We talked to dozens of people about their experience of grief. Here's what we learned (and how it's different from what you might think).

Grief is often seen as a time-bound process of adjusting to loss and moving on, but our research shows that it can be much more complex and long-lasting. We interviewed 95 people about their experiences of grief and found that it can begin before the death of a loved one, often when they receive a terminal diagnosis. Grief can also be cumulative, with the gradual deterioration of a loved one's health causing additional losses. Remembering the dead and maintaining a connection with them can be an important aspect of grieving, but societal pressure to quickly recover can be harmful. Rushing through grief may limit emotional lives and the ability to fully process loss. [Extracted from the article]