between political systems and daily economic opportunities.
- The effects of political polarization on daily family dynamics.
- The USA Constitution, Its Amendment Process and History.
- Formation of the leader’s image in political advertising.
- Evolutionary and revolutionary changes in the form of the State.
- The evolution of Barack Obama’s political views.
- Global Policy Impact on Health Programs and Services.
- Politics as a phenomenon and object of research.
- Politics and morality: Functional commonality and differences.
- Goals and means in politics: The debate of interaction.
- The concept and history of human rights (liberal and socialist theories).
- The most fundamental human rights and the problems of their implementation in Russia, the European Union, and the US.
- The political thought of ancient India and ancient China.
- Ancient political tradition (Greece and Rome).
- Economic Issues: Impacts of Increase in Oil Prices.
- The impact of political correctness on daily interactions in the workplace.
- The influence of political corruption on daily access to clean water and sanitation.
- United States Immigration Policy.
- The effects of political censorship on daily access to scientific research and information.
- The relationship between political representation and daily access to public services.
- The impact of political extremism on daily attitudes towards religion.
- How Leadership, Power and Politics Affect an Organization’s Performance.
- The influence of political propaganda on daily attitudes toward the environment.
- The effects of political activism on daily involvement in community organizations.
- Parliamentary republics: Comparative analysis (Germany, Italy, India, Israel).
- The social purpose of the state.
- The causes and possible consequences of the transformation of social policy in the modern world.
- The state and the media: The main paradigms of interaction.
- The American Foreign Policy and Culture.
- Charity and guardianship in the context of modern state policy.
- The impact of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the international situation in the Middle East in the 1970s and 1980s.
- The foreign policy aspect of revolutions in the Arab world (based on the materials of Egypt, Syria, and Bahrain).
- The foreign policy mechanism and the main directions of Germany’s current foreign policy.
- The impact of political surveillance on daily trust in government.
- The Vietnam War Causes and Effects.
- The relationship between political freedoms and daily creativity and innovation.
- The effects of political polarization on societal attitudes toward science.
- The influence of political corruption on attitudes toward law enforcement.
- The impact of political censorship on attitudes toward historical events and figures.
- International Political Economy and Its Theories.
- The relationship between political power, daily access to green spaces, and recreational opportunities.
- The impact of political extremism on attitudes towards mental health and mental illness.
- German diplomacy in modern times.
- The Eurasian Economic Union as a political project: Analysis of the effectiveness of PR strategies.
- Euroscepticism in the structure of European domestic policy.
- Types of Advertising – Commercial and Political.
- Ideological concepts of the War of Independence in the United States.
- The ideology of liberalism and its influence on modern political processes.
- Research of issues related to totalitarianism and its prerequisites.
- History of Franco-Prussian War.
- The study of the peculiarities of forming the political elite at the federal and regional levels.
- Opposition as a political institution: A comparative analysis of its status in modern societies.
- Coverage of geopolitical conflicts in the modern press.
- Role That Interest Groups Play in American Politics.
- Formation of the ideology of National Socialism in Germany in 1920-1930.
- Political ideas of the Renaissance.
- The political thought of the modern era.
- The influence of the teachings of Augustine Aurelius and Thomas Aquinas on political processes in the Christian states of Europe.
- Political Aspects: Gun Control and Immigration.
- The correlation of politics and morality in N. Machiavelli’s work The Sovereign .
- The influence of Protestantism on political processes in Europe.
- The development of liberal democratic principles in the works of J. Locke and S. Montesquieu.
- The theory of plebiscite democracy by M. Weber.
- The role of personality in history.
- Turkey’s and the European Union’s Politics.
- The place of civil society in the system of political power.
- Political power and pluralism of opinions: Consensus and compromise in politics.
- The concept, structure, and functions of political culture.
- Origins, main features, and examples of the totalitarian regime.
- The democratic model of the state: Concept, essence, and examples.
- Hegemony in International Politics.
- The role of mass media in political technologies and Internet opportunities in political processes.
- The rule of law: The concept, essence, goals, and stages of development.
- Comparative analysis of the teachings on the state by T. Hobbes and J. Locke.
- Influence of Political and Economic Changes on Domains of Nursing Practice.
- Business development strategies in Western countries.
- Business planning at different stages of enterprise development.
- The necessary stages of forming a business plan.
- Analysis of Factors Impact on Organizational Management.
- Online commerce: Pros and cons.
- Risk management: What should be done to minimize risks?
- Analysis of consumer reaction to changes in the company.
- Manager’s Behavior: Impact on Employees.
- Recommendations for the formation of a strong corporate culture .
- The code of ethics of a successful enterprise.
- The Digitalization Impact on Management Accounting.
- Types of management styles for large enterprises.
- Business trends of different countries.
- Online sales and their growing popularity.
- Leadership theories and how they are applied.
- Stock Markets’ Impact on Economic Growth.
- The history of the market and business.
- Diversity in the workplace: The benefits of diverse employees.
- How did COVID-19 affect businesses and employees?
- Theories of motivation for productive work of employees.
- Starting and Maintaining a Business.
- Theories of management for enterprises of different sizes.
- How has globalization affected business development in America?
- How have innovations influenced the development of the modern business?
- How does employee motivation affect the income of enterprises?
- Strategic Management and Its Importance for Businesses.
- How can small companies cope with crises?
- Western vs. Eastern style of management.
- What are the laws for E-commerce ?
- The need to draw up long-term and short-term plans.
- Sustainability in Business: A Case of the Healthcare Industry.
- The success and failures of the global market .
- Gender and business: Women in managerial positions.
- Advertising by traditional methods vs. advertising via the Internet.
- Business Ethics in a Global Economy.
- Effective ways to increase brand awareness.
- How was the world economy formed?
- Types of compensation paid to employees.
- Impact of Organizational Culture on Decision-Making.
- Pros and cons of a hierarchical management system.
- How to increase customer satisfaction ?
- The importance of customer service for success.
- Can self-taught entrepreneurs succeed in business?
- Business Communication and Research Methodologies.
- How to save a company during a global pandemic?
- Female managers vs. male managers.
- The Impact of Organizational Change on Business.
- Minimizing conflicts between employees is a factor for success.
- Is it worth conducting regular employee training?
- The impact of cultural diversity on business efficiency.
- New Employee Professional Development Programs in Hospital Setting.
- Character traits and skills necessary for a leader.
- A young employee versus an experienced co-worker.
- Effects of Online Marketing on Startup Business.
- Legal regulation of monopolies and anti-monopoly measures.
- How does consumer behavior change amid the crisis?
- How does the proper motivation of staff affect business success?
- Difficulties that everyone can face starting their own business.
- Financial models for different types of business.
- The Role of General Management in Business.
- Issues of business interaction between Western and Eastern companies.
- Persuasion skills as the tool for working with clients.
- The importance of communication for doing business.
- What is the effectiveness of advertising as a means of attracting customers?
- Is it worth opening a family business?
- Branding and Marketing Communication: Impact on Brand Equity.
- Sanctions and restrictions that are peculiar to the market.
- How is a healthy working atmosphere created in companies?
- How can a small company reach the world level?
- Pros and cons of workforce optimization.
- Types of Business Organizations.
- Calculating business risks for the success of a company.
- Business development trends in the US and European countries.
- The role of coaching in the development of employees.
- Apple and Microsoft Corporations Success Stories.
- Comparative analysis of the economy of Apple and Samsung.
- Artificial intelligence as a tool for increasing labor productivity.
- Strategies and tactics of communication between enterprises.
- New Business Models and Strategic Management Theory.
- How did companies lose their productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic?
- Remote hiring practices during COVID-19.
- How does bullying in a team affect overall productivity?
- Modern ways of advertising via the Internet.
- Famous representatives of the theory of economics and business.
- Importance of Business Communication.
- A good leader: How to establish relations with subordinates.
- Historical background: How entrepreneurship developed.
- How effective is advertising from bloggers in modern times?
- Formation of the company’s mission and goals.
- Models of Government Business Relations in USA and Canada.
- How did China become a leader in market development?
- Work-life balance: How not to burn out?
- How do representatives of different cultures advertise their products?
- Designing Organizations: Business Process Strategies.
- Ways to increase customer loyalty .
- The role of financial markets in the modern economy.
- Customer and Employee Satisfaction: Impact on Business Profitability.
- How to influence customers in the decision-making process?
