SuperBetter

SuperBetter Plot Summary

Introduction

Jane McGonigal was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to read, work, or even have a normal conversation without triggering debilitating headaches. After suffering a severe concussion that showed no signs of improvement for weeks, she found herself spiraling into depression and experiencing suicidal thoughts. In this moment of darkness, she made a decision that would transform not just her recovery but thousands of lives afterward: she would turn her healing journey into a game. She created power-ups (small actions that made her feel better), identified bad guys (things that triggered symptoms), and recruited allies (friends and family who supported her quests). Within days, her outlook shifted dramatically. Though physical symptoms persisted, her psychological suffering diminished as she regained a sense of control and purpose. This approach—bringing game psychology into real-world challenges—reveals a profound truth about human resilience. When we face difficulties as games rather than threats, we access the same psychological strengths that make us determined, creative, and optimistic when playing our favorite games. The science is compelling: games activate our reward pathways, trigger positive emotions, and help us build social connections—all crucial elements for overcoming adversity. Whether recovering from illness, managing depression, pursuing a difficult goal, or simply seeking more joy in everyday life, gameful thinking offers a structured path to unlock our natural capacity for growth. By collecting power-ups, battling bad guys, completing quests, and recruiting allies, we can transform how we experience life's inevitable challenges, becoming the heroes of our own stories.

Chapter 1: The Concussion That Changed Everything: Jane's Story

In the summer of 2009, Jane McGonigal suffered a severe concussion that left her with constant headaches, nausea, and mental fog. After thirty days with no improvement, she found herself spiraling into depression and anxiety. The symptoms were so debilitating that she couldn't read or write for more than a few minutes at a time. Most alarming were the persistent suicidal thoughts—a common but rarely discussed symptom affecting one in three concussion patients. Feeling trapped in darkness with no way out, she reached a critical moment of clarity: "I am either going to kill myself, or I'm going to turn this into a game." As a researcher who had spent years studying the psychology of games, Jane knew that when we play games, we tackle tough challenges with more creativity, determination, and optimism. We're also more likely to reach out to others for help. She created a simple recovery game called "Jane the Concussion Slayer," adopting this heroic identity to feel empowered rather than hopeless. She recruited her twin sister and husband as her first allies in the game. Together they identified and battled "bad guys"—anything that triggered her symptoms and slowed healing, like bright lights and crowded spaces. They also collected and activated "power-ups"—small actions she could take even on her worst days to feel a little bit better, like cuddling her dog for five minutes or walking around the block. Within days of starting this simple game, the fog of depression and anxiety lifted. Though her physical symptoms persisted for over a year, she stopped suffering mentally. She felt more in control of her recovery, her support network knew exactly how to help her, and she began to see herself as stronger than before. When she later shared her method online, renaming it "SuperBetter," people with challenges ranging from depression to chronic pain to cancer began creating their own versions—and reporting similar transformative results. What Jane discovered through her personal crisis was the power of post-traumatic growth—the phenomenon where some people not only recover from trauma but actually become stronger, happier, and more purposeful because of it. Research shows that people who experience post-traumatic growth report five key changes: their priorities shift toward what truly makes them happy; they feel closer to friends and family; they understand themselves better; they find new meaning and purpose; and they focus more effectively on their goals and dreams. Remarkably, these changes represent the exact opposite of the top five regrets of the dying, suggesting that facing extreme challenges can unlock our ability to live a life truer to our dreams and free of regrets.

Chapter 2: Power-Ups: Small Actions with Mighty Effects

Sarah was battling depression when her therapist suggested an unusual approach: identify three simple actions she could take each day that reliably made her feel better. Sarah was skeptical but created her list: drinking a cup of hot tea while watching the sunrise, texting her sister a funny observation, and taking a five-minute walk outside. She called these her "power-ups" and committed to activating at least three daily. "The first week was hard," Sarah recalled. "Some days I only managed one power-up. But gradually, something shifted. I noticed that on days when I activated all three, I felt more capable of handling whatever came my way." After a month, Sarah expanded her power-up collection to include listening to upbeat music, practicing five minutes of deep breathing, and writing down three good things that happened each day. These small actions created moments of positive emotion that began to counterbalance her depression. What Sarah discovered intuitively, scientists have confirmed through research. These micro-moments of positivity strengthen what researchers call vagal tone—the health of your vagus nerve, which stretches from your brain to your intestines, touching your heart, lungs, and other vital organs along the way. The vagus nerve is central to your ability to regulate emotions, withstand stress, and recover from illness or injury. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson's groundbreaking research has shown that people who experience more positive emotions daily have stronger vagal tone, which in turn makes them more resilient to stress and better able to bounce back from setbacks. This creates what Fredrickson calls an "upward spiral dynamic"—positive emotions strengthen physical resilience, which makes it easier to experience more positive emotions. The ratio between positive and negative emotions you experience daily is a reliable predictor of your vagal tone and overall resilience. Studies show that people with higher positive-to-negative emotion ratios cope better with stress, experience less depression, and demonstrate greater creativity and effectiveness at work. Even during times of extreme stress, maintaining a ratio where positive emotions outnumber negative ones provides significant protection against anxiety and post-traumatic stress. The beauty of power-ups is their simplicity and accessibility. You don't need to eliminate negative emotions entirely—that's neither possible nor desirable. Instead, by intentionally collecting and activating small sources of positive emotion throughout your day, you build a reservoir of resilience that helps you weather life's inevitable storms with greater strength and grace.

