All articles tagged with #resilience
A Brain Medicine Perspective argues sleep functions as a system-level resilience mechanism that partitions NREM and REM phases to renormalize neural networks, prevent runaway instability, and support continual learning in artificial systems, with potential implications for disorders and recovery after disruption.
A geriatrician says aging healthfully hinges on hormesis—the body’s adaptive response to moderate stress—by gently challenging the body and mind. Vary exercise, try new activities, and seek new social or cognitive experiences to boost resilience and maintain health as you age.
Houston guard Kingston Flemings writes a candid letter to NBA GMs detailing how a four-year-old SUV accident shaped his adaptability and leadership, how his relentless effort and goal-setting family culture drive his improvement after a painful NCAA loss, and why his versatility and team-first mindset make him a franchise-ready draft prospect who will actively support teammates and elevate the whole team.
In a candid moment, Angelina Jolie says life has broken her in places and she’s now seeking to reconnect with the person she was before the hardship, signaling resilience and self-discovery.
Expressive writing rewires the brain, aids memory consolidation, and helps regulate emotions by turning feelings into words. By labeling emotions, the amygdala quiets and the prefrontal cortex engages, supporting reflective thinking and deliberate action. Grounded in James Pennebaker’s work and The Conversation, the piece recommends practical practices—handwritten daily writing, writing before reacting, and even drafting letters you never send—to build everyday resilience.
A Washington Post guest columnist undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer longs for her Holocaust-survivor father’s guidance and voice. As she confronts fear, she reflects on his endurance and learns a deeper lesson about resilience and meaning, reframing her own battle with cancer beyond statistics.
Michael Chandler posted a lengthy video after a first‑round knockout loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC White House, praising his opponent, sharing a health update (he’s banged up, notably with an ear injury) and insisting he’s healthy and “hard to kill.” With a 2‑6 UFC record and a four‑fight skid that includes losses to Pimblett, Oliveira, and Poirier, he says retirement isn’t on the table and pledges to recalibrate, bounce back with more wisdom, and keep chasing greatness while thanking his fans.
Researchers mapped climate resilience of coral reefs and found about 166,000 square kilometers globally that can withstand warming, with hotspots in the Bahamas, Cuba, Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Resilience stems from factors like upwelling cooling, favorable microbes, and the ability to rebound after bleaching, guiding targeted conservation investments such as protected areas and restoration. However, El Niño and ongoing warming threaten reefs, and protecting diversity of resilience within reefs is crucial.
A review of Marten Scheffer's Tipping Out of Trouble explains how past societal shifts—like ancient collapses and major reforms—are framed as tipping-point events. The book argues that resilience loss and feedback loops can drive rapid, self-sustaining changes, and that understanding these dynamics might help steer humanity toward sustainability rather than a dystopian future. However, the review also cautions against oversimplifying complex human systems, notes debates over the abruptness of transitions, and warns against determinism and survivorship bias given the role of human agency.
A human-brain study identifies six tissue domains and a pivotal transition in microglia from an amyloid-associated inflammatory state to a tau-associated antigen-presenting state; resilience against dementia arises via two routes—octogenarians who block progression and centenarians whose late microglial activation is uncoupled from tau—pointing to therapies that preserve early microglial responses or target pathways like TREM2 to delay cognitive decline.
As tensions with Iran rise, U.S. troops and their families are adapting to a new normal of longer, more uncertain deployments, heightened safety precautions, and greater reliance on base and community support to manage the strain.
On the day Kyiv was hit by missiles near her parents’ home, Marta Kostyuk stayed focused at Roland Garros, beating Selekhmeteva in the first round, then stunning Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in the fourth round, before defeating Elina Svitolina in three sets in the quarterfinal, proving poise and determination under war-time stress.
Dr. Sue Varma’s concept of practical optimism is a learnable, eight-pillared framework for thriving through stress and adversity. It blends realism with action, distinguishing itself from toxic positivity and resilience by focusing on purposeful intention, emotional processing, problem-solving, self-compassion, proficiency, presence, relationships, and healthy habits. Backed by research showing optimism links to lower cardiovascular risk, longer life, and better cognitive health, the approach provides concrete steps and daily practices (including a 10-minute focused routine and four-step emotion work) to cultivate a more optimistic outlook, with 75% of optimism being learned and doable for anyone.
New research indicates laughter strengthens children's developing brains, boosts emotional bonds with caregivers, lowers stress hormones, and enhances learning by engaging memory and executive functions, with playful, shared humor in home and classroom settings helping kids navigate stress and improve resilience.
Decades of longitudinal data from the Oakland Growth Study and the Berkeley Guidance Study suggest that childhood hardship—economic deprivation, shifting family roles, and military service—fostered durable self-regulation and stable midlife outcomes. By contrast, cohorts raised with digital comforts and structured paths show fewer of these hard-won coping skills, implying an interrupted cultural transmission of resilience in the modern era.