Dr. Laurie Santos

We Overestimate Bad Events; Recovery Happens Faster

Have you ever dreaded something, only to find out it wasn't nearly as bad as you expected? Dan Gilbert and colleagues found that we consistently overestimate how terrible we'll feel after bad events. A breakup, a job loss, even a serious medical diagnosis. We imagine ourselves stuck in devastation, forgetting that humans are remarkably good at adapting and that emotional recovery usually begins much sooner than we expect.