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• American Muslim women are finding a unique religious space at a women-only mosque in Los Angeles
• Students lead more public schools to close for Islamic holidays
• Blasting out Earth’s location with the hope of reaching aliens is a controversial idea – two teams of scientists are doing it anyway
• New Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New York
• Russia's weaponization of natural gas could backfire by destroying demand for it
• What's at stake for Trump, Twitter and politics if the tweeter-in-chief returns from banishment
• Gilbert Gottfried and the mechanics of crafting one of the most memorable voices of all time
• What is a Latter-day Saint temple?
• I'm a Black sociologist, and a mom – by listening to other Black mothers, I've learned about their pandemic struggles and strengths
• Psychologists are starting to talk publicly about their own mental illnesses – and patients can benefit

American Muslim women are finding a unique religious space at a women-only mosque in Los Angeles Posted: 30 Apr 2022 07:21 AM PDT Congregants sit in a circle at the Women's Mosque of America. Women's Mosque of America As Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims around the world prepare to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of a month of fasting from dusk till dawn and additional acts of worship. On Eid, as in Ramadan, community is an integral component of Islamic observance, and many Muslims gather in their local mosque in communal prayer. But not all Muslims belong to a religious community, and sacred dates in the Islamic calendar can prove profoundly isolating for those Muslims who are "unmosqued" – that is, not affiliated with a particular mosque community. This may especially be the case for Muslims who are female, nonbinary, queer or converts. After all, most mosques in the U.S. and around the world are patriarchal spaces where men occupy the main prayer area and dominate leadership roles. In many mosques, women are given inferior prayer spaces that are typically cramped and poorly ventilated. While in recent years American Muslim women are increasingly taking on leadership roles on mosque boards, they are still underrepresented and continue to have limited access to religious learning. However, a growing number of Muslim spaces provide an alternative culture. One I've been studying is the Women's Mosque of America, a multiracial women-only mosque in Los Angeles. It exists alongside a small number of other alternative mosques including women-led, mixed-gender and queer-affirming mosques in places ranging from Berkeley, California, and Chicago to London, Copenhagen and Berlin. What is the Women's Mosque of America? The Women's Mosque of America was founded in 2015 by two South Asian American Muslim women – comedy writer M. Hasna Maznavi and attorney Sana Muttalib. It was conceived as a space to empower Muslim women to take on active roles in their individual community mosques and influence changes in a mosque culture that is often unwelcoming to women. The mosque hosts monthly Friday prayers where women exclusively run the services. One woman calls the adhan, or call to prayer, while another delivers the sermon and leads the all-female congregation in prayer. Yet, as I explore in my forthcoming book, the mosque's contribution to creating a different kind of Muslim community is not simply its placement of women in leadership roles, but rather the way it elevates particular issues as worthy of concern in religious communities. For example, with women at the helm of this mosque, the sermons focus on connecting Islamic scriptures to women's lived experiences in both their personal and professional lives. Topics have ranged from sexual violence, divorce and motherhood to social justice activism and support for the Black Lives Matter movement. As I learned in my interviews with community members, congregants are eager to hear these types of sermons, which they see as missing in their traditional mosque communities. Women in religious leadership roles The mosque promotes the idea that religious authority can be held by lay American Muslim women, as opposed to only male religious scholars with traditional credentials. The Women's Mosque of America brings together an ethnically diverse group. The Women's Mosque of America Most of the women who deliver sermons and lead prayer at this mosque do not have formal religious training or Arabic expertise. They are a racially and ethnically diverse group who bring their various professional and community activist experiences to their roles as religious authority figures. The mosque is committed to building community by flattening the hierarchy of religious leadership. For example, after the prayer is complete, congregants sit together in a circle with the prayer leader, asking her questions and engaging in a general religious dialogue with one another. Moreover, the mosque is invested in using scriptural teachings to work toward social justice causes in the U.S. particularly with respect to anti-Black racism and Islamophobia. The Women's Mosque of America appeals to women who are dissatisfied with mainstream American mosques and eager to take on more central roles in their religious development. Its alternative culture also appeals to Muslim women who may have otherwise turned away from their faith. And in providing opportunities for women to preach and lead prayer, I contend that the Women's Mosque of America pushes American Muslims to collectively reimagine the very notion of religious community by raising important questions about what a mosque is and whom it should be for. [Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.] Tazeen M. Ali does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Students lead more public schools to close for Islamic holidays Posted: 29 Apr 2022 02:08 PM PDT Several school districts across the country will close in observance of Eid, a holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images Some public school districts across the nation will be closed on Monday, May 2, 2022, or Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in observance of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr, a festive celebration marking the end of the month of Ramadan, a month of fasting observed by Muslims worldwide. In the following Q&A, Amaarah DeCuir, an education researcher who specializes in issues of concern to Muslim students, illuminates some of the forces that are moving more school districts to close in observance of the Islamic holiday. How common is it for public schools to close for Islamic holidays? When New York City announced in 2015 that it would close its public schools in observance of Islam's two most sacred holidays, it became the first big-city school district in the U.S. to do so. The New York City public school system is the largest in the nation, and about 10% of its student population identifies as Muslim. By the time New York City schools began to close for Eid, several smaller school districts had already been doing so for more than a decade. For instance, the Irvington school district in New Jersey began to close for the Eid al-Fitr in 2003. In recent years, more and more school districts have begun to close in observance of Eid holidays. Those school districts include districts such as the Burlington School District in Vermont, which began to close for Eid al-Fitr in 2010, and Detroit, which began to close its public schools for Eid holidays in 2019. The list also includes Philadelphia; Baltimore; Prince George's County in Maryland; Fairfax County, Loudoun County and Prince William County, all in northern Virginia; and several districts across Minnesota, which has a sizable Muslim population. Why take a day off if Muslims are a minority? In some cases, significant numbers of students were not coming to school on Eid al-Fitr anyway – and school officials began to take note. For instance, a school superintendent in Burlington, Vermont, once related that about 75 of Burlington High School's roughly 1,100 students were absent on Eid al-Fitr in 2009 – about 25 more than on a typical school day. In the Fairfax County Public School system, reports show that 33.3% and 38.5% more students than usual were absent from school on Eid al-Fitr holidays in 2016 and 2017, respectively. But absenteeism isn't the only factor at play. Some school districts are beginning to observe Eid holidays as a matter of commitment to equal recognition for Muslim families. In the Hopkinton Public Schools, in Massachusetts, one school board leader noted that closing school for Eid holidays could attract a more diverse pool of educators by not forcing them to take personal days to observe the holiday. In Detroit, a school leader said that closing for Eid holidays was a statement to celebrate the diversity of the community. