How major life events impact our long-term wellbeing

• Many studies have been conducted regarding the psychological impact of a one particular event, like the trauma associated with the ongoing health crisis, or sudden job loss.
• What researchers fail to gauge is the complex psychological experiences of various events and situations that are of different hues and colors, and happen simultaneously.

A normal person leading a full life can experience events related to death, family changes, job changes, health issues, and financial swings. Each experience is connected to the other experiences and is not isolated, making the impact on the person varied and complex.

A comprehensive study on Australian households, measuring the quality of wellbeing over 16 years found the following results:

1. The biggest emotional scars come from deaths, divorce, and heavy financial losses.
2. Negative events linger in the mind for much longer than the positive ones.
3. The emotional costs involved with separation (like from a spouse) can be significant, and should be avoided unless completely necessary.
4. Problems rarely come all at once, and most people recover, showing resilience and adaptability.