Chapter 3: Battling Bad Guys: Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles

When Mia escaped her abusive marriage at age twenty-six, she found herself struggling with constant hypervigilance, social isolation, and trust issues. Her therapist diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite making progress in therapy, one bad guy still haunted her: nightmares. "I have nightmares almost every night about being attacked," she explained on her blog. "The nightmares are so intense, they feel real. I often wake up screaming." Mia declared nightmares her number-one bad guy and started asking allies for help. With her therapist's guidance, she learned a technique called Alternative Endings. During the daytime, she would think of scenarios that frequently occurred in her nightmares—like being chased by a dangerous man—and while awake, vividly imagine alternative endings. She might imagine her pursuer getting smaller and slower until he posed no threat at all. Over six weeks, Mia got better at stopping the nightmares in progress. "I've always been a vivid dreamer," she explained, "I just never realized how much I could influence the dreams." But Mia also realized that while this technique helped her adapt to the problem, it wasn't a complete solution. The nightmares sometimes were harder to control, and she still occasionally woke up sweating and crying. She decided to try a different approach: challenging her perception of the nightmares. "Maybe nightmares are just reminders so we don't get too comfortable," she reflected. "They're not trying to torment me. They're trying to help me." This reframing didn't stop the nightmares, but it helped Mia stop beating herself up for having them. More importantly, it allowed her to look for potential benefits from an experience she previously saw as only negative. This psychological flexibility—the willingness to face difficult experiences while continuing to move toward your goals—is a key predictor of how well people recover from trauma and adversity. Research shows that people with greater psychological flexibility experience fewer psychological problems, more positive emotions, greater career success, closer relationships, and an overall higher quality of life. The opposite approach—avoiding, denying, or suppressing negative experiences—often backfires. Studies of chronic pain patients, for example, show that those who restrict their activities out of fear of pain actually experience more disability over time than those who maintain engagement with life despite discomfort. By acknowledging our bad guys rather than hiding from them, we develop the courage to live fully even in the face of difficulty.

Chapter 4: The Quest System: Taking Meaningful Daily Action

Phillip Jeffrey was thirty-one and living with aggressive multiple myeloma, a rare and incurable form of blood cancer. Already six years into his diagnosis—four years longer than doctors had initially predicted—he had endured countless rounds of chemotherapy, developed glaucoma as a side effect of medication, and suffered a stroke that damaged his vision. As a passionate photographer, losing his vision was particularly devastating. By April 2012, Phillip had been off chemotherapy for a year, and his cancer levels were rising steadily. Looking for a way to stay optimistic and engaged with the world despite feeling very sick and running out of treatment options, he transformed himself from "Phillip the cancer patient" to "Phillip the Creative Cancer Fighter." He created a simple daily quest: "Take a creative self-portrait, somewhere outdoors, and share it online before midnight." He committed to completing this same quest every day for ninety days. "I wanted to spend time being creative," Phillip explained. "But I also wanted something that would force me to leave my apartment. Some days when you're living with cancer, you just won't want to get out of bed." The quest gave him a reason to engage with the world rather than hide from it. Sharing the photos online connected him to others and created a legacy. "I have a shorter lifespan than most, so I'm thinking of a legacy. I'm taking pictures that I hope will be around online for a long time." As the weeks passed, his photography quest sparked an upward spiral of positive change. "The first thing I've noticed is that I'm now ending every day on a positive note," he shared. "I have that sense of accomplishment in taking a picture, feeling satisfied with it, uploading it—and boom, I did something today." The daily self-portraits also motivated him to start working out regularly to look stronger in his photos, which helped maintain his bone strength—crucial for someone with multiple myeloma. Phillip's story illustrates the power of what psychologists call "committed action"—taking small steps each day in accordance with your goals and values, even when it's difficult. Every time we successfully take committed action, we increase our hope, optimism, and self-efficacy (that "I can do this!" feeling). Quests like Phillip's work because they're driven by values—the principles that give life meaning and purpose. Values aren't goals we can achieve and check off; they're ongoing ways of being that bring vitality to our lives. When action is guided by values, research shows it's vastly easier to accomplish feats that would seem impossible otherwise. Values can motivate and energize us even in the face of depression, grief, anxiety, addiction, hardship, and pain.