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims across the world. Who is leading efforts to get public schools to close for Eid? In many cases Muslim students are initiating efforts to gain support for schools to close for Eid al-Fitr. In Bridgeport, Connecticut, for instance, a group of eighth grade students in a civics class got the school board to close schools for Eid al-Fitr. In Montclair, New Jersey, school officials decided to close for Eid as called for by a fifth grade Muslim girl's online petition. In Iowa City, Iowa, a Muslim high school girl advocated for over three years to promote the observance of Eid before the school system there decided to do so. And a student in Detroit helped persuade school board members there through an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press to close in observance of Eid. In some cases, such as in Baltimore, efforts to get public schools to close in observance of Eid have been described as a "decadeslong battle." I predict that as more Muslim students call for public schools to close in observance of Eid, it won't take nearly as long for additional schools to recognize the value of honoring Islamic holidays as other schools have done in recent years. What about calculating when the holidays begin? Since Muslims go by a lunar calendar, which is about 11 days shorter than the 365-day solar calendar that most Americans use, the exact date of Eid al-Fitr changes from year to year. And not everyone is in agreement about when a particular lunar month begins. Some Muslims go by astronomical calculations to project the Islamic calendar well into the future. For instance, one Islamic calendar has projected specific Eid dates into the year 2045. Other Muslims prefer to use traditional methods of local moonsighting, which involves using the naked eye to actually see the crescent of the moon to determine the start and end of a lunar month. This partially explains why there could be different start and end dates for Ramadan on any given year that are one day apart. School district leaders may want to defer to whichever method is used by local Muslim authorities. Amaarah DeCuir does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Blasting out Earth’s location with the hope of reaching aliens is a controversial idea – two teams of scientists are doing it anyway Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:25 AM PDT Scientists think there are 300 million habitable planets in the Milky Way, and some may be home to intelligent life. Bruno Gilli/ESO, CC BY If a person is lost in the wilderness, they have two options. They can search for civilization, or they could make themselves easy to spot by building a fire or writing HELP in big letters. For scientists interested in the question of whether intelligent aliens exist, the options are much the same. For over 70 years, astronomers have been scanning for radio or optical signals from other civilizations in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, called SETI. Most scientists are confident that life exists on many of the 300 million potentially habitable worlds in the Milky Way galaxy. Astronomers also think there is a decent chance some life forms have developed intelligence and technology. But no signals from another civilization have ever been detected, a mystery that is called "The Great Silence." While SETI has long been a part of mainstream science, METI, or messaging extraterrestrial intelligence, has been less common. I'm a professor of astronomy who has written extensively about the search for life in the universe. I also serve on the advisory council for a nonprofit research organization that's designing messages to send to extraterrestrial civilizations. In the coming months, two teams of astronomers are going to send messages into space in an attempt to communicate with any intelligent aliens who may be out there listening. These efforts are like building a big bonfire in the woods and hoping someone finds you. But some people question whether it is wise to do this at all. The Pioneer 10 spacecraft carries this plaque, which describes some basic information about humans and the Earth. Carl Sagan, Frank Drake, Linda Salzman Sagan, NASA Ames Research Center via WikimediaCommons The history of METI Early attempts to contact life off Earth were quixotic messages in a bottle. In 1972, NASA launched the Pioneer 10 spacecraft toward Jupiter carrying a plaque with a line drawing of a man and a woman and symbols to show where the craft originated. In 1977, NASA followed this up with the famous Golden Record attached to the Voyager 1 spacecraft. These spacecraft – as well as their twins, Pioneer 11 and Voyager 2 – have now all left the solar system. But in the immensity of space, the odds that these or any other physical objects will be found are fantastically minuscule. Electromagnetic radiation is a much more effective beacon. Astronomers beamed the first radio message designed for alien ears from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. The series of 1s and 0s was designed to convey simple information about humanity and biology and was sent toward the globular cluster M13. Since M13 is 25,000 light-years away, you shouldn't hold your breath for a reply. In addition to these purposeful attempts at sending a message to aliens, wayward signals from television and radio broadcasts have been leaking into space for nearly a century. This ever-expanding bubble of earthly babble has already reached millions of stars. But there is a big difference between a focused blast of radio waves from a giant telescope and diffuse leakage – the weak signal from a show like "I Love Lucy" fades below the hum of radiation left over from the Big Bang soon after it leaves the solar system. The new FAST telescope in China is the largest radio telescope ever built and will be used to send a message toward the center of the galaxy. Ou Dongqu/Xinhua via Getty Images Sending new messages Nearly half a century after the Arecibo message, two international teams of astronomers are planning new attempts at alien communication. One is using a giant new radio telescope, and the other is choosing a compelling new target. One of these new messages will be sent from the world's largest radio telescope, in China, sometime in 2023. The telescope, with a 1,640-foot (500-meter) diameter, will beam a series of radio pulses over a broad swath of sky. These on-off pulses are like the 1s and 0s of digital information. The message is called "The Beacon in the Galaxy" and includes prime numbers and mathematical operators, the biochemistry of life, human forms, the Earth's location and a time stamp. The team is sending the message toward a group of millions of stars near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, about 10,000 to 20,000 light-years from Earth. While this maximizes the pool of potential aliens, it means it will be tens of thousands of years before Earth may get a reply. The other attempt is targeting only a single star, but with the potential for a much quicker reply. On Oct. 4, 2022, a team from the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in England will beam a message toward the star TRAPPIST-1. This star has seven planets, three of which are Earth-like worlds in the so-called "Goldilocks zone" – meaning they could be home to liquid and potentially life, too. TRAPPIST-1 is just 39 light-years away, so it could take as few as 78 years for intelligent life to receive the message and Earth to get the reply. The center of the Milky Way galaxy may be home to intelligent life, but some researchers think contacting aliens is a bad idea. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/CXC/STScI Ethical questions The prospect of alien contact is ripe with ethical questions, and METI is no exception. The first is: Who speaks for Earth? In the absence of any international consultation with the public, decisions about what message to send and where to send it are in the hands of a small group of interested scientists. But there is also a much deeper question. If you are lost in the woods, getting found is obviously a good thing. When it comes to whether humanity should be broadcasting a message to aliens, the answer is much less clear-cut. [Understand new developments in science, health and technology, each week. Subscribe to The Conversation's science newsletter.] Before he died, iconic physicist Stephen Hawking was outspoken about the danger of contacting aliens with superior technology. He argued that they could be malign and if given Earth's location, might destroy humanity. Others see no extra risk, since a truly advanced civilization would already know of our existence. And there is interest. Russian-Israeli billionaire Yuri Milner has offered $1 million for the best design of a new message and an effective way to transmit it. To date, no international regulations govern METI, so the experiments will continue, despite concerns. For now, intelligent aliens remain in the realm of science fiction. Books like "The Three-Body Problem" by Cixin Liu offer somber and thought-provoking perspectives on what the success of METI efforts might look like. It doesn't end well for humanity in the books. If humans ever do make contact in real life, I hope the aliens come in peace. Chris Impey receives funding from the National Science Foundation.

