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FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2023 (HealthDay Information) — Excellent news is enjoyable to share, however you get extra of a cost from it in case you hold it underneath your hat for some time, a brand new examine says.
Conserving excellent news a secret for a bit earlier than telling another person seems to make folks really feel extra energized and alive, based on findings printed Nov. 13 within the Journal of Persona and Social Psychology.
The analysis offers a constructive spin on secrecy, which to this point has solely been researched within the context of hiding dangerous information, stated lead researcher Michael Slepian, an affiliate professor of enterprise at Columbia College in New York Metropolis.
“Is secrecy inherently dangerous for our well-being, or do the unfavourable results of secrecy are likely to stem from protecting unfavourable secrets and techniques?” Slepian stated in an American Psychological Affiliation information launch. “Whereas unfavourable secrets and techniques are way more widespread than constructive secrets and techniques, a few of life’s most joyful events start as secrets and techniques, together with secret marriage proposals, pregnancies, shock items and thrilling information.”
In all, 3 in 4 folks say the very first thing they’d do upon studying excellent news is share it with somebody, based on a survey of 500 folks performed previous to the examine.
However 5 experiments with greater than 2,500 individuals point out that protecting a constructive secret might have psychological well being advantages.
In a single experiment, individuals have been proven a listing of practically 40 widespread kinds of excellent news. These included saving up cash, shopping for a present for oneself or lowering a debt.
The individuals then indicated which of these items of fine information utilized to their lives. Additionally they have been requested which they’d stored secret.
On common, folks had 14 to fifteen items of fine information, and have been protecting 5 to 6 of these secret.
Individuals who mirrored on their constructive secrets and techniques stated they felt extra energized than those that considered excellent news that wasn’t secret, researchers discovered.
Individuals who reported that they supposed to share their information with others additionally felt extra energized, whether or not the information was secret or not.
“Optimistic secrets and techniques that folks select to maintain ought to make them really feel good, and constructive emotion is a identified predictor of feeling energized,” Slepian stated.
However 4 follow-up research revealed that constructive secrets and techniques make folks really feel energized for one more purpose.
One experiment requested individuals to pick out a chunk of stories that was most probably to occur to them within the close to future, from the listing of widespread kinds of excellent news.
One group then imagined that they stored the excellent news secret till they informed their companion later that day, whereas one other group imagined that they have been at present unable to achieve their companion and so weren’t in a position to inform them till later within the day.
Individuals who imagined wanting to carry the knowledge again to make the revelation shocking reported feeling extra energized than those that have been merely unable to disclose the knowledge, researchers discovered.
In one other experiment, individuals recalled a present constructive secret, unfavourable secret and impartial secret.
Investigating motives, researchers discovered that folks hold constructive secrets and techniques for inner or private causes, relatively than as a result of they felt pressured by outdoors pressures to maintain the knowledge secret.
Optimistic secrets and techniques made folks really feel enlivened once they might select to maintain the knowledge secret, Slepian stated. Alternatively, unfavourable or embarrassing secrets and techniques are sometimes ruled by exterior pressures or fears.
“Folks will typically hold constructive secrets and techniques for their very own enjoyment, or to make a shock extra thrilling. Moderately than based mostly in exterior pressures, constructive secrets and techniques are extra typically chosen as a consequence of private needs and inner motives,” Slepian stated. “After we really feel that our actions come up from our personal needs relatively than exterior pressures, we additionally really feel able to tackle no matter lies forward.”
The analysis workforce additionally discovered that protecting excellent news a secret could make folks really feel energized and alive, no matter whether or not they intend to share that info later with somebody or not.
“Folks typically go to nice lengths to orchestrate revealing a constructive secret to make it all of the extra thrilling. This sort of shock will be intensely pleasurable, however shock is essentially the most fleeting of our feelings,” Slepian stated. “Having additional time – days, weeks and even longer – to think about the joyful shock on one other individual’s face permits us extra time with this thrilling second, even when solely in our personal minds.”
Extra info
The American Psychological Affiliation has extra concerning the psychology of secrets and techniques.
SOURCE: American Psychological Affiliation, information launch, Nov. 13, 2023
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