People thirst for heroes. Back in 2010, on the eve of the release of our first book, Heroes: What They Do & Why We Need them, we decided to blog about them.
Little did we know that a decade later our heroes blog would be visited by over two million people. We’ve had visitors from all 50 states and 250 countries.
The 20 nations who visit our blog most frequently are the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Australia, the Philippines, India, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Singapore, and Mexico. We thank all of you for visiting us, leaving comments on our blog posts, and giving us helpful feedback and suggestions.
The top 10 U.S. states to visit us are, in order, California, Texas, New York, Virginia, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Ohio.
What is it about heroes that has us longing for them? Like this blog, heroism science is only a decade old, but we’re learning more and more about why the world hungers for heroes. A number of researchers have identified 12 functions of heroes:
- Heroes give us hope
- Heroes energize us
- Heroes develop us
- Heroes heal us
- Heroes impart wisdom
- Heroes are role models for morality
- Heroes offer safety and protection
- Heroes give us positive emotions
- Heroes give us meaning and purpose
- Heroes provide social connection and reduce loneliness
- Heroes help individuals achieve personal goals
- Heroes help society achieve societal goals
We’ve been studying heroes for many years and we’ve discovered many phenomena related to heroism. So please do suggest some names for us to profile, or issues for us to address in commentary pieces. In the mean time, thanks so much for visiting us and for supporting today’s heroes.
–— Scott Allison and George Goethals, Professors of Psychology and Leadership Studies
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