New Englanders support more offshore wind power – just don’t send it to New York Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:25 AM PDT Several offshore wind farms are planned for the U.S. Northeast. Scott Eisen/Getty Images In Rhode Island, home to the first offshore wind farm in the U.S., most people support expanding offshore wind power – with one important caveat. Our research shows they're less likely to support a wind power project if its energy flows to another state, and especially if it goes to a rival state. We found the same sentiment holds true on the New Hampshire coast. Social scientists like us call this "regionalism," and our research suggests it could have serious repercussions for the renewable energy transition. Think about the rivalries and sometimes outright animosity among baseball fans. Few regional rivalries are as intense as the one between Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans. More than mere bluster, these place-based identities can strongly influence people's thoughts and attitudes about rival cities in ways that extend far beyond the game. An allegiance to the Yankees can even influence perception of the distance between New York City and Boston. But do regional identities affect attitudes toward energy development? Our studies of public attitudes toward offshore wind energy development indicate they might. Which state gets the power matters We conducted two surveys – one in Rhode Island and the other on the New Hampshire coast – to see how people felt about offshore wind power, including energy exports. Overall, both groups supported wind power off their shores. People were happiest if the power was produced for their home states. That wasn't a surprise. Studies have showed that the public generally objects to energy exports, perhaps fueled by concerns over distributive justice. Distributive justice refers to discrepancies between who bears costs, like having power plants and equipment in sight, and who benefits, such as from revenue and energy produced. The Block Island Wind Farm's five turbines power the island with renewable energy. The rest of the electricity goes to the mainland grid. Scott Eisen/Getty Images The answers got more interesting when we asked about exporting power to specific states. For people in New Hampshire, wind power projects that send power to their North Woods brethren in Maine were more palatable than projects that would connect to more urban Massachusetts. For Rhode Islanders, a wind power project serving Massachusetts was OK, but not one serving New York. That reaction was consistent with the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, with people in Red Sox-loving Rhode Island preferring the electricity be sent to New England instead. Our study demonstrates that not only are people less supportive of other states' claiming electricity produced off their shores, but it also matters which state is involved. It's important to remember that once electricity goes into the Northeast grid, power from those wind turbines could go anywhere. The power company and state that contract with a wind farm can benefit from the price and credit for contributing that clean energy, but electricity itself isn't limited to that state, and the climate and clean energy benefits are also more global. However, perceptions of who benefits matter for public acceptance of projects. What this means for the future How will this regionalism play out for actual projects? We are not sure, but these are not just hypothetical situations. A project off the Delaware coast will supply power to Maryland. A project recently approved for development off Rhode Island will provide electricity to Long Island, New York. The U.S. is poised for a rapid rise in offshore wind power. The Biden administration has committed enthusiastically to offshore wind development, and coastal states have already committed to generating nearly 45 gigawatts of offshore wind power. That's close to the global total of around 57 gigawatts, and about 1,000 times the current U.S. production from its seven existing offshore wind turbines. The first large-scale project, Vineyard Wind, is under construction south of Martha's Vineyard to ultimately provide up to 800 megawatts of electricity to its home state of Massachusetts. The maps show areas leased for future offshore wind projects. BOEM Offshore wind energy has faced some controversy in the U.S. An early proposed project, Cape Wind, was scuttled by two decades of litigation. Public objections often arise over potential impacts to ocean views, the fishing industry and whales and other wildlife. Concerns over distributive justice could also turn public opinion against future projects. What to do about it One means of addressing fairness for energy projects is by providing "community benefits" such as sharing revenues with communities affected by offshore energy projects. We believe offshore energy developers and policymakers should broaden engagement to neighboring states and communities and consider how the project might affect nearby communities. The energy transition may also be expedited by acknowledging place-based identities and planning accordingly, downplaying rivalries. For example, the federal government could move away from naming areas of the ocean designated for offshore wind development after specific states. [Sign up for The Conversation's daily newsletter.] David Bidwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article. Jeremy Firestone is a former (uncompensated) Director of First State Marine Wind (FSMW), which owns a land-based wind turbine adjacent to the University of Delaware's Lewes campus. UD is the controlling owner of FSMW, with SGRE, the turbine manufacturer, owning a minority interest. Wind turbine revenues are used for research, and here provided grant funding for the Rhode Island research. Firestone has never received industry support from SGRE or any other entity. Michael Ferguson receives funding from New Hampshire Seagrant

