Have you ever kept a secret? If so, did you feel pressured at some point to reveal these secrets? Could keeping just one secret affect your health? This was the focus of a recent study on how keeping a secret affects your health. According to the study, it is not just the number or of secrets that affect your well-being but how much time you spend thinking about them too.
The study was published in May, 2017 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The researchers looked at 13,000 secrets across 10 different studies.
The authors observed that it is the intention to hide something that makes it a secret. This means that even if you don’t actually have to hide it from someone, you may still be keeping a secret. According to a statement …show more content…
Why? This is because keeping a secret is a goal that can be extremely difficult to accomplish. Yes, no one knows your secret today, but what about tomorrow? You may meet individuals or be part of conversations where you have to conceal the secret again. That uncertainty about what the outcome of keeping a secret generates anxiety and stress. For health care providers it may even increase the risk of burnout.
Unfortunately, trying to supress secrets sometimes make it worse because it keeps popping up when we least expect.
Therefor before you keep a secret, do well to ask:
Is it about something really serious, illegal or immoral?
How long do I have to keep the secret?
Am I allowed to tell someone else e.g. your sibling or spouse?
Thinking of secrets of a negative nature e.g. criminal activities certainly affects the individual well-being. Many persons experience huge relief on confessing such acts. Apart from the negative nature of the secrets, this study also suggests that how often a person thinks about a secret matters too.
If keeping a secret affects you emotionally or physically, you may need to tactfully prevent others from sharing their secrets with you. Furthermore, if you find yourself thinking too often about a secret, it suggests there may be a need re-evaluate if it is worth keeping at all- before it takes a toll on your
The study was published in May, 2017 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The researchers looked at 13,000 secrets across 10 different studies.
The authors observed that it is the intention to hide something that makes it a secret. This means that even if you don’t actually have to hide it from someone, you may still be keeping a secret. According to a statement …show more content…
Why? This is because keeping a secret is a goal that can be extremely difficult to accomplish. Yes, no one knows your secret today, but what about tomorrow? You may meet individuals or be part of conversations where you have to conceal the secret again. That uncertainty about what the outcome of keeping a secret generates anxiety and stress. For health care providers it may even increase the risk of burnout.
Unfortunately, trying to supress secrets sometimes make it worse because it keeps popping up when we least expect.
Therefor before you keep a secret, do well to ask:
Is it about something really serious, illegal or immoral?
How long do I have to keep the secret?
Am I allowed to tell someone else e.g. your sibling or spouse?
Thinking of secrets of a negative nature e.g. criminal activities certainly affects the individual well-being. Many persons experience huge relief on confessing such acts. Apart from the negative nature of the secrets, this study also suggests that how often a person thinks about a secret matters too.
If keeping a secret affects you emotionally or physically, you may need to tactfully prevent others from sharing their secrets with you. Furthermore, if you find yourself thinking too often about a secret, it suggests there may be a need re-evaluate if it is worth keeping at all- before it takes a toll on your