Expert Commentary: Does Adversity Build Togetherness?

The Associated Press recently published a piece about the unity that can be felt among those experiencing shared adversity.

Jennifer Talarico, associate professor of psychology, shared her expertise as a cognitive psychologist who studies personal experiences of public events.

“You’re seeing local experiences where this is affecting `my community,’ but nationally my impression is that this is not something that is bringing us together as Americans living through this. Maybe in two weeks,” she said. “To identify a shared experience, there needs to be a community that shares that experience. Is it happening to `us’? Is it happening to `my’ social group, `my’ people? If it’s happening to `my’ people, I will talk about it in a certain way.”

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