Russia's weaponization of natural gas could backfire by destroying demand for it Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:24 AM PDT Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller at a launch ceremony for the Nord Stream gas pipeline, Sept. 6, 2011, in Vyborg, Russia. Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images In December 2006, The Economist magazine published a cover drawing of Russian president Vladimir Putin, dressed like a 1930s gangster in a dark suit and fedora hat, under the headline "Don't Mess with Russia." Putin held a gasoline nozzle, gripping it like a machine gun. The target presumably was Europe, which relied heavily on Russia for oil and natural gas. The cover story's subheading asserted, "Russia's habitual abuse of its energy muscle is bad for its citizens, its neighbourhood and the world." Today that assertion still rings true with Russia's cutoff of natural gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria. As an energy scholar who has lived and worked in Europe, I know that gas is a precious commodity that is critical for industries, power generation and heating buildings – especially in northern Europe, where winters can be harsh and long. This explains why European nations import gas from many sources, but have grown to depend on Russian supplies to keep their homes warm and their economies humming. From oil embargoes to gas cutoffs The energy weapon can take many forms. In 1967 and 1973, Arab nations cut off oil exports to the U.S. and other Western nations that supported Israel in conflicts against its Middle East neighbors. Withholding supply was a way to inflict economic pain on opponents and win policy concessions. To reduce oil consumption, the U.S. adopted a national speed limit of 55 mph in 1974 in response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Warren K Leffler/US News & World Report Collection/PhotoQuest via Getty Images Today, an oil embargo might not work as well. Oil is a fungible commodity in a global market: If one source cuts off shipments, importing countries can just buy more oil from other suppliers, although they may pay higher prices on spot markets than they would have under long-term contracts. That's possible because more than 60% of the world's daily oil consumption is delivered by ship. At any given moment, a flotilla of seaborne vessels is carrying crude oil from one point to another around the globe. If there are disruptions, the ships can change direction and get to their destinations within a matter of weeks. As a result, it's hard for one oil-producing country to prevent a consuming country from buying oil on the global market. By contrast, natural gas is moved primarily by pipeline. Only 13% of the world's gas supply is delivered by tankers carrying liquefied natural gas. This makes gas more of a regional or continental commodity, with sellers and buyers who are physically connected to each other. It is much harder for buyers to find alternative natural gas supplies than alternative oil sources because laying new pipelines or building new liquefied natural gas import and export terminals can cost billions of dollars and take many years. Consequently, gas disruptions are felt quickly and can last a long time. French and German experts debate how the European Union will respond to what leaders called energy blackmail. The real cost of buying Russian gas European nations' dependence on Russian energy, particularly natural gas, complicates their foreign policies. As many observers have pointed out since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, European consumers' heavy reliance on Russian oil and gas over the decades has funded and emboldened Putin's regime and made European governments hesitant in the face of bad behavior. It was no accident that Russia invaded in February, when it's coldest and European demand for gas for heating buildings is highest. Because the European gas grid spans many countries, Russia's shutoff of gas to Poland and Bulgaria doesn't just affect those two countries. Prices will rise as gas pressures in the pipelines that run through those countries to other nations drop. The shortage will eventually ripple through to other countries further downstream, such as France and Germany. If Europeans can reduce their gas consumption quickly as the heating season winds down and gas power plants are replaced with other sources, they can slow the onset of pain. Fuller use of liquefied natural gas imports from coastal terminals could also help. In the longer run, the European Union is working to increase energy efficiency in existing buildings, which are already efficient compared to U.S. buildings. It also aims to fill gas storage caverns to 90% capacity during the off-peak seasons when gas demand is lower, and ramp up local production of biomethane – which can substitute for fossil gas – derived from agricultural waste or other organic, renewable sources. Building more import terminals to bring in liquefied natural gas from the U.S., Canada or other friendly nations is also an option. However, creating new fossil fuel infrastructure would conflict with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow climate change. Ramping up wind, solar, geothermal and nuclear power plants as quickly as possible to displace the continent's natural gas power plants is a key priority for the EU. So is replacing natural gas heating systems with electric heat pumps, which can also provide air conditioning during the continent's increasingly frequent and intense summer heat waves. These solutions align with the EU's climate objectives, which suggests that Russia's gas cutoffs might ultimately accelerate European nations' efforts to shift to renewable energy and more efficient use of electricity. All of these options are effective but take time. Unfortunately, Europe doesn't have many options before next winter. Prospects are worse for energy customers in poorer regions, such as Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa, which will simply go without in the face of higher energy prices. Will Russia's cutoff backfire? While gas supply disruptions will undoubtedly inflict pain on European consumers, they also are hard on Russia, which badly needs the money. Currently, Putin is ordering "unfriendly" countries to pay for Russian energy in rubles to boost Russia's currency, which has lost value under the weight of economic sanctions. Poland and Bulgaria had refused to pay in rubles. Cutting off gas supplies in February would have been expensive for Russia and surely would have inspired even more backlash in Europe. By wielding natural gas as a weapon when the weather is mild, Russia can flex its petro-muscles without being too aggressive or losing too much money. The key question now is whether Europe needs Russian gas more than Russia needs revenue from European sales. [Interested in science headlines but not politics? Or just politics or religion? The Conversation has newsletters to suit your interests.] Michael E. Webber is affiliated with The University of Texas at Austin, Energy Impact Partners (a cleantech venture firm), and IdeaSmiths LLC (a consulting company).

