A new collaborative paper with colleagues in NDSU Psychology and Human Development and Family Science is out in Motivation and Emotion! Following a national sample of U.S. adults across five waves during the first two years of the pandemic, the study found that increases in secondary control, or finding the silver lining, were tied to better mental health and well-being, especially during periods of financial hardship. Congratulations to first author Matthew Pierce and to Drs. Kat Duggan, Heather Fuller, and Jeremy Hamm!
Pierce, M. J., Duggan, K. A., Hilmert, C. J., Fuller, H. R., & Hamm, J. M. (2026). Dynamic benefits of finding the silver lining: Secondary control as a buffer against declines in well-being during COVID-19. Motivation and Emotion, 50(4), 688-701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-026-10195-9