- Soft skills vs. hard skills: Which are more important?
- The evolution of management: From the origins until today.
- Concept of Project Management in Today’s Business World.
- By what factors are hiring managers evaluated?
- Pros and cons of hiring students without work experience.
- Hiring for a Specialized Position: Defining Goals.
- How to stop worrying and become an effective employee?
- Modern trends in management development.
- Trends in the development of organizational management structures.
- Business Financing and the Capital Structure.
- Material motivation vs. non-material motivation.
- How to effectively set goals in personnel management?
- Decision-Making Process During Different Stages of Business Lifecycle.
- Methods of development and decision-making in business.
- Ways to organize effective teamwork .
- Professional skills of a manager.
- Methods of investment risk assessment.
- Teamwork and Communication Impact on the Patients Safety.
- The concept, essence, and classification of investment risks.
- Evolution of managerial thought and development of management theory.
- Innovative methods of enterprise management.
- Enterprise management in a competitive environment.
- The role of control in the enterprise.
- Leadership: Communication in Teamwork.
- Advantages and features of operational management.
- Techniques of enterprise management in conditions of instability.
- Improving pricing policy in small businesses.
- Managing the cost of production at a small enterprise.
- Diversity Management: The Objectives and Activities.
- Financial results management and ways to optimize them.
- Business restructuring and reorganization.
- The impact of the digital economy on change management.
- Features of cross-cultural management .
- Corporate social responsibility of business.
- Impact of Job Satisfaction on Employee Performance.
- Marketing budget and methods of its planning.
- Formation of an international marketing strategy .
- Development of the company’s positioning concept.
- Problems of effective marketing management.
- Customer Integration and Satisfaction.
- Analysis and assessment of sustainable development of enterprises.
- Client-oriented organization: technologies for working with different clients.
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization.
- Social Media Impact on the Business.
- The use of personnel outsourcing in modern organizations.
- Methods of development of leadership qualities of employees.
- Models of the behavior of enterprises in a business environment.
- Improvement of personnel strategy and personnel policy .
- Healthcare Financing Impacting Patient Outcomes.
- Management of socioeconomic processes at the enterprise.
- Factors influencing the increase in profit in business.
- Economic analysis of the company’s production activities.
- Approaches that increase the efficiency of the enterprise.
- Arabian Plastic Company’s International Business Entry Strategy.
- Formation of remuneration in market conditions.
- Profit maximization as the goal of economic activity.
- Effective delegation of tasks and powers by the manager.
- Impact of Workplace Factors on Nurses Job Satisfaction and Retention.
- Factors of the effectiveness of organizational communications.
- Preparation and conduct of business negotiations.
- Methods of forming a manager’s image.
- Types of Conflicts in an Organization and Conflict Management.
- Quality and efficiency of management decisions.
- The process of developing management decisions.
- Organization of the manager’s control over the activities of subordinates.
- Leadership styles and their effectiveness.
- Formation and effective regulation of teams.
- Financial Impact of Hiring, Training, Separation of Employees.
- Organizational behavior : An international context.
- Managers, their tasks, and central areas of activity.
- Personality and team in modern management.
- Why Is Human Resources Management Important?
- The progress of the Internet of medical things during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The impact of artificial intelligence on treating people with disabilities.
- How Computers Impact Society Today.
- Benefits and challenges of cloud computing in business leadership.
- Implementation of cloud computing delivery models in management.
- How does cloud computing affect interpersonal communication and collaboration?
- The development of customer success strategies for high-tech companies.
- The Impact of Digital Transformation on IT Operations.
- Access to 3D printing technologies in developed and developing countries.
- What are future 3D printing trends in the medical industry in the United States?
- Healthcare providers’ readiness to use 3D printing technologies.
- Differences between advertising technology and marketing technology.
- What factors affect the choice of the AdTech platform?
- IT and Government. Social Media Technologies.
- The impact of online education programs on early childhood development.
- The choice of gaming jobs among modern students.
- Mobile gaming in children’s cognitive and emotional development.
- Cyber-Bullying Versus Traditional Bullying and Its Psychological Effects.
- How does children’s use of technology define STEM career choices?
- Benefits and challenges of virtual reality gaming among modern children.
- Technological awareness in the career development path .
- E-commerce threats to the brick-and-mortar shopping industry.
- Cyber-Bullying in the Nursing Workplace.
- What is the future of e-commerce in developing countries?
- Ethical implications of human cloning : Developed and developing perspectives.
- The use of drones to change the future of military warfare.
- The progress of drone tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- How can drones affect healthcare services ?
- The Impact of Technology on Medical Errors.
- Benefits of educational technology: Students’, teachers’, and parents’ perspectives.
- How has technology changed the voting system in developed countries?
- Positive and negative aspects of tech progress in the food industry.
- Adverse effects of genetically modified food consumption.
- Effects of Technology on Society.
- Emerging technologies in American police: Types, expectations, and outcomes.
- Failures to implement new technologies in law enforcement organizations .
- Discrimination in technology use based on gender and racial issues.
- How can technologies change the establishment of company culture?
- Technology Changes and Globalization of Markets and Production.
- Ways technology promotes employee engagement in large-scale organizations.
- Recommendations for teachers to succeed in computer-assisted education.
- Risks of uncontrolled use of social media services among adults.
- Impact of Digital Drug and Electronic Addiction on UAE Youth.
- Technological progress in developing countries during the last ten years.
- How do self-driving cars work?
- Threats of self-driving cars for individuals from different age groups.
- Future of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in mentally ill patients.
- Integrating Technology with the Business Strategy.
- Technological opportunities in patient-nurse cooperation during follow-ups.
- Educational technology and increased plagiarism issues in American colleges.
- Dealing With Resistance for Technological Change.
- Information technologies increase parental involvement in early childhood education.
- Financial aspects of mobile technology progress: Income differences.
- Awareness of critical features in mobile device management.
- Solutions to improve technological awareness among older adults.
- Organic Buildings and Environmental Design Technology.
- Effects of interactions with machines on interpersonal relationships in the workplace.
- Positive and negative impacts of wearable technologies on human health.
- Do modern students need additional tech classes in their courses?
- Wearables types and their access to people with different incomes.
- Benefits of SaaS metrics in modern business management.
- The Use of Information Technology in Healthcare.
- Cryptocurrency progress and digital awareness of modern populations.
- Successful leadership traits in implementing new technologies at the workplace.
- Risks and solutions in cybersecurity in the healthcare industry .
- Why are not all healthcare facilities ready for technological progress?
- How does the Internet of things transform human resources departments?
- Digital media impact on early childhood development.
- Social Media Marketing Channels Influencing Buyer’s Behavior.
- Social media services and family relationships: Divorce reasons.
- Digital media types and their outcomes in interpersonal relationships.
- How does technology improve care services for veterans?
- Importance of Technology in Education.
- Does technology improve or ruin literature as an entertainment form?
- Relationships between technological progress and religious beliefs in Muslim communities.
- Reasons for buying non-fungible tokens for large business organizations.
- Humans’ Overdependence on Technology: Negative Effects.
- How does technology shape recruitment processes: American and British contexts.
- Attitudes of American and Chinese teenagers to online learning.
- Privacy issues in implementing information technologies in the workplace.
- Advancing privacy practices in modern American colleges and universities.
- Nursing Ethics and Behavior in Social Media.
- Ethical controversies of human language technologies.
- What are new ways of using technology to improve the world?
- Employee-employer relationships: The worth of social media accounts.
- What are the ways of using technology in the tourism industry?
- The Impact of Digitalization of Customer Experiences on Brand Value.
- Disclosing genetic information: Outcomes in parent-child relationships?
- Human gene studies as a way to predict health risks .
- Can technology reduce hunger ratings in developing countries?
- What are the current trends in machine learning?
- What does biometrics say about humans and their skills?
- Medical-Surgical Technology: Personnel Training.
- Restrictions of human rights under the impact of technology.
- The era of 6D printing : Is it possible to stop?
- Aerospace engineering: How to use its benefits and avoid risks.
- Recent innovations in detecting and preventing online fraud.
- The role of a human factor in designing new technological systems.
- Technology Impact on New Product Introduction.
- Veteran support services: A new technologically advanced perspective.
- How movies represent technological threats: Terminator , The Matrix , and Total Recall .
- Predictive policing tools: How technology protects against crimes.
- Innovation and Technology in Construction Industry.