What's at stake for Trump, Twitter and politics if the tweeter-in-chief returns from banishment Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:21 AM PDT Could the former tweeter-in-chief make a Twitter comeback? Alex Wong/Getty Images Any speculation about whether Donald Trump will return to Twitter after his permanent suspension in 2021 must begin with two caveats. First, we do not know for sure if, or when, the presumed new owner of the social media platform, Elon Musk, will lift the ban. Second, Trump has said he will not come back. "I was disappointed by the way I was treated by Twitter," Trump told CNBC on April 25, 2022. "I won't be going back on Twitter." But if Musk, Trump and social media have taught us anything, it is that the half-life of such caveats can be seconds. It is worth at least considering the premise: What's at stake for Trump, Twitter and politics if he does return. The pull of Twitter might be irresistible for Trump. Before being kicked off the platform for what Twitter described as "the risk of further incitement of violence" after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Trump was a prolific user of the site. I know this firsthand: Between 2017 and 2021, I collected and analyzed all of his tweets – some 20,301, excluding retweets and links without comment. Different platform, same narrative Trump was a potent narrator-in-chief on Twitter. Reaching nearly 89 million followers by the time of his suspension was only the beginning. In analyzing his use of Twitter, I found that he built a passionate base of loyalists through a consistent narrative that reflected their grievances. He attacked his rivals with mockery, sold himself as the solution to all problems and used the day's news to warn of enemies near and far. This high-emotion, high-stakes approach seemed impossible for journalists to ignore. That meant his message often jumped from Twitter to much larger audiences, usually thanks to media outlets that treated his tweets as news. Sometimes it was news. He hired and fired on Twitter and announced many other major decisions there. Twitter allowed him to speak directly, without a filter, to his base. At the same time, it was a production plant for a never-ending news cycle. It is hard to imagine the Trump presidency without Twitter. And it might be even harder to imagine that he could command the same level of attention without it. Would the public see a different Trump if he returned? Trump's 16 months in the Twitter wilderness suggest that won't happen. Examining his primary forms of communication post-Twitter – press releases on his website and speeches – the former president has attacked others, defended himself, picked favorites and enumerated grievances just like he did on Twitter. Trump seems to be the same digital yarn-spinner who sold a large swath of Americans on his basic premise, which I summarize as: "The establishment is stopping me from protecting you against invaders." Analyzing those post-Twitter communications, it is clear that Trump hasn't changed this narrative. If anything, the story has become even more potent because the establishment and the invaders are now more regularly one and the same in Trump's rhetoric. A sample press release from April 18 indicates as much: "… the racist and highly partisan Attorney General of New York State, failed Gubernatorial candidate Letitia James, should focus her efforts on saving the State of New York and ending its reputation as a Crime Capital of the World, instead of spending millions of dollars and utilizing a large portion of her office in going after Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization (for many years!), who have probably done more for New York than virtually any other person or group …" All the elements that characterize Trump's messaging are there: mocking a supposed persecutor, aggrandizing his own accomplishments and ultimately creating a narrative in which he, and everyone who agrees, is a victim. It taps into a larger narrative that institutions, such as journalists and politicians, have ruined America and harmed its "real" citizens in every way from economics to popular culture. Trump's presentation of himself as both victim and hero clearly gratifies people who believe that story. You do not have to look that hard for indicators as to how a Trump return to Twitter could play out – they are seen in the multiple press statements he releases on a daily basis. In four such statements released the day after Musk's Twitter announcement, Trump railed against the changing of the Cleveland Indians name, endorsed a pro-Trump candidate for Congress and encouraged supporters to watch a new film made by "incredible Patriots" who were "exposing this great election fraud." That last statement ended with a rallying call to spread the message that "the 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen!" Blue checks and red lines While Trump has stated he will not return to Twitter, former advisers, speaking anonymously, are not so sure. That might be because his website where the press releases are posted ranked 34,564th for engagement on April 27, according to Alexa. Twitter, that same day, ranked 12th. Truth Social, the social media app founded by Trump, would have to be wildly successful to offset the power of attention and influence that Trump enjoyed on Twitter. [Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation's newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] What would a Musk-owned Twitter do if Trump, allowed back on the platform, continued to say false and misleading things? Tagging tweets as false or misleading, as Trump's frequently were toward the end of his time on Twitter, may, for the "free speech absolutist" that Musk claims to be, cross some perceived line. In any case, it might not be that effective. A recent experiment at Cornell University found that tagging false claims on a platform such as Facebook or Twitter "had no effect on survey participants' perception of its accuracy and actually increased their likelihood of sharing it on social media." The same study found that fact checking and "rebutting the false claim with links to additional information" was more successful, making people less likely to believe the false information. And Twitter has begun experimenting with a fact-checking feature to correct false information on the platform. Paying attention to what happens to that feature might give some indication as to how much will be tolerated from Trump should he go back on Twitter. Meanwhile, despite Musk's desire to go after Twitter bots – the presence of which are thought to have amplified Trump's voice and potentially his share of the vote – that may prove a difficult undertaking. I've changed … really How will the media respond should the former president return to Twitter, given his previous success in using the platform to spark media coverage. Research has found that not only was Trump successful in boosting coverage of himself through tweeting, he was also able to divert media from reporting on potentially negative topics that could hurt his standing by tweeting about something completely different. It's not clear whether the media will again choose to follow and amplify Trump's tweets with the same frequency. Meanwhile, changing a platform like Twitter to address some of the concerns associated with a returning Trump is a massive undertaking. And the chances of Trump himself changing seem even less likely. So should it happen, don't be surprised if a Trump-Twitter reunion looks a lot like the first go-round. Michael Humphrey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Gilbert Gottfried and the mechanics of crafting one of the most memorable voices of all time Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:21 AM PDT Marlee Matlin covers her ears as Gottfried performs during the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in 2011. AP Photo/Charles Sykes Though Gilbert Gottfried's voice has alternatively been described as "shrill," "annoying" and "grating," you can't say it isn't memorable. Gottfried, who died on April 12, 2022, didn't naturally sound this way. Watch him perform as a cast member during on the sixth season of "Saturday Night Live," and you'll hear a voice that sounds downright angelic by comparison. Gilbert Gottfried's brief run as a cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' occurred before the development of his signature voice. But as he developed his comic persona, that distinctive sound made its way into his performances in stand-up comedy, advertising, television and film – perhaps most famously as Iago in "Aladdin," Mr. Peabody in "Problem Child" and as a squawking duck in advertisements for the insurance giant Aflac. Clearly, Gottfried figured out how to create a