Chapter 5: Building Your Alliance: The Science of Social Support

Alex Goldman, a thirty-year-old public radio producer in New York City, suffered a terrible bicycle accident when he was knocked off his bike and run over by a car. He had multiple fractures in his leg that required two surgeries. After his second surgery, he spent six weeks on crutches and faced a long road to recovery. "I walk with a limp now, and every step is pretty painful," he said. "My leg swells up in the afternoons. I can't do any of the exercise I used to do, especially riding my bike." Alex turned to the SuperBetter method during this difficult time but was convinced that recruiting allies would be the toughest part. "There's nothing in the world I hate more than asking for help," he admitted. He reluctantly started with just two allies—his wife, Sarah, and his colleague PJ. He showed them his list of bad guys: "Stuff like not socializing, staying up really late but not getting anything done, junk food, generally things that kept me sedentary and lethargic and unhappy." Then he shared his power-ups: "Anything that would get me physically moving or interacting with other people." "To be quite honest, the process was hard for me," Alex said, "even though the game rules made it easier. But the flip side of it being really difficult was that it was also really nice to have people hold me accountable. The behavior I'd developed after the accident was just to sit around feeling sorry for myself. Having people trying to push me to behavior that would make me feel better was superhelpful." Once Alex saw the advantages of having allies, he expanded his circle of support. He recruited allies from online forums who sent him ideas for power-ups, bad guy strategies, and quests. They helped him decide on an epic win: getting back on his bicycle and riding one lap (three miles) around Brooklyn's Prospect Park. His favorite quest came from an ally who sent him a fifteen-dollar gift certificate to a bar near Prospect Park, with instructions to enjoy a beer—but only if he completed a lap of the park on foot first. By the time Alex attempted his epic win—a bike ride around Prospect Park—he had eleven allies show up to support him. "Even though I usually hate this kind of cheer 'em on, rah-rah type of attention," he said afterward, "it was very flattering and encouraging that a lot of my coworkers and friends came by to show their support." The ride was a success, and when interviewed three years later, Alex credited the experience not just with helping him recover physically but also with improving his emotional and mental health. The science behind social support is compelling. Every time you get support from someone—an encouraging word, a shared laugh, a hug, a satisfying conversation—your stress levels go down, your immune system is bolstered, and your heart literally gets stronger. A meta-review of 163 different studies found that increasing the number of positive social interactions you have each day extends your life expectancy as much as giving up a pack-a-day cigarette habit or reaching a healthy weight.

Chapter 6: Secret Identities: Becoming Your Heroic Self

Josué Cardona, thirty, adopted the secret identity "the Next Doctor" when he started playing SuperBetter while working toward his counseling license. The name was a reference to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, with its time-traveling hero known for saving civilizations while helping ordinary people. "I adopted the identity 'the Next Doctor' because I wanted to get my counseling license," Josué explained. "But it was also more than that. I relate greatly to the character of the Doctor. The name represented for me both the path toward completing my training and also taking on more of the heroic qualities of the character, including helping others, curiosity, love of learning, and integrity." Josué told me that adopting a fictional secret identity felt, surprisingly, like revealing his true self. "I saw the Next Doctor as an ideal self, what I wanted to become. But I also felt he was exactly me, just more. When I embraced the secret identity, it was like 'coming out of the closet' in a way about my own strengths. Taking on the identity took it to a new level." As the Next Doctor, Josué went on to earn his license as a mental health counselor and start his own private practice. His secret identity helped him cultivate the virtues he valued most, inspiring him to become a better counselor to others. "On the television series, the Doctor has seen a lot and knows a lot. He's traveled to every corner of the universe and through every moment in time. And yet he sees each person as something new and special. He is infinitely curious about them and admires them. Whenever I see the Doctor talk about how great each and every person he's ever met is, I remind myself that I want to make sure I make my clients feel the same way." The power of a secret identity comes from its ability to help us focus on what researchers call our signature character strengths—the heroic qualities that are core to who we are. Identifying and practicing these strengths daily has been shown to increase happiness, success, and resilience. One study found that individuals who made a list of their character strengths and then purposefully applied them to challenges were significantly more likely to achieve their goals. They were also happier and more satisfied with their lives. A secret identity also helps solve what scientists call the self-reflection paradox. When you're facing a tough challenge, it's natural to spend a lot of time thinking about it. But is this helpful or harmful? Paradoxically, it's both. Reflecting on negative experiences can lead to important insights and growth, but it can also entangle us in ruminations that make us feel worse. The key to beneficial self-reflection, according to researchers Ethan Kross and Özlem Ayduk, is self-distancing—thinking about your challenges as if they were happening to someone else. A secret identity makes this easier. When Josué asks himself, "What would the Next Doctor do?" he creates just enough mental distance to get a better perspective on his challenges and stresses.