- Law enforcement transformations based on new technologies and bioethics research.
- What does the movie Transcendence say about the future of technology?
- Who is a real boss today: Technology or humans?
- Computer Technology: Advantages and Disadvantages.
- Avoiding social media services: An era of digital recluses.
- Positive and negative aspects of technology in logistics.
- Where is the line between virtual reality and human perception?
- Computational thinking as a way to understand human behaviors.
- The Impact of Information Technology on HR Management: Opportunities and Challenges.
- Leadership styles to ensure a successful technological change in an organization.
- Can technology solve the problem of racial discrimination?
- Importance of VPN services across the globe.
- The Impact of E-commerce on User Loyalty.
- Overeating as a way to deal with stress.
- The consequences of excessive consumption of sugar.
- The impact of junk food on skin health.
- Overweight and Obesity: Lifestyle Modification Approaches.
- Memory lapses associated with excessive alcohol consumption .
- Diagnostic criteria for drug addiction and other addictions.
- Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms, Prevention and Lifestyle.
- Reference criteria chemical compound to drugs.
- The causes of teenage alcoholism in developing countries.
- Alternative products for smoking and adolescents.
- The leading environmental causes of cancer.
- A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life.
- The spread of cardiovascular diseases among young people.
- Paleo diet: Why people should not eat what their ancestors did.
- Deviated septum: Norm or pathology?
- Causes of the thalidomide catastrophe.
- School Cafeteria’ Promotion of Unhealthy Diet.
- New generation antibiotics and ways to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance.
- Testing drugs on animals: Ethical difficulties and ways to solve the problem.
- Children’s vegetarian diet : Dangers for the health of the child.
- Low Carb Diets Overview and Analysis.
- Difficulties in diagnosing exotic infectious diseases.
- Epidemics of the 21st century: Why Covid made the world stop.
- Alternative medicine: Dangerous quackery or a way to calm the patient?
- The Effect of Special Diet on Progress of Colon Cancer.
- Post-mortem organ donation: ethical complexities .
- Dangers and prospects of medical gene sequencing.
- Prospects for the development of gene therapy.
- Moral dilemmas of counseling eugenics.
- Child Behaviour and Diet: the Connection.
- Leading causes of sleep disorders and ways to overcome them.
- The impact of sleep deprivation on life satisfaction.
- Necessary hours of sleep for good health.
- Heart Disease Prevention Through Diet.
- Primary methods of treatment of organophosphorus poisoning.
- Prospects for the development of means of counteracting chemical warfare agents.
- Medical consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- The Stages of Terminal Illness and How To Handle It.
- Ethical use of data obtained in human experiments in medical practice.
- Moral pressure from superiors as a stress factor.
- Bad relationships in the family as a cause of the development of mental illness.
- Basic ways to prevent medical errors.
- “Diet and Nutrition” Authored by Shriver.
- Basic approaches to forming a healthy diet.
- Computer work as a cause of vision problems.
- Office work: Negative consequences for health.
- Enzyme inhibitors as a promising class of antitumor drugs.
- Dietary Salt Intake Effect on Bronchial Asthma.
- Main features of medical ethics when dealing with terminally ill patients.
- Legalization of euthanasia: Basic moral complexities.
- The Social Impact of Zip Codes on Human Health.
- Prospects for the use of lucid dreaming for psychotherapy.
- Modern approaches to the treatment of schizophrenia.
- The use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids as painkillers: Advantages and disadvantages.
- Organ Donation: Ethical Issues and Principles.
- Main approaches to heroin substitution therapy.
- Causes of suicide epidemics from a psychiatric perspective.
- Main difficulties in extrapolating preclinical animal data to humans.
- Nutrition, Exercise, Stress Management Intervention.
- Leading causes of post-traumatic stress disorder and its treatment.
- Combat veterans: Reintegration into normal life.
- Evolution of recommendations for the provision of non-professional pre-medical help.
- The Obesity: Genetic Factors and Biological Causes.
- The impact of global warming on the spread of infectious diseases .
- Genetic and ethnic weapons as a dangerous myth.
- The main ways to help patients with acute alcohol poisoning.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Symptoms and Treatment.
- Prospects for personalized medicine in the next 30 years.
- Ways to stop bleeding in case of traumatic amputation.
- Pros and cons of the use of oral contraceptives.
- Health Promotion: Physical Activity in Elderly.
- Modern approaches to antiretroviral therapy.
- The danger of early pregnancies for the female body.
- Are organic products and products without GMOs good for health?
- Genetically Modified Food: Critics and Controversies.
- Basic ways to avoid hypothermia during winter tourism.
- Importance of sexuality education in schools for adolescent health.
- Is it safe to drink tap water around the world?
- Breast Cancer: Risk Factors and Physical Examination.
- Ethical dilemmas associated with gene patenting.
- Common features of substance addictions and gambling .
- The effectiveness of mental health centers for victims of domestic violence.
- Why Genetically Modified Foods Should Be Banned.
- The ethical challenges of patient religious beliefs influencing the therapy.
- Medical and ethical consequences of banning abortion.
- Effects of Classic Psychedelics on Physical Health.
- Advantages and disadvantages of Caesarean section over vaginal birth.
- Main dangers of home birth.
- Main differences between animal and recombinant insulin .
- Prospects for the use of adenoviruses for gene therapy.
- X-Rays: Benefits and Risks for the Human Body.
- RNA vaccines: Danger or a medical breakthrough?
- Reasons and dangers of the spread of anti-vaccination ideas.
- Why does homeopathy not work?
- The main differences between natural supplements and medical drugs.
- The Burn Scars Physical Treatment Options.
- The characteristic clinical picture of heavy metal poisoning.
- Food additives: Are they safe for health?
- The dangers of drinking homemade alcohol.
- Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate.
- Are pathological liars mentally ill?
- Role plays as a method of psychotherapy .
- Reduction of Pressure Ulcer Risks.
- Risks associated with not using a car seat belt.
- How does Christian fasting correspond to ideas about a healthy diet?
- Medical Conditions and Examination of the Patient.
- Modern medicine’s view of wearing a corset for decorative purposes.
- The impact of moderate alcohol consumption on life expectancy.
- Overworking as a factor in premature mortality.
- Role of Early Nutrition on Shaping Kids’ Cognitive and Physical Development.
- Main ways to prevent household gas poisoning.
- Leading causes of medication errors.
- Criteria according to which a drug should be sold exclusively by prescription.
- Abortion: Medical Ethics and Criminalization.
- Fat shaming as a cause of anorexia .
- The main medical risks of sex change surgery.
- Male circumcision: Advantages and disadvantages from a medical point of view.
- Opposing Views on Mandatory Vaccination.
- Teeth whitening: Main health risks.
- Unrealistic beauty standards: Health risks.
- Professional sports: Benefits and harm to health.
- The leading causes and ways to combat early male pattern baldness.
- The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Children’s Well-Being.
- Vasectomy: The principal risks and consequences for health.
- Medications as teratogenic factors.
- How to dive with minimal harm to health?
- Ways to prevent self-medication.
- Corporate Responsibility and Vaccination.
- Should wisdom teeth be removed?
- The importance of pet vaccination to avoid the spread of zoonotic infectious diseases .
- Victory against smallpox: How did humanity succeed?
- Obesity in Childhood and Its Long-Life Impacts.
- The relevance of quinine as a treatment for malaria.
- The causes of new infectious diseases: The example of Covid-19.
- Lifestyle Medicine and Its Importance.
- Dependence of survival of patients with hip fracture on age.
- What are the ethical aspects of using human organ transplants?
- The pros and cons of human organ transplantation.
- Administrative solutions to organ donor shortage.
- COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychological Effects Leading to Nursing Shortage.
- The effect of artificial intelligence on structural biology.
- Synthetic embryos: Scientific progress or humanity’s degradation?
- Ethics behind using stem cells from embryos.
- General Biology. Greenhouse Effect & Human Impact.
- Does the COVID-19 vaccine modify DNA?
- Do supercomputers replace human forces in a decade?
- Apollo mission : Challenges, results, predictions.
- How to deal with medical racism in rural areas?
- Medical Psychology: Ethics of Professional Practice.
- Wind turbine’s potential to capture carbon dioxide.
- Are alternative energy sources green and safe?
- Green energy: Advantages and disadvantages.
- The potential of landing people on the moon.
- Moon landing conspiracy theories: The truth or speculation.
