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Greg Sullivan
February 12, 2026

"If you feel imposter syndrome, that's great," says Dr. Arthur C. Brooks. "That means all kinds of good things about you."

Have you ever created something, or been asked to give a presentation, or gotten an opportunity at work and felt like you weren't good enough for it? Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'm not as capable as they think I am," and had a deep fear that you were going to be outed as a fraud (despite the fact that you do actually have at least some level of skill and competence)?

Chances are, you have. This wave of self-doubt and fear is called "imposter syndrome," and it's quite common. Not only that, but as much as the feeling sucks, it's actually not a bad thing, according to Harvard behavioral social scientist Arthur C. Brooks.

As a specialist in happiness and author of The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, Brooks says he works a lot with "strivers" in his research, people who are ambitious and want to do great things with their lives.

Funny, clever, and profound in a way only Van Der Beek could pull off.

James Van Der Beek, best known for his roles in Dawson's Creek and Varsity Blues, has died at the age of 48 after a journey with stage 3 colorectal cancer.

Since November of 2024, the actor has been open about some of the struggles he’s faced with the diagnosis, including having to sell off much of his iconic memorabilia to pay off his cancer treatment.

And yet, Van Der Beek still left the world on perhaps a grounded, somewhat hopeful note, as indicated by the undeniably profound message he made in an Instagram video, posted a mere few weeks before his death.

JOY. JOY. JOY.

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There was one feature of the landscape that he initially said was "too beautiful for me to dare paint."

Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night is widely considered one of the most renowned paintings of all time, often uttered in the same breath as The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as Edvard Munch's The Scream, among many others.

It has been discussed at length in both art history and pop culture, yet there are still plenty of mysteries for the casual fan to uncover about this incredible work of art.

The Starry Night was painted while van Gogh was voluntarily staying at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. He checked himself in shortly after cutting off part of his own ear in late 1888 and famously painting his iconic Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. He continued to experience mental health challenges after the incident and sought help in May 1889.