Chapter 7: Epic Wins: Setting Goals That Transform

Meg, twenty-six, was working for a major corporation whose values did not reflect her own. "It was a really difficult time for me," she recalled. "I hated my job, and I saw little hope of anything in the future." When a coworker told her about an upcoming charity walk to help end hunger, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take a step in the right direction. Before the charity walk, Meg had only ever walked as far as six miles. "My goal was to get as far as possible before my legs simply gave up and detached themselves from my body," she said. "I figured on that happening at roughly Mile 10." She started the walk on a small team, but by Mile 12, her final remaining teammate decided to go home. "It was the most demoralizing moment of the entire day," she recalled. But she decided to keep walking—despite a calf cramp, a sore knee, and blisters forming on her feet. "By Mile 18, the aches in my body were breathtaking," she said. "I was sunburned and exhausted to the point of tears." She still can't say for sure what compelled her to keep going. Part of it was wanting to do as much as she could for a good cause. Part of it was a growing curiosity: Had she completely underestimated what she was capable of? Despite her pain and exhaustion, she eventually crossed the finish line onto the Boston Common. "I distinctly recall shrieking, through my tears, 'I did it! I walked twenty miles! I [effing] did it!!'" The next day at work, no one, including herself, seemed to believe that she had managed to make it. "That I was the one who went the distance, who didn't quit." Four months later, Meg reflected on the impact of this epic win: "Every ache in my body that day filled me with fiery joy. A twenty-mile walk? I did it because I could. And no one can take that away from me. Now when my old inadequacies rear their heads, I find myself hitting back rather than shrinking from my fears." This transformation is what researchers call positive reappraisal or benefit finding—being aware of good outcomes that can come even from stress, trauma, or a major life change. It's a powerful source of mental, emotional, social, and physical resilience that lowers stress hormones, improves mood, leads to greater relationship satisfaction, and boosts immune function. Epic wins like Meg's are designed to facilitate this kind of growth. Unlike ordinary self-improvement goals, they're realistic, challenging, energizing, and forgiving. They're realistic because you have reason to believe you'll succeed if you make your best effort. They're challenging because they require you to learn new skills or draw on strengths like creativity and grit. They're energizing because just thinking about them fires you up. And they're forgiving because if you don't succeed on your first try, all is not lost—you'll learn strategies for doing better next time.

Summary

At its heart, this journey through resilience and growth reveals a profound truth: the way we approach our challenges matters more than the challenges themselves. Jane McGonigal's personal story of transforming her concussion recovery into a game called "Jane the Concussion Slayer" illustrates how reframing adversity can literally rewire our brains, shifting us from victims to heroes on a meaningful quest. This shift isn't merely psychological comfort—it's a scientifically validated approach that creates measurable changes in our mental, emotional, physical, and social resilience. Throughout these chapters, we've seen ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things by applying gameful thinking to their most difficult circumstances. From Phillip using daily photography quests to fight cancer with creativity, to Meg discovering untapped strength in a twenty-mile charity walk, to Alex building a supportive alliance that helped him get back on his bicycle after a devastating accident. Each story demonstrates that resilience isn't something we're born with or without—it's a set of skills we can develop through practice. By collecting power-ups that reliably make us feel better, battling bad guys that block our progress, completing quests aligned with our values, recruiting allies who support our journey, adopting a heroic identity, and going for epic wins that stretch our limits, we transform how we experience life's inevitable challenges. We become not just survivors but heroes of our own stories, capable of turning obstacles into opportunities for growth and discovery.

About Author

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Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal (born October 21, 1977) is an American game designer and author who advocates the use of mobile and digital technology to channel positive attitudes and collaboration in a real world context.

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