- The adverse effects of space exploration.
- Science Fieldtrips: Positive and Negative Impact.
- Animal testing: Vivisection or scientific revolution.
- Does gut microbiota cause obesity?
- Factors affecting infection dynamics.
- The effect of intermittent fasting on human health.
- Were COVID-19 lockdowns severe but life-saving?
- Why terminating binge-eating is critical?
- Short-term and long-term effects of cocaine addiction.
- Drug Addiction: Classification and Consequences.
- Does smoking cause the loss of male sex chromosomes?
- Ozone layer depletion: Causes, signs, solutions.
- Is recycling an environmentally friendly measure?
- Solutions to plastic waste in the ocean.
- How does climate change influence ecosystems?
- Animal extinction due to climate change .
- The primary source of urban air population.
- Historical Development of Nursing Science.
- Overpopulation: Political and socioeconomic risks.
- Food overproduction: Consequences for agriculture.
- How does being eco-friendly help the planet?
- How to stop malaria through mosquitoes?
- Brain Compatible Learning Environments.
- The climate’s effect on human evolution.
- Is it ethical to change animals’ genetic sequences?
- Arguments for and against hybridization.
- Should human euthanasia be legal?
- Animal euthanasia: An ethical paradox for humans.
- Discarding life-sustaining therapy is suicide.
- Skin color and human evolution.
- Air Pollution: Preventing That Environmental Domino Effect.
- Editing RNA mutations: Advantages and risks.
- The friendship history of dogs and humans.
- Measures that reduce the gender gap in STEM.
- How does implanting false memory violate ethics?
- False memory: Pros and cons.
- Human Papilloma Virus: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention.
- Time, space, and gravitation through Einstein’s perspective.
- Replicating photosynthesis in an artificial setting.
- Approaching black hole: Risks for the earth.
- Brain plasticity and human senses.
- Earth Formation from the Scope of the Scientists.
- Hippocampal neurogenesis and forgetting the memory.
- Recyclable plastic from carbon dioxide : Benefits for the environment.
- The connection of climate change to human health.
- Human Behavior: Negative Consequences for Society.
- Microbes’ potential to remove greenhouse gases.
- Pandemic fatigue and burnout after COVID-19.
- Why do human bodies react to COVID-19 differently?
- Body Immunity Against Intracellular Viruses.
- The feeling of time distortion after COVID-19.
- Vaccination refusal: reasons and results.
- Recovery of international business after the pandemic.
- Correlation between forest fires and climate change.
- Genetically Modified Food for Health & Environment.
- COVID-19’s long-term imprint on human health
- How does a pandemic impede an adult’s personality development?
- The importance of emotional intelligence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Acoustic fibers for monitoring body functions and providing aid.
- Potential benefits of patient-centered care.
- Environmental Impact: Electric Vehicles Versus Combustion Engines.
- How do epigenetics prove transgenerational trauma ?
- Is healing through epigenetics possible?
- Epigenetics: positive and adverse effects on human psychology.
- How can plants stop plastic production for glitters?
- Excellent symmetry in nature: myth or truth.
- The Explanation of the Science Behind Gene Doping.
- How materials science alters humankind?
- The environmental drawbacks of buying and utilizing Lego .
- Environmentally friendly international clothing brands.
- How Russia’s invasion influences Ukrainian soil in a long-term perspective?
- The positive and negative consequences of drinking oat and soy milk.
- The Evolution of Science and Technology in the Field of Robotics.
- Country’s meat production rates and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Soil erosion: Causes and consequences.
- Cold plasma’s power on agriculture and farming.
- Effective ways of protecting plants from fungal diseases.
- Environment’s effect on food’s smell and taste.
- How to stop groundwater pumping and river draining?
- Jean Watson: The Philosophy and Science of Caring.
- How does genetics affect the choice of animal pack leaders?
- Space exploration for chemical elements discovery.
- How does phosphorus availability change the earth’s pace?
- Dry pet food: Pros and cons.
- What Is the Effect of Different Shampoos on the Growth of Bacteria in the Hair?
- How can natural genes drive animals to extinction?
- What does archaeological evidence suggest about mammoth extinction?
- Glacial periods in earth’s history: features of ecosystems.
- Economics and Financial Management in Health Sciences.
- How did humans survive glacial periods?
- Can animals have complex social lives like humans?
- Anorexia nervosa: causes, symptoms, facts.
- The Effects of Mining on Environment.
- What are the biological causes of de-extinction?
- Arguments for and against the woolly mammoth revival.
- How can insect swarms help produce electricity?
- Neuroscience and Neuroplasticity: Strategies for Health.
- How atmospheric electricity affects biology?
- Ethics and practice of selective breeding of domestic dogs.
- Selective breeding: benefits and limitations.
- Structure and Characteristics of Viruses.
- Why do some insects have a high potential for medicinal significance?
- How does season change influence animal-vehicle collisions?
- Consequences of oil spill on the environment.
- Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet?
- Death Attitudes in Science and Culture.
- Why is the paleo diet called the cave dwellers’ diet?
- How does dairy intake affect hormonal balance?
- How do cells in the embryo get their identities?
- Implications of Warburg effect on cancer cells.
- The answer to the central question of the Human Genome Project .
- What are the ethical issues with the Human Genome Project?
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease as Global Health Issue.
- What are the implications of the Human Genome Project in medicine?
- What are the benefits of mindfulness on the brain?
- Why is mindfulness vital for overcoming addiction?
- Big Tobacco and Science: Uncovering the Truth.
- Human’s role in protecting endangered species.
- Why is a Caribbean Island called the unspoiled queen?
- Importance of biological barriers in drug distribution.
- How can biofilms be beneficial for medicine?
- Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Importance of biodiversity for human health and well-being.
- Prey animals’ camouflage: Causes, examples, benefits.
- How does natural selection drive species evolution?
- Cognitive Science: A History of the Cognitive Revolution.
- Natural selection: Benefits and limitations.
- The role of plasticity of plant adaptation.
- Do all birds follow common migratory routes?
- Bird migration : Features, factors, challenges.
- Effectiveness of Antibacterial & Antimicrobial Soaps.
- The effects of Amazon pollution on bird migration.
- DNA findings about Siberian Neanderthal’s social life.
- How does Black Death immunity affect modern human health?
- Comparison of Black Death and COVID-19.
- The Crisis Of Modern Science.
- Black Death : socioeconomic impact on Europeans’ lives.
- Genetic justification of why COVID-19 affects smell.
- Drug-resistant bacteria on hedgehogs.
- How does stem cell therapy help people with autism?
- The Sources of Human Embryonic Stem Cells.
- The most significant findings of NASA.
- What evidence for the Big Bang theory is the most vital?
- Commercial space travel: Purpose, importance, results.
- Food Allergy and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children.
- Should humans colonize and move to Mars?
- Can genetically modified foods cause allergies ?
- How to prevent allergies using chemicals?
- Significance of Math in Nursing.
- The importance of biomacromolecules for medicine.
- How do chemicals in seawater affect cloud formation?
- Metabolic changes in animal bodies during hibernation.
- Falsifiability Concept in Science.
- What is the primary benefit of green building, and why?
- Can nanoparticles be used to cure cancer?
- Potential medicinal risks of nanotechnology.
- Ultrasound Physics and Instrumentation.
- What is the safest birth control method, and why?
- How does birth control alter hormonal balance?
- How does birth control cause mental health illnesses?
- The Role of Nutrition Science in Gastronomy.
- Eco-friendly fertilizers: Types and benefits.
- How does organic farming help the environment?
🎨 Topics About Life and Art
- Images of angels in paintings by Renaissance artists.
- Madonna and Child: The image popularity.
- Greek mythology as a source of inspiration for artists.
- The renewed popularity of Greek and Roman myths among Renaissance artists.
- The life of Christ in the art of Catholic countries in the 17th-18th century.
- Impact of the Reformation on art in Europe.
- Impacts of Poverty on Urban or Rural Areas.
- Magic and witchcraft in artists’ works at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Popular Christian symbols featured in art.
- Church influence on the development of art.
- The image of Eve as the embodiment of the original sin in art.
- What matters more to creating artwork: skills, emotions, or the meaning of the image?
- Glorification of everyday life in paintings of the 17th century.
- Changes in art due to the invention of photography.
- Music in the Film as an Improvement of the Panorama.
- The popularity of abstract expressionism as a reaction to World War II .
