A little of what you suffer does you good

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" has become something of a cliche lately but new research - led by Mark Seery from the University at Buffalo - suggests that, like a lot of other cliches, there may be a grain of truth behind it. The researchers studied 2,398 people who were repeatedly assessed from 2001 to 2004. They found that people who had experienced some, but not too many, adverse events reported better mental health and wellbeing than those who had experienced no adversity or higher amounts of it. People with a history of some life-time adversity were less negatively affected by recent adverse events than other individuals. However, it is well established that too much adversity can lead to higher overall distress, more functional impairment and post-traumatic stress symptoms.