It's worth noting that in the article, they too express some surprise at their results: > The most pressing issue that emerges is why these results run counter

It's worth noting that in the article, they too express some surprise at their results: > The most pressing issue that emerges is why these results run counter to the hundreds of more controlled, clinical intervention studies, which largely show positive effects of therapy not only on measures of distress and well-being, but also personality traits. In addition, the discussion section states: > Thus, whereas individuals reported seeing a therapist in our observational research, they may not have seen them long enough to induce positive change. Further, it could be that some people started therapy because of a traumatic life event and actually declined at a less rapid rate than if they had not sought therapy. As always, I think the answer is to wait and see. While they've noticed a correlation in two studies, it isn't that they've contradicted all of the prior evidence about therapy. Still, a neat read though.