- A change in the depiction of war: From nobility and glory to destruction and cruelty.
- An innovative approach to portraying the contribution of civilians during World War I.
- Ambiguous assessment of the panting ‘Gassed’ created by John Singer Sargent.
- Society’s rejection of Pablo Picasso’s war painting ‘Guernica.’
- A reflection of the artist’s inner world in paintings by Vincent van Gogh.
- Critical Analysis of Maya Angelou Poems.
- The significance of the storm in the paintings of J. M. W. Turner.
- Impressionist interest in transmitting light in paintings.
- Claude Monet’s penchant for creating a series of paintings.
- Motives of dreams and nightmares in the works of Romantic artists of the 18th-19th century.
- The influence of Sigmund Freud’s ideas on artists and their work.
- The importance of dreams in the work of Salvador Dali.
- Jazz Music and Race Relationship.
- Interweaving sleep and imagination in Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings.
- Classical literature as a source of plots during the Renaissance.
- The connection of literature and art: Virginia Woolf’s view on art.
- Queer perspectives in works inspired by Greek mythology.
- Reading women as a feminist image in art.
- The importance of copying the artworks of masters in the history of art.
- ‘Supersonic’ by Roy Anthony Nockolds: Combining scientific knowledge and art.
- Reflection of scientific progress and achievements in the arts.
- Evolution and Sampling in Hip Hop Music and Culture.
- Changes in the perception of art in the post-coronavirus period.
- Does the vandalism of activists against works of art have an effect?
- A study of cruelty and fear in the works of Francisco Goya.
- Representation of seven deadly sins in art.
- Contrasting ideas about happiness presented in works of art.
- The meaning of dance in paintings of various periods.
- The theme of life and death in art.
- Cinemas and Culture. Discussion of Readings and Films.
- Art as a reflection of reality.
- The significance of art to artists and their audiences.
- Representation of universal truths in artworks.
- How do the themes presented in artworks connect people?
- The Truth in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.
- Using art to understand self and people around.
- Can every person be considered an artist?
- Rachel Zolf, Contemporary Poetry.
- Portrait as a way to achieve immortality.
- A reminder of the closeness of death in art.
- The Poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson.
- The importance of art and the military and post-military periods.
- The significance of the image of skulls in paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries.
- Love and desire as important motives in art and life.
- Reflection of Victorian ideas about mourning in art.
- Using various images to convey time in art.
- Good and evil confrontation motives in the artworks’ plots.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
- Representation of children in religious painting.
- What does Victorian Art tell us about the children of the era?
- Evolution of LGBTQ+ topics in art.
- Influence of patriarchal traditions on art.
- Changes in images of women in art history.
- Women artists struggle for equal rights.
- Literature. “The Scarlet Letter” by N. Hawthorne.
- Female nudity in art: The view of male and female artists.
- Presenting the struggle for equal rights in American art.
- Representation of the problem of racism in art.
- Analysis of African-Americans’ position through Charles White’s painting ‘Children.’
- Poetry and Lyrics in Middle Ages.
- Change in perception of the artist’s role in history.
- What characteristics determine a work of art?
- The proximity of art and craft: The works of artisans reflected in art.
- Cold War in Robert Longo’s creativity.
- Relationship between art and identity.
- What do George Catlin’s artworks say about Native Americans?
- Latin American art at a time of struggle for civil rights in America.
- Pop art origin history.
- Text vs. Film: The Transition.
- Does pop art criticize consumerism ?
- Influence of political events on the arts.
- Distinctive features of the work of emigrant artists.
- Art as a way to draw attention to social problems .
- How is a person’s need for art manifested?
- Changes in Pop Culture.
- Art as a reflection of society’s values.
- Society’s attitude to contemporary art.
- Representation of economic inequality in the works of artists.
- Works of artists traveling with discoverers.
- Symbolic meanings of animal depictions in art.
- Place of animals in Renaissance art.
- Phenomenal Changes – Women Filmmakers.
- Apple as a symbol appearing in artworks.
- Development of still life art and its significance.
- Stereotypes and biases about contemporary artists.
- Symbolic meanings of different types of flowers in art.
- Art as a way of self-expression for artists.
- Art as a means to avoid reality or reconcile with it.
- The tension between reality and fantasy in the works of surrealist artists.
- The difference in perception of wilderness and rural landscapes.
- Works of art dedicated to hunting.
- Prospero’s Books and Shakespeare.
- Can street art be considered real art?
- Seasons as a theme in artworks.
- Impact of industry development on the Romantic movement.
- Artists focus on ordinary people.
- Photography and Its History.
- Pictures from the dark: Henry Moore’s unique approach.
- Fundamental ideas of futurist artists.
- Will the technological revolution destroy art?
- Local Brand and Unique Designs of Clothes.
- The place of shops and markets in the visual arts.
- Positive and negative aspects of visiting museums.
- Raphael’s Painting “Madonna in a Chair.”
- Development of book illustration as a separate direction in art.
- Clash of cultures in paintings by African-American artists.
- Creating stamp designs as art.
- English Language Arts: Philosophy and Ideology.
- Using artificial intelligence to create works of art.
- Imagination and imitation: man vs. artificial intelligence in art.
- Using art in activists’ fight.
- Reflection of environmental issues by contemporary artists and their influence.
- How Early Intervention in Reading Affects the Success of a Child.
- Images of heroes and leaders in American art.
- From colonization to multiculturalism: The work of migrant artists in America.
- Reflection of the American Dream in art.
- Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’ analysis.
- Reasons for the popularity of Banksy’s work.
- Should teaching art be mandatory in schools?
- Impact of criticism on artists’ work.
- The impact of art on mental health.
- How Music Affects Dementia Patients?
- The undervaluation of bridges as an element in landscape painting.
- New technologies in the plots of works of art.
- Is Brian Yale’s ‘Pandora’s Box’ a warning about the dangers of technology?
- Does modern society value creativity as in the past?
- Disclosure of the peculiarities of the everyday life of the past in art.
- Patriarchy in art: Differences in the images of men and women .
- Images of nudes and models as evidence of the artist’s skill.
- Interior features in Renaissance religious paintings.
- Symbols of wealth in paintings from the Rococo period.
- Breaking stereotypes and biases with art.
- Experiences and Education Influence on Music Taste.
💯 100+ More Possible Research Topics Related to Daily Life
- The origin and development of Christmas.
- How was Christmas created, and where.
- Transformation of the Christmas holiday.
- The Good Life Definition in Philosophy Works.
- The celebration of Christmas in the US.
- History of “Christmas Carol” and its usage.
- Relations between Christmas and Santa Claus.
- The Environmental Impact of Genetically Modified Organisms.
- Differences in Christmas traditions in the US and Spain.
- The impact of John Marshall’s decisions on the US.
- John Marshall’s role in American history.
- Homeless Youth and Narration Inquiry.
- Top three John Marshall’s most important decisions.
- Changes in the USA due to John Marshall’s decisions.
- Yoga’s impact on sleep among school-age children.
- Leadership: Creativity, Change and Innovation.
- The influence of yoga practice on everyday life.
- Sleep improvements among children due to yoga.
- Increased rates of relaxation due to yoga.
- Blood Glucose and Blood Pressure Home Testing.
- Different understanding of everyday activity in villages and cities.
- How do people in the US spend their day?
- Everyday life as a sociological subject.
- The Public’s Image of Nurses – Stereotypes.
- Historical background of illustrating everyday life in the 19th century.
- Everyday life conceptions: Explanation and examples.
- Lifestyle in ancient Greece: A comparative study.
- History of Philosophy in the USA.
- What role do language and communication play in everyday life?
- How do activities of daily living influence people’s health?
- The Battle of the Somme and the WWI.
- The Battle of the Somme and everyday life activity.
- Smoking Cessation Programs and Their History.
- Main features of the Battle of the Somme.
- The technologies used during the Battle of the Somme.
- The winners of the Battle of the Somme.
- The Battle of the Somme: Consequences and impact on the further development of the war.
- Reflection of the Salem Witch Trials.
- Trends Impacting Change in Organizations.
- The political, social, and religious background of the Salem Witch Trials.
- Brain functioning during the depression.
- Brain damage of people with social anxiety disorder .
- The effect of depression on brain functioning.
- Role of George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
- Mental activity during the depression and social anxiety disorder?
- The Causes and Effects of the Popularity of Fast Food Restaurants.
- The definition of depression and its consequences.