character that perfectly synced a personality with a voice that matched – a particularly valuable skill for actors that requires a combination of technique and instinct. The smooth operators In 2001, the Center for Voice Disorders at Wake Forest University surveyed Americans asking them who possessed the best and worst voices. The actors with the three best voices were James Earl Jones, Sean Connery and Julia Roberts. The worst? Leading the pack was Fran Drescher of "The Nanny" fame, followed by Roseanne Barr and – you guessed it – Gilbert Gottfried. As a voice specialist who teaches acting, voice and speech, I work with students and clients who often want to sound more like Connery and Roberts, and less like Gottfried. Three distinct subsystems are involved in vocal production: the larynx, or voice box, which houses the vocal folds; the lungs and diaphragm in breathing; and areas where sounds resonate, or the vocal tract. Speaking well involves a mix of understanding this vocal anatomy, utilizing proper breathing techniques and learning how to speak without excess tension. Collectively, these elements are known as the voice mechanism. If a student or client comes into a session seeking a more effective voice, it's these fundamentals that will be addressed. When these elements work together, they create a balanced vocal quality, one that's generally perceived as confident and professional – think Morgan Freeman. Developing a character But there's a special niche for voices that are unusual. The very skills that an actor learns to create a melodious voice can also be manipulated for a character voice – which is exactly what Gottfried was able to do, along with other actors who developed memorable characters, such as Jim Carrey in "The Mask" and Eartha Kitt as Yzma in "The Emperor's New Groove." Meryl Streep has been especially adept at creating unique voices for a number of roles, but one that stands out to me is her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." Understanding what you can change – and how to change it – is the key. In my voice-over class, for example, I introduce a range of vocal qualities that can be mined to develop new voices. Five of the most common are a hoarse voice, a breathy one, a creaky one – also known as vocal fry – a voice that incorporates hypernasality and one that accentuates hyponasality, which refers to how most people sound when they have a cold. One of the best and most immediate ways to change your voice is by placing it in a specific resonating area of the body – such as the sinuses or throat – or by changing how the vocal folds vibrate. In a class on character voice, I coach students to direct the sound of their voice into their nasal cavity for a hypernasal sound, and into the back of their throat, the pharyngeal cavity, for a hyponasal sound. To trigger a hypernasal sound, you could quack like a duck – "Aflac!" – or mimic Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz" with the phrase "I'll get you, my pretty!" The Wicked Witch of the West in 'The Wizard of Oz' possesses the hallmarks of the hypernasal sound. For a hyponasal sound, pinch your nostrils together so no sound comes through the nasal passage, and you'll sound like you have a stuffy nose. Widening the back of your throat while you speak will create a sound similar to that of Lenny from "Loony Tunes." Sounding droopy and dopey like Lenny can involve accentuating a hyponasal sound. Want to sound like Julie Kavner's rendition of Marge Simpson, who speaks with a creaky voice? Relax your throat and say "uhhh" in a very low pitch. The vocal folds are short and thick and create a slow vibration. Marge Simpson pushes back against suggestions that she sounds like Vice President Kamala Harris. To achieve a breathy quality, sigh out an easy "hahhh" with half voice and half breath. Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy captures this vocal quality perfectly. If Gilbert Gottfried were to walk into my classroom and ask me to analyze his character voice, I would describe it as a combination of hypernasality and raspy, with a bit of stridency thrown in. He speaks in a relatively high pitch with little modulation and stays at a consistently high volume. Of course, Gottfried perfected this sound, and it worked in tandem with his brand of humor. If you were to develop something similar, just make sure you could figure out when to hit the "off" switch. Gilbert Gottfried as Mr. Peabody in 'Problem Child.' [Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation's newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.] Erica Tobolski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

What is a Latter-day Saint temple? Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:18 AM PDT The temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along the Capital Beltway in Kensington, Md. Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church, have long been a site of curiosity, suspicion and admiration. Grand, sometimes even imposing structures, temples are among the most distinctive symbols of the church. Temples are where the faith's most sacred rites or "ordinances" are performed, so church members were traditionally taught not to discuss some of them publicly. But Latter-day Saint leaders have worked to dispel confusion about temples by posting photographs of the interior, describing rites in more detail and promoting public tours. Many locations include adjacent "visitors centers" that offer a brief introduction to the temple and church teachings, and new or remodeled temples are open to the public before they are dedicated for worship. The LDS temple in Washington, D.C., for example – the faith's tallest, and a common landmark for commuters in the U.S. capital – will be open for tours from April 28 to June 11, 2022, after four years of renovations. Once a temple is being used for religious rituals, however, entrance is restricted to members of the church who hold what is called a "temple recommend": a document from local religious leaders attesting that the church member is in good standing. So what happens inside? Not just 'church' Temples are different from churches in the Latter-day Saint faith. Weekly Sunday services are held at "meetinghouses," where congregation members teach religious lessons and celebrate Communion, which they call "the sacrament." Churches also host other events for the local LDS community. There are tens of thousands of such meetinghouses around the world, which are open to the public and commonly display a "Visitors Welcome" sign. These are simpler, smaller buildings that look similar to other Christian churches. By contrast, temples are rarer and considered much more sacred. There are currently 170 operational temples in the world, on every continent except Antarctica. Temples are closed on Sundays. The Latter-day Saint temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. tiaramaio/RooM via Getty Images Holy covenants As a scholar and historian of Mormonism, I can confirm that temples have long been a source of controversy – even back in 1903, when the election of a prominent Latter-day Saint to the U.S. Senate sparked a yearslong government investigation. Critics argued, unsuccessfully, that the vows Latter-day Saints make in temples should disqualify them from office. In the past century, temples have continued to spark public scrutiny, generally when a local community opposes plans to build a new one. The three primary rites that take place inside are marriages, called "sealings"; the "endowment," which reenacts the Bible's creation story; and "baptisms for the dead." In this ritual, also called proxy baptism, church members stand in for people who died without having received an LDS baptism. Latter-day Saints believe that the deceased person has an option in the afterlife of accepting or rejecting the baptism. Latter-day Saints often experience these rites as deeply transformative and are taught that they have eternal consequences. In marriage sealings, for instance, Latter-day Saints believe they connect with a spouse not only for their lives on Earth, but for all time in the afterlife as well, although divorce is permitted. During the endowment rite, in which many adult Latter-day Saints participate, members make vows to serve God and others and receive instructions about salvation. Those who have received the endowment ritual also promise to wear a sacred "garment" under their regular clothing. Some members find the rites esoteric, strange or outdated. But most return again and again to absorb the symbolism and seek answers to prayer. God's house On the outside, temples display a variety of styles from Gothic to modernist. Today, most have a prominent steeple with a golden angel blowing a trumpet: the Angel Moroni. Moroni has a central role