Jer Clifton

Decades of research shows conservatives (compared to liberals) see the world as a more dangerous place, which is thought to increase conservative views on immigration, military, etc. We were wrong. Big SPPS article w/ @NicholasTKerry1 out today doi.org/10.1177/194855… 🧵/13

New study on primal world beliefs and suicide: doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.…

If you see the world as dangerous, but your spouse sees it as safe, and late in bed you're arguing over triple-checking door locks, remember: You probably estimate danger as ~4.2x higher than your spouse, and objectively less accurately. Cool study: doi.org/10.1027/1614-0…

What if your outlook on the world before a crisis shapes how well you recover from it? A new study from grantee Jer Clifton at the University of Pennsylvania suggests that "primal world beliefs," our deep assumptions about whether the world is fair, improving, or self-healing, may be among the strongest predictors of emotional resilience after trauma and illness. Across two studies involving cancer patients, people living with cystic fibrosis, and students who lived through a campus mass shooting, one pattern emerged: the beliefs people held before adversity struck predicted how much distress they experienced afterward. Three beliefs stood out most: that the world is improvable, fair, and naturally regenerative. Perhaps most striking, these beliefs proved more protective than the broad belief that "the world is good." Resilience, it seems, is not simply about optimism. It is about specific convictions that pathways to recovery exist. Learn more: bit.ly/4bibmKz

Glad to see work exploring the relevance of primal world beliefs to suicide.

Trauma does not seem to shatter your world assumptions. Instead, the beliefs you have before the trauma even happens appear to play the biggest role in shaping how you respond to it--three beliefs in particular.

Whether it’s a serious illness, a sudden loss, or an act of violence, we all experience distress at some point. Some people suffer for years, while others recover more quickly, thanks to these 3 beliefs, by @jerclifton psychologytoday.com/us/blog/primal…

Whether it’s a serious illness, a sudden loss, or an act of violence, we all experience distress at some point. Some people suffer for years, while others recover more quickly, thanks to these 3 beliefs, by @jerclifton psychologytoday.com/us/blog/primal…

My latest @PsychToday identifies 3 beliefs tied resilience in samples with cystic fibrosis, cancer, and students who went through a campus shooting. When Life Knocks You Down, What Helps You Stand Back Up? | Psychology Today psychologytoday.com/us/blog/primal…

Fun unexpected application of my work. For sports fans…

Real leaders aren’t petty. They don’t rant about how others suck. When people are mean to them they ignore it and keep expressing kindness to others. #trumpispetty

People often think that trauma shatters positive beliefs about the world. It's called "Shattered Assumptions Theory". But the empirical evidence is pretty weak. Instead, stable world beliefs might buffer you from trauma's wellbeing hit: psypost.org/fundamental-be…

@CbrewsterOKC 🙏

Important work to consider as we craft the learning environments for millions of children.

Full text PDF available here: researchgate.net/publication/39…

...Likewise, those who see the world as a place that needs them may not think so highly of themselves as much as that the world is a particular place, with particular needs." Though a major new insight into why religious people are happier, the study was correlational only.

New study of 8 samples (3,345 subjects) showed, again and again, that the long-known, substantial correlation between religiosity and wellbeing is statistically 100% explained by the belief the world Needs Me. What does that mean?! doi.org/10.1080/174397…

Think recovery from addiction is only about willpower? A new study finds it may depend on how you see the world itself, @jerclifton explains. psychologytoday.com/us/blog/primal…

Job opportunity: Dr. Jer Clifton at UPenn seeks post-doc to conduct research at intersection of artificial intelligence and primal world beliefs. Position info: myprimals.com/postdocjob/ For info on primal world beliefs: tinyurl.com/rzufzx68

My wife, Alicia Clifton, is a badass. Emory University just named her on a 40 under 40 list: together.emory.edu/alumni/awards/…