The term ‘snowflake’ is often used to diminish young people’s ability to handle adversity, but are Gen Yers and Zers really less emotionally resilient than older cohorts? Canvas8 spoke to three experts to understand the importance of negative emotions in developing effective coping methods.
Dr. Lies Notebaert is a senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia’s School of Psychological Science and is co-director of the Centre for the Advancement of Research on Emotion. Her research aims to disentangle the complex interactions between cognition, emotion, and behaviour, particularly in individuals exposed to adversity.
Dr. Michael Ungar is a family therapist and internationally-renowned researcher in the field of social and psychological resilience. As director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University, he has published 17 books on resilience for both lay and professional audiences, along with over 200 scientific papers. In addition to his research and clinical practice, Dr. Ungar has delivered workshops and keynote addresses to many Fortune 500 companies, international NGOs, and government agencies, helping them integrate the concept of resilience into their HR practices, work with clients, and corporate social responsibility strategies.
Nick Bennett is the co-founder of Fika, which he set up to help solve the global problem of poor emotional health. He has a varied background in fundraising, team-building, and product leadership, and has launched two successful consumer apps.
Megan Carnegie is a journalist and editor. She has written for Courier, Time Out, Guardian Weekend, Creative Review, The Telegraph, Evening Standard, and more. Outside of work, she can be found reading, running, and killing off her houseplants.