in the church's narrative, as a prophet in the Book of Mormon who appeared to modern church founder Joseph Smith. A statue of the Angel Moroni sits atop many Latter-day Saint temples. AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Inside, each of the rituals has a distinct room or rooms. Baptisms for the dead are performed in the basement in a large font on the backs of 12 oxen. Sealing rites are performed in smaller rooms with a central altar at which a couple kneels as they are married. The endowment is the most elaborate. Participants sit in a small theater, with men and women on separate sides, to watch a film that depicts a sacred drama of Adam and Eve. At the end, all are admitted together to pray and converse in an elegant salon called the "celestial room," the most sacred room, which represents the presence of God. Lightning rods The rites have often raised debate. Outsiders are excluded, which means that even immediate family members might not be present at a loved one's marriage ceremony. Same-sex couples are excluded from sealings. Before 1978, Black church members were prohibited from participating in any of the rites. Latter-day Saint feminists have criticized some of the vows in the endowment for reinforcing gender hierarchy, although some welcomed changes the church made in 2019. Baptisms for the dead also have drawn criticism. Zealous church members have used genealogical records to perform baptisms for the dead for Holocaust victims, which Jewish groups have condemned as disrespecting victims' faith. Church leaders have put controls in place to discourage the practice, such as urging members to focus on their own ancestors. [Explore the intersection of faith, politics, arts and culture. Sign up for This Week in Religion.] Yet temples have also brought inspiration, and not only to adherents. The late Lutheran theologian Krister Stendahl once applied his famous idea of having "holy envy," or admiring aspects of other faiths, to describe his own appreciation for LDS temples. As sacred sites where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints engage in distinctive practices, temples are bound to spark a variety of responses for years to come, especially as the church continues its ambitious project to build more. Taylor Petrey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

I'm a Black sociologist, and a mom – by listening to other Black mothers, I've learned about their pandemic struggles and strengths Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:18 AM PDT When schools shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, moms took on the burden of supporting students at home. AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar I spent the 2020 spring break week setting up to teach my college courses online while helping to care for my 14-month-old grandchild, whose daycare had closed. At the same time, I couldn't help thinking, being the sociologist I am, of the devastating consequences of COVID-19 I saw for women like me, Black mothers, whom I have studied for over a decade. Social science research can influence policy. Sharing Black mothers' stories in their own voices may ultimately lead to more compassionate policies. My work is part of a small body of descriptive research, mostly by researchers of color, countering negativity and victim-blaming in earlier studies of Black families. My research partner, sociologist BarBara Scott, lives in Chicago, where I grew up. In our studies of Black mothers there, we've explored parenting in violent communities and living with inadequate health care. In 2019, before COVID-19 hit, we were preparing to study parenting practices. But when lab conditions change, scientists need to reorganize their work. I am a social scientist and society is my lab, where the pandemic dramatically altered the conditions of my research. We adjusted, preparing to interview remotely instead of in person. We added new questions to investigate, like: How were Black mothers coping with pandemic conditions? How did the murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests affect them? Our research would now include the pandemic and the country's racial upheaval, highly unusual factors complicating Black mothers' already challenging lives. Parenting didn't stop when the pandemic started. kali9/E+ via Getty Images Researching with rapport The first challenge was finding participants. We put up fliers in and around schools, churches, the YWCA and other places Black moms go when not at work. Even in the best of times, though, they face practical barriers to joining a research project. Child care responsibilities might be theirs alone. Taking time off from work means their paychecks take a hit not nearly covered by the $25 gift cards we offered. But they called. Some just wanted to sign up after looking me up on their phones. Others, who may have known that the federal government oversees studies involving people, asked why I was studying them and what I would do with their information. I knew that if any of the women thought talking with me might bring embarrassment or other trouble, they might be less forthcoming or decide not to participate. My findings would be much less credible. I assured the moms that I would keep their responses confidential and that they had a right to leave the study whenever they wanted to. None of them did. We signed up enough moms for two focus groups of five to seven participants each. I ran group meetings and conducted 12 one-on-one interviews via video conferencing. To start our 60- to 90-minute sessions, I introduced myself and got the mothers talking with an ice breaker question like, "What is the farthest place from your current neighborhood that you've been?" I also tell them that I have a Black mom, and that I am one. And then, because my skin tone is fair, I mention that I have an Italian father. I didn't want to be mistaken for white; the moms might feel less comfortable discussing certain topics with me. But after realizing that I'm Black too, a few of them said things like, "I knew there was something about you!" I share my belief in centering – and that's the word I use – Black mothers' lived experiences and exploring their parenting from a strength perspective. That's when I got a lot of smiling and nodding. Many Black mothers were front-line workers who couldn't heed the message on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot's mask in the early days of the pandemic. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh No time for racism Black mothers don't need a pandemic to face impossible choices. But it took a pandemic for others to see that. As nearly everyone else stayed home to stop the spread of COVID-19, it became obvious that Black women were more likely than any one else to be essential workers in front-line jobs. And despite risking COVID-19 infection to keep their jobs, Black workers were more likely to lose them anyway during the pandemic. I asked the mothers about the pandemic's effect on their lives. They talked about the trickiness of trying to isolate or distance in small or crowded homes. They hated being unable to get masks and hand sanitizer when stores closed during the George Floyd protests, which none of them attended. None of the Black moms in the study went to the protests George Floyd's death spurred in 2020. Natasha Moustache/Getty Images News via Getty Images I asked why they didn't go, given their stated frustrations with racism affecting their lives. Some didn't want to risk getting sick. But most of these Black mothers told me they don't dwell on racism, saying things like, "Yeah, racism is bad, but I got things to do." And so they did those things. While at work, they sent their kids text reminders to go to remote school if it was available, or if it was not, to study. The moms came home from long shifts and helped with homework, worrying about their kids falling behind academically. The mothers worried about getting COVID-19 and losing custody of kids if they became too sick to parent well. Keeping the conversation flowing The qualitative research I do is about words and meanings, not just numbers and statistics. It allows me to explore the lives of Black moms in depth. In my interviews, I don't ask closed-ended questions – the kind where the answer is simply yes or no, true or false, or limited to a set of multiple-choice answers. For example, if a participant can only respond to the question, "How safe is your community?" with the options "very safe," "somewhat safe," or "not safe," that's a closed-ended question. In qualitative research, however, questions are often open-ended. Participants decide what a question means to them, then answer in any way they choose. I've been asking the Black mothers questions like: "How do you feel about Chicago