Earth rising over the Moon is an iconic image snapped by the Apollo 8 crew. It was the first time we looked at our world and saw who we really are: a small world where life is fragile and uncertain, and we are all floating as one.
How do we face a world of uncertainty? Are there essential elements for survival?
There are three essential elements needed for survival. Survival requires that we are able to adapt and be resilient. Adapting is facing our challenges and finding the best ways to survive. Resilience is recovery so that we can prepare for another day. Both adaptation and resilience depend not only on our own skills, but those of our teammates, the third essential element.
To illustrate adaptation and resilience may be best done by telling stories. Stories of heroic characters and their super powers have long been popular. Ancient mythologies of heroic Greek and Roman gods and mortals are filled with characters of grand exploits and courage when they faced adversity; they provide not only classic entertainment but give us universal messages of how to be a better humanity in a changing world. Our society today has entertaining stories too. But our heroes come in a different form and who may be called the mythological characters of our age: the heroes of the Marvel Universe.
Marvel’s heroes and their inter-galactic exploits and courage show us important and relevant lessons on how to adapt and be resilient together in an uncertain world. Besides providing wonderful entertainment, Marvel’s characters demonstrate, through the stories of their deeds and dialogs, some universal truths of the traits needed to succeed, traits that are grounded in research on what really does predict adaptability.
Here are some of my favorite Marvel heroes below show us the essential ways they achieve this:
THOR, VALKYRIE, STAR-LORD, SPIDERMAN, GROOT are only some of the Marvel Super-heroes of the Marvel Universe that show us how to survive in extreme and threatening conditions. Below are five key psycho-social super powers in these superheroes examples that are also within our human ability to practice.
TRAITS THAT HELP PREDICT ADAPTABILITY: Studies have shown that there are traits that are linked to good outcomes and contribute to adaptability and resilience. Outlined here are the traits–and how Marvel heroes demonstrate them in their mission to protecting the public and making the world a better place:
Humor and positivity:
Thor seems unaware of how funny his self-effacing humor is even though he knows he’s one of the most physically powerful. It is worth noting that humor has been found to be closely related to optimism; so, in challenging circumstances, a little laughter goes a long way. Positive emotional expression, sometimes shared with charismatic humor, serves to lift others on the team too. Thor’s does.
Keeping emotions in balance:
Most of us know drama people, those who wither from even small setbacks, but not so with Valkyrie. Cool under pressure, she stays under control to do what needs to be done. It’s likely that her emotional control provides synergistic support for her physiological abilities that allow her to fight so well. High emotions only cloud the mind that needs clear thinking and performance when the going gets tough.
Warmth and sociability:
Especially useful when working in teams, having heart and showing it are a big part of what makes up Star-Lord. His love of listening and dancing to ‘70’s- era music adds to his endearing character. He’s likely an extrovert but not in a demanding or domineering way. Introvert? Extrovert? Which is better? Studies may one day confirm that both help us and it depends on what is needed: For example, being in space for a long time needs a personality that can thrive on being social and be content with quiet reflective times too. For now, in general, exhibiting warmth is better and aggression is detrimental for adaptation to flourish.
Not perfectionists — strivers of excellence:
None of these heroes are perfect. This is really relieving since none of us out here in regular-human land is perfect either–nor should we strive for this, say the studies. Each of our heroes makes errors in judgement occasionally, and then strives to improve. Self-doubt might enter in, like when Spiderman has moments in a reverie about his role in life but he follows his drive to succeed. Each is Type A personality (super heroes just come that way) who want to achieve to do what’s right and do it in the right way (being a master in the world). They work hard at it too and take more than a few falls to get there. They’re not perfect, but don’t quit.
Teamwork and openness:
Star-Lord’s unusual Galactic teammates is a wonderful example of a uniquely diverse group dedicated to a common goal. The team rockets through the universe together, each bringing a special skill needed for the whole team to succeed. We learn that their acceptance of each other is a super social-emotional skill that contributes to their success and that their combined cross-disciplinary skills provide an even better collective knowledge to overcome the odds. This is a great example of how diversity and interdependence leads to successful and emerging outcomes.
Commitment to a common cause:
All heroes find their work meaningful. Each knows the task that is to be done: to protect humanity. Furthermore, they are committed not just to the task but to each other. Commitment, studies show, is one of the strongest predictors of adaptability: stay the course, make mistakes, resolve to do it better next time, and learn and grow. Groot says it best: “We are Groot.”: We are one — we have each other.
Our journeys are like those of our 21st heroes (well, minus the all powerful hammer, super spider silk, or other fighting skills that require tireless body flips.) We are human and find that though we try, we sometimes fall short. We need each other, not only for the skills we each bring but for their different and complementary assets; as such we are also different in how many and how much we demonstrate the traits above, each of us having more or less than others may have, but we know that our combination keeps us together. We understand that no one succeeds as a solo member and we need to rely on each other.
When you watch one of the Marvel movies or series, look at their characters. The heroes “for good” have some measure of these traits that are used as strategies to successful adaptation and resilience. They are inspiring and timely and show us how to prevail. Though we are floating as one in a world in a great universe of challenge and uncertainty, we are Groot.