Kate Bowler

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Kate Bowler

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Kate Bowler is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and Professor of Religious History at Duke University.

Everything Videos
A cross made from various denominations of old U.S. paper currency is fastened together with brass tacks, set against a brown background.
4mins
The Well
The case against self-help
Americans believe they can outthink suffering. Historian Kate Bowler explains how our obsession with self-help, optimization, and positivity became a kind of secular religion.
Kate Bowler
A woman in a pink dress lies on the grass in a field, facing away and looking toward the distance.
2mins
The Well
Why pain doesn’t need to teach you anything
Not every hard thing happens for a reason, says Duke historian and writer Kate Bowler. She explains how our need for purpose turns suffering into a performance.
Kate Bowler
A woman with flowers in her hair holds a white mask near her face and smiles, wearing a ruffled pink collar.
3mins
The Well
Why toxic positivity is making us miserable
Toxic positivity isn’t optimism. It’s denial. Historian Kate Bowler explains why our obsession with “good vibes only” is making it harder to cope.
Kate Bowler
A young child with curly hair and a blue shirt stands in front of a cloudy sky with two floating soap bubbles and a pink fabric draped behind them.
6mins
The Well
The brain-deep emotion that matters more than happiness
Happiness collapses the moment hardship arrives. Joy doesn’t. Historian Kate Bowler explains why joy can coexist with pain — and why that makes it a stronger, more fulfilling emotion.
Kate Bowler
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