What is it about?
This study explored how people in Israel felt after the traumatic events of October 7th, focusing on what affects their happiness. This study surveyed 844 adults to understand the impact of fear of terrorism, stress, and how people label themselves, either as victims, survivors, or both. The results indicated that fear of terrorism lowers short-term happiness (how happy an individual feels in the moment), but not long-term happiness (how happy an individual is in general). Stress played a big role—the more fear people felt, the more stressed they were, which made them less happy. How people self-labeled themselves mattered, too. Those who identified with negative labels like "victim" were more stressed and less happy. But those who used positive labels like "survivor" or "fighter" felt better. In short, the study shows that after national trauma, how much stress people experience and how they describe themselves can deeply influence their emotional recovery. Helping people move from negative to positive self-labels—while acknowledging their pain—can support healing and happiness.
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Why is it important?
This study is important because it sheds light on how people emotionally recover from national trauma, like terrorist attacks, by showing that happiness isn’t just about what happens to us, but also how we interpret and label those experiences. By revealing that fear, stress, and self-perception play key roles in short-term happiness, the research offers valuable insights for mental health professionals and policymakers. It highlights the power of guiding individuals from victimhood to survivorship as a path to emotional resilience, helping shape more effective support strategies for communities facing collective trauma.
Perspectives
This study is deeply personal for us. It marks the first time we’ve researched a victimization that touched our own lives. While we were not directly harmed in the October 7th attack against Israel, like many of our participants, we knew people who were killed or injured, and we witnessed the horrors unfold through relentless media coverage. Researching the psychological aftermath of this massacre became a form of self-therapy—it gave us a sense of purpose and agency in a moment of helplessness, when the scale of evil and suffering, especially that of the victims and hostages, felt overwhelming. At first, focusing on happiness in this context felt almost inappropriate—an illegitimate topic amid such widespread grief. But we came to believe, strongly, that even in the darkest moments, people can find flickers of light, humor, and yes, happiness. Studying this possibility is not only valid, but also it is vital. It honors resilience, and it acknowledges the human capacity to rebuild emotionally, even while carrying profound pain.
Dr Inna Levy
Ariel University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Predicting happiness in the aftermath of national trauma through fear of terrorism: The serial mediation of negative and positive self-labeling and stress., Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy, May 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/tra0001925.
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