ABSTRACT
In scientific studies of the subject, adversity is associated with negative psychological outcomes such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and blunted emotional responding. Adversity has also been tied to the belief that the world is not benevolent and that life is not meaningful, the kind of thinking that is a recipe for a lack of kindness (DeSteno 2015). David DeSteno wanted to know whether adversity hardens hearts or warms them. The findings of his studies demonstrated that in many cases adversity elicits empathy and compassion in those who have experienced it.
