Vermont Humanities
Two men talking outside

Express Your Mind – Without Losing It

Curiosity, empathy, and other tools can transform even passionate disagreements into chances to authentically share opinions. Journalist and cultural critic Molly Zapp offers practical techniques to avoid straining relationships while expressing yourself.

Author and professor Catherine Sanderson

How to Boost Your Psychological Resilience in a Crisis

Audio: Amherst College psychology professor Catherine Sanderson examines what research in psychology tells us about how adverse events – such as a global pandemic – can lead to some positive outcomes.

Author Catherine Sanderson

How to Boost Your Psychological Resilience in a Crisis

Video: Amherst College psychology professor Catherine Sanderson examines what research in psychology tells us about how adverse events – such as a global pandemic – can lead to some positive outcomes.

Old woman laughing while wearing a shawl

The Science of Happiness

Video: Amherst College professor Catherine Sanderson describes cutting-edge research from the field of positive psychology on the factors that do (and do not) predict happiness, and shares practical ways to increase one’s own psychological well-being.

Junkie, Sister, Daughter, Mom: A Love Story from the Opioid Epidemic

Video: In October 2018, a young Vermont mom named Madelyn Linsenmeir died after a long struggle with addiction. Her obituary went viral and was read by millions of people around the world. Madelyn’s sister, writer Kate O’Neill, shares her family’s experience loving and losing Maddie, the stories of other Vermonters impacted by this disease, and potential solutions to the crisis.

Where Am I? The Power of Uniqueness

Video: Former Scenic America President and TED talk lecturer Ed McMahon, who holds the Charles E. Fraser Chair on Sustainable Development at the Urban Land Institute, highlights the importance of a sense of place and explores why our physical surroundings are worth caring about.