You’ve probably heard of PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. But what about its counterpart, post-traumatic growth?
The term was coined in the 90s to describe the positive psychological growth that researchers documented in people who had been through traumatic or highly stressful life events. Psychologists and sociologists conducting long-range studies on survivors of Hurricane Katrina – which hit 20 years ago and remains one of the most devastating natural disasters to hit the US – are continuing to learn more about it.
So how do you measure post-traumatic growth? Can it co-exist with PTSD? NPR mental health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee explains what scientists have found so far … and how it could help shape disaster relief efforts in the future.
Interested in more psychology and social science stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Ian McEwan’s latest novel ‘What We Can Know’ is science fiction without the science
At 77, the Booker Prize-winning British novelist Ian McEwan shows no signs of slowing down. His new novel, What We Can Know, is set in Great Britain in the 22nd century – a country now partly underwater as a result of global warming. In today’s episode, McEwan speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about the book’s plot – it tells of a search for a lost poem that was written in our own times – and notes that he is less interested in the future of science than that of the humanities, love and daily life.
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Consider This from NPR - The world commits to new climate goals without the U.S.
More than a hundred countries have committed to fresh plans to curb pollution, with one big holdout: the U.S.
NPR's Andrew Limbong speaks with the EU Commissioner for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra, about how global leaders are moving forward on climate goals with the U.S. on the sidelines.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman. It was edited by Sarah Robbins. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Up First from NPR - American Voices on Trump
The Trump administration has moved fast to chart a new course for American policy both here at home as well as internationally. But how are those changes impacting Americans across the country?
This week on The Sunday Story, we take a road trip to find out how people are feeling about the policy changes coming out of the White House. From wheat farmers in Washington state to Forest Service workers in Montana to business leaders in Mississippi, average Americans offer their thoughts on where the country is headed.
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This week on The Sunday Story, we take a road trip to find out how people are feeling about the policy changes coming out of the White House. From wheat farmers in Washington state to Forest Service workers in Montana to business leaders in Mississippi, average Americans offer their thoughts on where the country is headed.
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Up First from NPR - Comey And Beyond, Costs Of TikTok Deal, Dreamers Amid Deportations
President Trump claims not to have a list of people for the government to punish but he has already specified some individuals alongside now-indicted former FBI Director James Comey. Experts question the fees investors are paying the U.S. government to buy TikTok from its Chinese owners. Though they are supposed to be protected from deportation, some DACA recipients have been detained.
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Consider This from NPR - Goodbye, Ari Shapiro
After 25 years at NPR and 10 years hosting All Things Considered and the last few years hosting Consider This, Ari Shapiro is moving on to his next adventure.
We’re saying bye.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, Matt Ozug, Mia Venkat, Mallory Yu and Alejandra Marquez Janse.
It was edited by Ashley Brown.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Planet Money - How refrigeration took over the world
The next time you open your fridge, take a second to behold the miracles inside of it: Raspberries from California, butter from New Zealand, steak from Nebraska. None of that would have been remotely possible before the creation of the cold chain.
The cold chain is the name for the end-to-end refrigeration of our food from farm to truck to warehouse to grocery store and ultimately to our fridges at home. And it’s one of the great achievements of the modern world.
On today’s show, Nicola Twilley, food journalist and author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, tells us the story of how our world got cold, and what that’s meant for the economy.
We’ll hear about two pioneers of cold: The cheapskate meat baron Gustavus Swift, and the train-hopping chemist Polly Pennington. And we’ll take a look at whether all this refrigeration might have created some new problems.
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Today’s episode of Planet Money was hosted by Nick Fountain and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
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The cold chain is the name for the end-to-end refrigeration of our food from farm to truck to warehouse to grocery store and ultimately to our fridges at home. And it’s one of the great achievements of the modern world.
On today’s show, Nicola Twilley, food journalist and author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves, tells us the story of how our world got cold, and what that’s meant for the economy.
We’ll hear about two pioneers of cold: The cheapskate meat baron Gustavus Swift, and the train-hopping chemist Polly Pennington. And we’ll take a look at whether all this refrigeration might have created some new problems.
Subscribe to Planet Money+
Listen free: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.
Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.
Today’s episode of Planet Money was hosted by Nick Fountain and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
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State of the World from NPR - Mexico’s Popular But Forbidden Edible Cactus
In Mexico, chile en nogada is the taste of September. But one key ingredient —a candied cactus — is now illegal to buy - because its on the verge of extinction. But as our Mexico correspondent learns, traditions in Mexico are very hard to break.
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1A - The News Roundup For September 26, 2025
A gunman opened fire at an ICE detention facility in Dallas leaving one person dead and two more injured. All three of the victims were detainees and no ICE agents were hurt. The shooter was found dead according to senior law enforcement officials.
Late night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on ABC this week. He was suspended after he made comments concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The deadline to pass the government funding bill is fast approaching. The Trump White House is threatening mass firings if the government does shuts down.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly this week. In a nearly hour-long speech, he attacked the U.N., criticized the immigration policies of its member states, and called climate awareness the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”
Spanish and Italian frigates were sent to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla. The boats carrying aid were attacked by drones on Tuesday.
And in a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Donald Trump said Ukraine could win back all its territory taken by Russia with NATO assistance.
We cover the most important stories here and around the globe in the News Roundup.
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Late night host Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on ABC this week. He was suspended after he made comments concerning the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The deadline to pass the government funding bill is fast approaching. The Trump White House is threatening mass firings if the government does shuts down.
And, in global news, President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly this week. In a nearly hour-long speech, he attacked the U.N., criticized the immigration policies of its member states, and called climate awareness the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.”
Spanish and Italian frigates were sent to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla. The boats carrying aid were attacked by drones on Tuesday.
And in a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Donald Trump said Ukraine could win back all its territory taken by Russia with NATO assistance.
We cover the most important stories here and around the globe in the News Roundup.
Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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Up First from NPR - Comey Indictment, Hegseth Summons Military Leaders, Impending Shutdown
Former FBI Director James Comey is indicted on obstruction and false statement charges after President Trump pressured the Justice Department to pursue a case. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders an unprecedented global meeting of top U.S. military commanders, raising questions about what changes are coming. And Democrats accuse the White House of “mafia-style blackmail” as the shutdown fight intensifies over health care funding and the threat of mass federal layoffs.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Andrew Sussman, Kelsey Snell, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.
It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty
We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
And our Executive Producer is Jay Shaylor
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