Academics have proven that taking part in the ancient philosophy of stoicism does reduce negative emotions, with 94% of participants who took part in the annual Stoic Week event, run by Royal Holloway, University of London, saying they feel better about their lives.
Dr John Sellars, from the Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Royal Holloway, has been running Stoic Week, a global online event to see if people can benefit from following the philosophy of Stoicism for a decade now. Since the start in 2012, almost 40,000 people have participated and the results have been consistently positive.
On average, those who participated reported a 30% reduction in negative emotions, such as fear, anger, and anxiety, with an increase in their general sense of life satisfaction after following Stoic ideas for seven days.
Previous participants of Stoic Week have said:
- "I am calmer, I accept many disagreeable things with good spirits. Not so easily hurt"
- "It has made me think, question and discuss, until now, half-formed ideas"
- "The guidance of Stoicism makes me happy"
Dr Sellars has organized a number of public events on the benefits of adopting a Stoic life, offering training sessions aimed at showing ways in which people might use Stoic principles in their daily lives.
It has been incredible to celebrate 10 years of Stoic Week knowing 94% of those who took part have said it has improved their lives. As the years have gone on, more and more people have been interested in adopting Stoic life direction to see if this truly makes a positive change."
Dr John Sellars, Department of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy at Royal Holloway
This year's Stoic Week will run from 24 to 30 October 2022.