Breaking Down Stats

In this statistic-heavy psychopathology speech George Bonanno speaks about the data he has complied over the time he has spent researching human resistance. He also narrows in on what exactly humans mean when when they talk about becoming more resilient in life.

George Bonanno notes the importance of recognizing that in psychopathology as well as in life we must change the way we think about averages. The average response to something absolutely does not mean it is the most common answer.

All too often the numbers and statistics we believe to be "average" are misleading and actually uninformative. For example, in a study comparing the happiness levels of people before they have children versus their happiness levels after having children are told that on average the happiness level goes down. However, George goes on to explain and prove with his completed research that in fact most people's happiness levels remain the same after having kids as it was before. Clarifying misleading numbers and averages is an important part of determining human resistance.