as a place to live and raise your children? How do you feel about working and raising your children during the COVID-19 pandemic?" Reading the transcribed interviews later, I look for general thoughts, or themes, in the mothers' collective responses. For example, when I asked about violence, the overall sentiment was that it was around, but avoidable. One participant told me, "You have to know where [to go] and where not to go, when to go and when not to go." And she called Chicago "a great place," with "great opportunities" for anyone who wanted to be there. This response was common: The moms know that Chicago can be violent, but many focus on the positive aspects of the city. My theory is that this is their conscious or unconscious way of explaining why they stay in a violent community. That question has come often enough – usually from those with far more options – to hang over the heads of these Black moms, even if no one asks them directly. A related sentiment the moms had was that moving away is pointless since violence "is everywhere." They may simply want to stay close to the generations of family and community ties they have. But it's also true that moving isn't affordable for many of these mothers. Identifying these themes helps me present a picture of Black mothers' lives as a corrective to the earlier research. Documenting their experiences as the center of my research gives them a voice and validates their lives as worthy of exploration. [More than 150,000 readers get one of The Conversation's informative newsletters. Join the list today.] Loren Henderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Psychologists are starting to talk publicly about their own mental illnesses – and patients can benefit Posted: 29 Apr 2022 05:15 AM PDT Mental health professionals who have experienced mental illness have much to offer to their patients. Bulat Silvia/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images From sports and entertainment celebrities like Simone Biles, Ariana Grande and Ryan Reynolds to everyday social media users on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, more people are talking publicly about mental health. Yet both students and professionals across fields have long been advised that talking openly about their own mental health experiences risks negative judgments from co-workers and supervisors, which can potentially damage their careers. Ironically, even professionals in mental health fields are advised to conceal their own experiences with mental illness. This culture of silence is counter to what psychologists know to be true about battling stigma: that talking openly about mental health can help reduce stigma and encourage others to seek help. Stigmatizing openness about mental illness can also result in the systemic discrimination against and exclusion from mental health professions of people who can make valuable contributions to the field – whether in spite of or because of their unique mental health experiences. We are a doctoral candidate and an assistant professor of clinical psychology who have both experienced mental illness. In a recent study, we explored how common mental health issues are among clinical psychologists and trainees, and whether those issues affected them professionally. In a related commentary, we and our psychology colleagues wrote openly about our own experiences with mental illness to show others that success in mental health careers is possible for people who currently live, or have lived, with mental illness. Psychologists are people, too In a forthcoming peer-reviewed study, almost 1,700 psychology faculty members and trainees completed an online survey that asked about their mental health experiences. This is the largest study to date on the rates of mental illness in graduate programs that train clinical, counseling and school psychologists. Our survey asked participants two separate questions: whether they had ever experienced "mental health difficulties" and if they had ever been diagnosed with a mental illness by a professional. Asking both questions was important, because some mental health difficulties are not labeled as specific conditions, and not all respondents may have had access to a mental health provider who could make a formal diagnosis. Over 80% of all respondents reported having mental health difficulties at some point, and 48% reported having a diagnosed mental illness. These rates are similar to rates of mental illness in the general population. Our findings show that, far from being immune to the conditions they treat in others, psychologists grapple with mental health difficulties or illnesses just as much as their patients do. Stephen Lewis, an associate professor of clinical child and adolescent psychology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, tells the story of his own life. These experiences led him to specialize in the study of self-harm – called "nonsuicidal self-injury" – in the profession. Mental illnesses are leading causes of disability worldwide. This fact may partly explain why there's a stigma among psychology professionals about disclosing them: Some may see mental illness as an insurmountable handicap to being effective at researching mental illness or treating it in others. However, in our survey of psychology faculty members and trainees, 95% of respondents with mental health difficulties reported having "no" or "mild" professional problems related to these experiences. Over 80% of those with diagnosed mental illness reported the same. This finding highlights that experiencing mental illness is not by any means a barrier to being a capable and effective psychologist. Stigma as a barrier to inclusion Through another upcoming study, we identified some of the structural barriers within clinical psychology that may discourage psychologists from talking about their own mental illness. One key barrier is that – again, ironically – stigma toward mental illness exists from within the mental health profession. We have found that psychologists and trainees with mental illness may be unfairly viewed as damaged, incompetent or hard to work with by their colleagues. We based this conclusion on our personal experiences in the profession, combined with the large body of research on the dynamics of disclosing mental illness. Previous research has found that sharing one's mental health difficulties, disability or illness in a training setting may result in lost professional opportunities, such as being hired or promoted or winning an award. However, research also shows that sharing one's mental illness may open up other opportunities to receive support and accommodations on the job, such as adjustment of job tasks, work schedules and time and performance expectations. Lived experience counts As therapists ourselves who have worked with hundreds of clients, we have found that our mental health struggles help us understand and empathize with the challenges faced by our patients. Research suggests that we are not alone. Studies show that therapists may use their experiences to inform how they work with clients. In fact, some widely used and scientifically backed therapies were developed by psychologists with lived mental health experience – such as "dialectical behavior therapy," which aims to help clients live in the moment, deal with stress and emotions in healthy ways and improve relationships. Marsha Linehan talks about how she used her own mental health experiences to develop dialectical behavioral therapy. As research scientists, we have found that our mental health experiences not only inform our ideas but also help us grapple effectively with the inevitable setbacks that come with a profession defined by endless hours of data collection, grant writing and a publish-or-perish culture. Having personal experience with mental health challenges reminds us why our work has meaning and is worth the struggle: to help and improve the lives of real people dealing with real traumas and real emotional struggles. Psychologists 'coming out' proud Although we have chosen to make our struggles public, we are not saying that others like us should feel that they must talk openly about it – or that all psychologists must have had mental health experiences in order to treat patients or do research effectively. Rather, we believe that psychologists who have chosen to talk about their mental illness may be able to use their positions to destigmatize openness about these health issues – for other mental health providers as well as the patients they serve. [Interested in science headlines but not politics? Or just politics or religion? The Conversation has newsletters to suit your interests.] The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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