- Leading causes and symptoms of depression .
- Depressive symptoms and adverse events of depression.
- Possible ways of treatment of depression and anxiety.
- Historical roots of depression.
- The main stages of US immigration before 1965.
- Colonial era: Features of migration.
- Western Civilization History.
- Causes of migration in the 19th century.
- The ways migration was regulated .
- The migration in the 19th- 20th century.
- The George Washington speeches: Examples and consequences.
- The impact of Jorge Washington’s speeches on people’s life.
- Nursing History: Patricia Benner’s Theory.
- The precise definition of being a “native.”
- The understanding of native identity and its meaning for society.
- Main parts of the native identity with examples.
- Physical activity and how society understands it.
- Does physical activity have different intensities?
- Creative Change and Innovation in Food Sector.
- What form of meaningfulness does physical activity have?
- What kind of recommendations for physical activity are available?
- What are the predictors of physical activities?
- Physical activity and its impact on everyday life.
- Activity-Based Costing vs. Volume-Based Costing.
- The best ways to be in good shape.
- How was North America discovered?
- The Vikings during the North American discovery.
- Changes due to looking for new trade routes.
- Food Preferences and Habits.
- Spaniard explorers and their impact on the North American lifestyle.
- The North American colonization and its consequences.
- The historical role of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
- Challenges Lewis and Clark faced.
- The relations of Lewis and Clark with Native Americans.
- Phil’s Case: The Impact of the Client’s Age on Diagnosis.
- Gained information about modern Louisiana territory from Lewis and Clark.
- The analysis of college-age women’s behavior .
- TikTok during women’s everyday activity.
- The analysis of a woman’s body image .
- Medical Tourism in the Global Medical Field.
- The research of woman’s eating behavior.
- Interaction: Definition, examples, and role in society.
- What are the kinds of interactions?
- Interactions in media and arts.
- The reasons for the Cold War.
- Language Barriers in Foreign Military Schools.
- Consequences of WWII, which led to the Cold War .
- Exacerbation of conflicts between America and the Soviet Union.
- The beginning of competition between the US and USSR.
- The path of getting voting right by women.
- The origin of the Nineteenth Amendment.
- Cognitive Enhancers Among University Students.
- How did women struggle to get voting rights?
- Struggling to have the right to vote for women.
- Children’s experience during Covid-19: Main challenges.
- Literature. “Humanistic Tradition” by Gloria Fiero.
- Life of children without disabilities during a pandemic.
- Difficulties of children with disabilities during the pandemic.
- Hobby and its effect on people’s lives.
- Where did the term hobby come from?
- Benefits of Part Time Employment.
- What is the historical background of the hobby?
- Who are Hobbyists, and their roles in society?
- What are the main types of hobbies?
- What influence does a hobby have on people’s well-being?
- Time Management – A Transformation Leader in Nursing.
- The creation of NATO: Main causes.
- Global changes that led to the creation of NATO.
- The process of creating NATO.
- How does NATO affect society’s everyday life?
- The cowboys in understanding the culture of the West.
- Women in Sports: Main Challenges.
- The cowboys’ lifestyle in the culture of the West.
- The conflicts with farmers in understanding the Western culture.
- Defining positive and negative mood.
- Influence of positive and negative mood on memory.
- The Down Side of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports.
- Improving memory with the help of everyday activities.
- The routes of the housework.
- Marriage in the housework: Consequences.
- Main types of housework: Definitions and explanation.
- Legal Abortion Worldwide: Incidence and Trends.
- The best examples of effective management of housework.
- The role of religion in everyday human activity.
- The development of religion in the US.
- Malaria and Global Determinants of Health.
- The most spread religious worldwide.
- Where did Christianity come from?
- Global Warming Causes and Effects.
- The religion and people’s traditions.
- John Brown in American history.
- The most famous actions of John Brown.
- A Sports Manager’s Role in a Managerial Environment.
- The political and economic causes of the Civil War.
- The impact of the Civil War on American history .
- Consequences of the Civil War on people’s life.
- Educational process during the pandemic.
- Challenges of Special Education Services in New York City’s Public Schools.
- Parent’s impact on education during Covid-19.
- How can parents influence children’s understanding of Covid-19?
- Loneliness and suicidal behavior among Latinas.
- The influence of loneliness on everyday activity.
- The role of shopping in everyday life.
- Tourism. Food and Wine Festival in Australia.
- The main types of shoppers.
- The roots of shopping and its development .
- How to negotiate during the shopping?
- How to shop like a pro?
- Shopping pieces of advice during the Christmas holidays.
- Age Discrimination at the Work Place.
- Role of technologies in everyday life.
- The ways technologies improve life quality.
- The history of creating modern technologies.
- The negative impact of modern technologies on human activity.
- Negative consequences of the usage of technologies for nature.
- Critical Thinking Habits of the Mind.
- The ethics of the usage of modern technologies.
- The role of artificial intelligence in people’s lives.
- Labor changes due to the usage of artificial intelligence.
- Masculinity and Femininity as Different Cultures.
- Advantages and disadvantages of AI for people’s everyday lives.
- The definition of self-study and its impact on education.
- Creative Change and Innovation After COVID-19.
- Advantages and disadvantages of self-study for future workers.
- The best self-studying programs for children and adolescents.
- Leading causes of severe mental illnesses.
- Patient-Centered Medical Home.
- Influence of severe mental illnesses on human activity.
- Ways of preventing severe mental Illnesses.
- Medical treatments for severe mental Illnesses.
- Nokia’s Cultural and Creative Leadership.
- Impact of the pandemic on humans’ mental health .
- The routine changes due to Covid-19.
- Working conditions before and during the pandemic.
- Changes in Marriage in the Last Fifty Years.
Just like always, you should take the time to plan your essay before sitting down to write it. In this section, we have described the steps that will show how to compose your paper.
- Consider your topic. It should be researchable, relevant, and appropriate to the assignment criteria. Spend time considering which idea you would like to explore in your essay. Would you like to talk about the peculiarities of city life? Or maybe you are more interested in the role of sports in people’s lives? Ensure you understand your paper’s precise focus before you begin writing.
- Collect and organize your material. Perform basic research by gathering information on your topic. Use only credible sources to ensure you present trustworthy arguments and facts. Also, a good idea would be to sort your materials. Think about using mind maps and tables or creating charts and diagrams. This will help structure your thoughts about life and keep your data in order.
- Prepare an outline . Organize your thoughts and plan your paper before actually writing it. Double-check your sources and make sure that you have enough of them. When discussing real-life issues, you must offer relatable and meaningful evidence to your statements. Consider your key points, the supporting details, and the examples.
- Write your draft. Start incorporating your ideas into a coherent narrative. Write the first draft, combining all your points and evidence. Don’t forget to develop a thesis statement that highlights your key argument and reflects your position.
- Proofread, edit, and add a bibliography. After finishing your draft, take a moment to check your essay. Pay attention to the paper’s logic, coherency, grammar, and punctuation. You can use our text-to-speech tool to catch some mistakes. Include the list of sources you used at the end of your essay. Remember that multiple formatting styles exist (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). Find out which of them your instructor requires and follow the rules.
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- 2020: The New Normals of Daily Life – Simon Rogers, The Keyword
- How the Internet Has Changed Everyday Life — Zaryn Dentzel, BBVA OpenMind
- Some General Advice on Academic Essay-Writing – Prof. C. A. Silber, University of Toronto
- A History of Research Conducted in Daily Life — ResearchGate
- Real Life Methodologies — The University of Manchester
- Insights into the Impact on Daily Life of the COVID-19 Pandemic — Interface Focus
- In Their Own Words, Americans Describe the Struggles and Silver Linings of the COVID-19 Pandemic — Pew Research Center
- Patterns of Everyday Activities Across Social Contexts — PNAS
- Researching Family Practices in Everyday Life — International Journal of Social Research Methodology
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How to thrive as you age
Scientists can tell how fast you're aging. now, the trick is to slow it down.
Allison Aubrey
I used to flinch at the topic of aging. Is there anything we can do about the inevitable?
But recently I've been digging into a new wave of longevity research that is making it an exciting time to be an aging human — which is all of us.
It turns out, we all age at varying rates. Super-agers may have great genes, but research shows our habits and routines — everything from what we eat and how we move our bodies to who we spend our time with — matter a lot, when it comes to aging well.
Now, the next frontier is to target the basic biology of aging and come up with new interventions to slow it down.
