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2015/7/7

Tohoku University reveals eight "zest for life" in the event of a disaster

University Journal Online Editorial Department

　Wind and flood damage caused by huge earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic disasters, and ever-increasing extreme weather. What kind of power is needed to survive a disaster in Japan, a “disaster powerhouse”?Motoaki Sugiura, an associate professor at the Institute of Aging Medicine, Tohoku University, identified the personality, way of thinking, and habits of individuals who are advantageous for surviving the disaster from a questionnaire survey of victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Then, I summarized it into eight "powers to live".

　The "eight" zest for living "in the event of a disaster" identified from a questionnaire survey of 1,412 victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in Miyagi Prefecture are as follows.The ability to unite people (leadership), respond to problems (problem solving), be considerate of others (love and altruism), maintain beliefs (stubbornness), live properly (etiquette), and prepare emotions (etiquette) Emotional control), the power to make life meaningful (self-transcendence), and the power to enrich life (active health).These forces were statistically significantly correlated with the experience of solving problems during tsunami evacuation and living in shelters, managing crises such as health conditions, and overcoming difficulties.

　This is the first report to elucidate the power to live in a disaster from the perspectives of disaster science, brain science, psychology, cognitive science, and informatics.It is expected that the quality of disaster prevention education in the future will be significantly changed by clarifying the "zest for life" that should be prepared and nurtured in normal times in order to survive a disaster.

Associate Professor Sugiura et al. Will be able to develop each power in what situation and context, what kind of cognitive and neural infrastructure will be realized, and how to develop that power. Will be clarified in detail.
This research was published in the international academic journal "PLOS ONE".

Source:[Tohoku University] Eight "zest for living" in the event of a disaster are identified-From a questionnaire of 8 victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake-

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