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Stress and adversity are bad. Except when they are not.
A 2024 study reported that around half a million Israelis, about 5.3% of the population, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of the brutal October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and subsequent war in Gaza. Yet, research published in 2026 found that some Israelis lives improved during the course of the war. This study demonstrated that trauma can bolster both individual and collective resilience. Something similar happened after 9/11/2001 in the United States. You might remember that New York rival the Chicago White Sox posted a "We New York" on their jumbotrons for several weeks after 9/11. Crises can bring people together.
There is increasing evidence for post-traumatic growth—that is, some people's lives measurably improve after an adverse event. This is the result of how the brain works: in order to save energy, the brain creates default activation patterns that manifest as habits. Biology gives us "good enough," not perfect, and habits persist even as life situations change, sometimes becoming maladaptive. I can guess what you are thinking and you are right: this explains why your romantic partner, who you love, persists in doing things that he or she seems unable to change that cause friction in your relationship.
But, when the world turns upside down, such a shock can effectively "reboot" the brain, weakening the neural pathways supporting old habits. The brain now has fresh capacity to establish new ways of living. Many times, these changes are permanent. For example, there is evidence of post-traumatic growth among New Yorkers even 15 years after the 9/11 attacks.
Unfortunately, for others this reboot results in PTSD. Actor Steve Buscemi, who was a former New York City firefighter, said he had PTSD symptoms for years after volunteering to look for survivors at Ground Zero for several days after 9/11. Businessman and former mayor Michael Bloomberg has also reported suffering hyper-vigilance, sleep disruption, and emotional numbing—all symptoms of PTSD—when he became mayor of New York City three months after 9/11.
The fundamental question is what causes people grow or suffer after trauma? The Israeli study, consistent with other published research, found that growth after adversity occurred for people who had strong social support, were optimistic, religious, altruistic, and who were meditators. Among these, social support is the most important. Shared trauma can result in shared growth.
Digging deeper, how does one build strong social support? I wrote an entire book about this, but in short, it requires investing in relationships. Strengthening relationships is most protective against PTSD when it occurs before the trauma so the support is there when it is needed. But, other research shows that trauma itself can strengthen relationships. Think of the number of New Yorkers who helped each other after the attacks and let strangers sleep on their couches. Or, the 38 international flights heading to the US that were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, dropping about 6,600 passengers into a tiny town of 12,000 people. The Ganderites brought these stranded strangers into their homes and cared for them for several days until US airspace re-opened. That is true social support.
No one wishes to go through trauma and this essay is not arguing that people need to suffer more. But, oftentimes moderate adversity can be the cause of personal growth. Try to walk one more mile tomorrow. Or, call a friend you have had a rift with and offer amends. Or, go on a fast for one day to help your body cleanse itself and perhaps gain spiritual insights. I discuss how challenge stress improves thriving in this short video.
All humans struggle and struggle is how we grow. Thousands of observations shared by users of Immersion's free app SIX that measures that value of experiences shows that about 20% of high neural value Key Moments are aversive. They are important, but not pleasant. Yet, because they are important, the brain invests metabolic resources to be fully present and to absorb the emotional resonance they produce. Key Moments promote personal growth because they gently bump our brains out of energy-saving but boring "idle" model and into high gear. It can be scary for your life to go at the equivalent of 100 miles an hour. But if you do this occasionally, it can facilitate post-traumatic growth.
Unsure? Try SIX today for free and capture the most valuable Key Moments of your day and see which ones made you uncomfortable. SIX runs all day in the background and uses neural signals capturing Immersion to guide users to thrive--even during adversity.