Many scientists are optimistic that we're on the cusp of breakthroughs. Not only to help us live longer, but — more importantly — to extend the number of years we live with good health.
This is the goal of researchers at the Human Longevity Lab at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. They're recruiting study participants so they can test what kinds of interventions may slow the rate of aging. To that end, I decided to roll up my sleeve for science.
Welcome to aging: My visit to the longevity lab
When I arrived, the first step was a quick blood draw. The Potocsnak Longevity Institute is housed on the light-filled 21st floor of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, overlooking Lake Michigan. It felt more like a spa than a doctor's office. I didn't anticipate the vast range of data and insights scientists could glean from a battery of tests.
Over a four-hour period, they performed more than two dozen assessments. At first it felt a bit like an annual physical. They checked my blood pressure, weight, glucose and cholesterol.
NPR's Allison Aubrey has her body composition measured inside a BodPod. Several other tests performed at the longevity lab — led by Dr. Douglas Vaughan — are used to estimate biological age. Jane Greenhalgh/NPR hide caption
NPR's Allison Aubrey has her body composition measured inside a BodPod. Several other tests performed at the longevity lab — led by Dr. Douglas Vaughan — are used to estimate biological age.
But then, the tests got a lot more interesting. Inside a small exam room, a medical assistant opened the hinge of a BodPod , a capsule that looks like a submersible. The machine assessed my body composition, determining the ratio of fatty mass to lean mass, which includes muscle. Strength is a key marker of healthy aging, helping us fend off frailty and falls.
Next, I was asked to sniff and identify a range of distinct smells — from leather to chocolate — to test olfactory function. The loss of smell can be an early sign of disease and cognitive decline . They scanned my retina and took digital images of the inside of my eyes, which can also help detect disease. And I took a memory and cognitive function test, called MOCA . Thankfully, all was healthy.
Then I went through a slew of cardiovascular health tests. They measured my endothelial function, which keeps blood flowing smoothly through the body. They looked at my heart rate variability and pulse-wave velocity, which is an indicator of stiffness of the arteries. I had electrodes placed onto my chest for an electrocardiogram.
Midway through I was feeling a bit nervous, and my mind raced to what ifs.
Of all the tests they performed, the most intriguing is the GrimAge test . This test predicts biological age. It's gauging whether your DNA age is younger, or older, than your actual age, known as chronological age. Conjure images of the Grim Reaper? Yep, that's the idea: The test can estimate how quickly, or slowly, you're aging.
To figure this out, researchers use a technique based on DNA methylation, which is a measure of modifications in our DNA. Basically, as we age, compounds called methyl groups attach to some of our DNA molecules, which can turn genes on or off. Researchers have shown that the higher the proportion of methylated DNA in certain locations, the more accelerated a person's biological age. Published research suggests this is a reliable way to predict life span and health span .
Can you change your biological age?
No one wants to find out they're aging faster than their peers, right? But here's the exciting part. Our biological age may be malleable. The hope is that we can slow down our rate of aging — by making changes to lifestyle. Down the line, there may be anti-aging pills or other interventions.
Dr. Douglas Vaughan and Dr. John Wilkins of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Potocsnak Longevity Institute. Allison Aubrey/NPR hide caption
Dr. Douglas Vaughan and Dr. John Wilkins of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Potocsnak Longevity Institute.
For researchers, the GrimAge test isn't just a way to estimate DNA age. It's a tool to study whether interventions can alter it.
"That's the big ray of optimism that comes through all of this — the possibility that we can slow down aging and extend the health span of people," says Dr. Douglas Vaughan , director of the Longevity Institute. Health span is the number of years we live with good health. "It can be changed very rapidly in experimental models and probably in people, too," he says.
For example, smoking has a very strong effect on methylation. "Tens of thousands of locations gain methylation when you smoke," explains researcher Steven Horvath , who developed the epigenetic clock used as part of the GrimAge test. People with obesity also exhibit higher methylation at certain locations. "Conversely, if you eat vegetables, if you are lean, if you exercise, that slows methylation age," he explains.
Now, of course, it's long been known that smoking and eating poorly are bad for you. But researchers can now test specific interventions to see if it's possible to move the needle.
Vaughan's deep interest in aging took off when he identified a distinct genetic variant in an Amish community in Indiana. People who have the variant are protected from diabetes and have healthier cardiovascular systems compared to people who don't. In the laboratory, when Vaughan engineered mice to have only a 50% level of a protein associated with this mutation, their life spans increased by nearly fourfold. "This was a eureka moment," he says.
He tells his current medical students that in their careers they will prescribe interventions to slow down biological aging in their patients.
"I don't know exactly what that's going to be. It might be a drug. It might be a lifestyle intervention, for all I know it might be gene editing," Vaughan says. "But there are going to be ways that we are going to slow down this process and give people a longer health span."
Democratizing aging
People who live in the upscale Chicago neighborhood where the Human Longevity Lab is located can expect to live a much longer, healthier life compared to people who live just a few miles away. Vaughan wants to help close this gap.
"I'm worried about the poor soul in south Chicago who has a life expectancy of 55, compared to 92 in the neighborhood where we're standing right now," he says. A stunning difference of more than 30 years. (You can check out life expectancy in your ZIP code here .)
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7 habits to live a healthier life, inspired by the world's longest-lived communities.
A lot of factors play into this life expectancy gap including poverty, housing, stress and crime, which can all work against health span.
Vaughan and his collaborators are enrolling people from a wide range of ages, ethnic groups, neighborhoods and socioeconomic status to see what works to slow biological aging for everybody.
"There are lots of people who've been dealt a bad hand with regard to aging," Vaughan says. Their goal is to find affordable, evidence-based interventions that can benefit everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status.
For example, there's interest in studying stress, which Vaughan says could be "part of the reason for the discrepancy in the life expectancy in different neighborhoods of Chicago." To study this, he could measure people's biological age at baseline, have them try a stress-reduction program, and test again to see if their results changed.
Vaughan is also interested in studying people with chronic HIV, who tend to age at an accelerated rate. A charitable gift from a Chicago family with a shared interest helped launch the institute. Vaughan's team is considering a range of interventions to test whether they can slow down aging in this population.
"It might be weight training , it might be intermittent fasting, it might be dietary manipulations, it might be drugs that are available now that might have anti-aging effects," Vaughan explains, citing the diabetes drug metformin.
Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial
Longevity and health span research is attracting lots of funding and attention, from places like the Hevolution Foundation , which provides grants and early stage investments, and Altos Labs , a biotechnology company, founded by Dr. Rick Klausner , which is investigating ways to reprogram or rejuvenate cells.
Dozens of groups have signaled their intent to compete in the $101 million X-PRIZE global competition focused on treatments that support healthy longevity — everything from new drugs or supplements, to devices, to repurposing old drugs for new uses.
"Teams have to come to the starting line and we're going to set up the frameworks by which they prove their therapeutic works," says XPRIZE's Jamie Justice , who is also a researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Embracing aging science
Fortunately, my GrimAge score came back younger than my actual age, though I did get some surprises. I learned that my body composition isn't optimal. Turns out, I need to build more lean muscle mass, which is pretty common as we age — especially for women.
With muscle mass, if you don't use it, you lose it . After the age of 30 to 35, muscle starts to slowly decline. And after age 65 or so, this loss accelerates. So it's never too soon to start building a reserve. My goal for this year is to build muscle through resistance training and an optimal diet. And also, to reduce stress.
My experience in the longevity study has motivated me to get started on a new project: How To Thrive As You Age. We'll have more stories on healthy aging interventions coming soon.
Share your aging secrets
As part of this project, we hope you'll share your healthy aging tips with us . What habits or lifestyle hacks have you've adopted to thrive as you age? Please use this form to share your thoughts or email us at [email protected] .
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Why DEI Leaders Are Burning Out — and How Organizations Can Help
- Kelly Pledger Weeks,
- Nicolina Taylor,
- Alison Hall Birch,
- Myrtle P. Bell,
- Anna Nottingham,
- Louwanda Evans
Which approaches support the people charged with leading DEI efforts, and which drain them?
Why do DEI leaders burn out so quickly? Research finds that this job demands constant emotional labor and surface acting, particularly for professionals of color. As a result, frustration and exhaustion mount. One solution stems from the way DEI programs are designed. The authors found that when programs take what’s known as a discrimination-and-fairness paradigm approach, DEI leaders experience more burnout because the organization’s focus assumes employee differences are sources of problems that must be managed. Alternatively, when organizations take a learning-and-effectiveness approach, which values employees for who they are, burnout is less frequent. The authors go on to suggest ways companies can adopt the latter approach to set DEI professionals up for success.
Emotional labor — the regulation and modification of emotion — is common in many work roles. Most research on the topic has focused on externally-facing customer service employees who are under pressure to provide smiling, friendly service despite unpleasant customer behavior. Recent research , however, suggests that people who engage with coworkers and other internal stakeholders may also experience emotional labor.
- Kelly Pledger Weeks , PhD., is an Associate Professor of Management and holds the James D Robinson Chair of Business and Economics at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Along with teaching management, ethics, and diversity classes, Dr. Weeks does research and consulting on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace.
- Nicolina Taylor , Ph.D., is currently a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky. She will be an incoming professor at the University of Wyoming in the fall of 2024. Her primary research interests are emotional labor, identity, and mistreatment.
- Alison Hall Birch is an Associate Professor at the College of Business at the University of Texas, Arlington (UTA), where she studies stigma-based bias, anti-racism, intersectionality, and conditions that facilitate or undermine effective diversity management across identities.
- Myrtle P. Bell is the Thomas McMahon Professor in Business Ethics and Associate Dean at the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is author of Diversity in Organizations (Cengage, 2022), a research-based resource for teaching and learning about diversity.
- Anna Nottingham is a Ph.D. student in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
- Louwanda Evans , Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology at Millsaps College. She is chair of the department and Director of African American studies.
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Using Case Study and Narrative Pedagogy to Guide Students Through the Process of Science
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Case studies have been shown to be powerful tools in STEM education and, most recently, have been adopted as a means of introducing students to big data and high-throughput analyses. They most often deal with real-world situations and can be locally contextualized and focused on issues of direct relevance to ...
Keywords : microbiology, complex data, next-generation sequencing, case study, problem-solving, equity by design, Inquiry, STEM education
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We used experience sampling to examine perceptions of empathy in the everyday lives of a group of 246 U.S. adults who were quota sampled to represent the population on key demographics. Participants reported an average of about nine opportunities to empathize per day; these experiences were positively associated with prosocial behavior, a ...
Abstract. ABSTRACT This article explores the assumption that the goals on which an individual works structure the experience of daily life. One set of important goals are those consensual tasks ...
Based on the literature on wisdom and growth from challenging experiences, we proposed five resources as important for the development of wisdom: Mastery, Openness, Reflectivity, and Emotion Regulation including Empathy - in short, MORE. Since proposing the model, we have conducted a first empirical test of its predictions.
Although the research community experiences difficulties in the application of phenomenology, this philosophy has great potential to enrich research methodology (Horrigan-Kelly et al., ... everyday life—the way Dasein are in their everydayness—is of primordial importance. As previously mentioned, this everydayness is characterized by ...
Information about the allocation of time in the daily life of the population is a component of national statistics in several countries. With rare exceptions (4, 9), time-budget studies have not included measures of the satisfaction people derive from their activities.Similarly, questions about time-use and about the subjective experience of specific situations are rarely included in surveys ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the lives of people all over the world. In particular, an unprecedented educational crisis has occurred due to the circumstances of physical distancing and remote learning. This article focuses specifically on the meaningful learning experiences in the everyday lives of adolescents during the pandemic. 72 meaningful learning experiences were ...
This study examined daily experiences of interest in and across the social contexts of family and in- and out-of-school peers. Forty-two Dutch adolescents, aged 13-15 years, provided us with 2 weeks of experience sampling data on their engagement in interesting topics and activities throughout their daily lives. Findings show that adolescent daily life included a diverse range of parallel ...
Positive Psychology in Everyday Life Introduction Positive Psychology has been established as a major-based-evidence field of knowledge that aims to understand how people can improve their lives, and ultimately, flourish.
Understanding variability in levels of mood and happiness in daily life is an important topic that has attracted a ... Conner TS (2012) Handbook of research methods for studying daily life. The Guilford Press, New York ... R.M., Cuxart, A. (2020). Research Methods for Studying Daily Life: Experience Sampling and a Multilevel Approach to Study ...
Future research should closely investigate how daily experiences, such as physical and cognitive challenges or successes, impact subjective age on a momentary basis. Treating subjective age and life contexts as multidimensional will expand our knowledge of subjective age and allow us to pinpoint what factors contribute most to a person's ...
Researching Daily Life A Guide to Experience Sampling and Daily Diary Methods, First Edition By Paul J. Silvia and Katherine N. Cotter Publication date: March 2021 Paperback $49.99 Log In for member price + ADD TO CART Ships free to U.S. addresses Available formats Paperback Also available from Amazon Kindle RedShelf VitalSource Barnes & Noble
This study explored and described the daily life experiences of doctoral students and how pursuing their degree impacted their activity balance and well-being. ... An interpretive descriptive design then moves beyond the literal description of the data to create a narrative of the research topic and attempts to interpret the findings without ...
Background Lived experience research is conducted by people who have experience of mental health issues and is therefore better placed than more traditional research to illuminate participants' experiences. Findings that focus on identifying enablers of recovery from a lived experience perspective have the potential to assist people in their recovery process. However, this lived experience ...
Lived experience is one reason why groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous are so popular. Is any community better than a group of people who have gone through the exact same experiences as you...
1. What Are Daily Life Methods? Three Defining Features of Daily Life Methods Comparing Daily Life Methods With Other Popular Methods Apt Research Questions for Daily Life Methods Conclusion 2. Choosing a Sampling Design
Life experiences have been a topic of interest for researchers and clinicians for decades. Current knowledge is rooted in two distinct approaches, i.e., personality psychology and psychosomatics. Whereas the first is interested in ordinary life stories of nonclinical individuals, based on a more qualitative, in-depth, and person-driven approach, psychosomatics stresses negative events, mainly ...
In the published literature, daily life methods are mentioned using several names [4, 11], like experience sampling method and ecological momentary assessment, considered synonyms, or...
Researching daily life: A guide to experience sampling and daily diary methods. American Psychological Association. https:// https://doi.org/10.1037/0000236-000 Abstract All research methods are harder than they look—even the simplest methods have small details to master and big potholes to avoid.
by OvernightEssay Jun 15, 2023 33 min Most people have the same day-to-day schedule - we wake up, go to bed, have meals, work or study. Our lives have similarities, though obviously, every individual has a unique routine. The human experiences may seem largely monotonous, but many different events constantly occur all over the globe.
This is an extended and updated version of a historical review on research conducted in daily life (Wilhelm, Perrez, & Pawlik, 2012), that we wrote for the Handbook of Research Methods in Daily ...
It would hardly be possible to give a comprehensive historical overview. Therefore, we have narrowed our focus on the development of three major approaches used to conduct research in daily life: (1) diaries and related methods to record everyday experiences and behaviors, (2) (psycho)physiological monitoring of heart activity, and (3 ...
Related research topic ideas. Bibliography; Subscribe; News; More Referencing guides Blog Automated transliteration Relevant bibliographies by topics. ... Daily life experiences. Author: Grafiati. Published: 4 June 2021 Last updated: 9 February 2022 Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles.
Longevity research is booming. Scientists are looking for ways to target the basic biology of aging. And here's the exciting part: Our biological age appears to be malleable.
Life Experience Professional Experiences Research Experiences and. PAGES 3 WORDS 870. life experience, professional experiences, research experiences and interests in multiculturalism and multicultural counseling. I was born in Hong Kong. As a child, I had traveled to many counties throughout the world such as Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and the ...
Jonah Shepp. Summary. In 2023, organizations continued to face significant challenges, from inflation to geopolitical turmoil to controversy over DEI and return-to-work policies — and 2024 ...
Research finds that this job demands constant emotional labor and surface acting, particularly for professionals of color. As a result, frustration and exhaustion mount. One solution stems from ...
Case studies and narratives can serve as a vehicle to help students engage with difficult topics and hone quantitative skills through real-world examples.We will focus this Research Topic on studies from educators spanning informal STEM, K-12, and higher education environments that leverage case studies and narrative-style pedagogy to help ...
January 24, 2024. Source: University of Göttingen. Summary: Microorganisms were the first forms of life on our planet. The clues are written in 3.5 billion-year-old rocks by geochemical and ...