Stress can make us more likely to say something inappropriate – even things we’d like to keep to ourselves – according to new research from the University of Melbourne.
The researchers say arousal – the degree to which someone is awake and alert (not the other kind) – causes people to say things automatically rather than thinking them through before speaking.
“Ironically, the times when we’re most awake and alert are also the times when we have to be very careful about what we say – like job interviews, media engagements, important work meetings, or even romantic encounters,” Dr Brent Coker (pictured) from the University’s Faculty of Business and Economics says – so basically, all those times you don’t want to look like a dill.
He and his fellow researcher did several experiments to test this theory.
The first asked participants to write a dating profile – and found that “aroused” people revealed more embarrassing, intimate, and incriminating information about themselves than those who were relatively relaxed.
The second experiment – which looked online trolling behaviour and how likely people are to disclose when they said mean or malicious things online – also showed the more aroused people were the biggest trolls.
The third looked at physical exercise – with the same result.
So, what’s the secret to uh, keeping a secret?
Dr Coker says we need to adopt strategies to manage our stress daily, since it is linked to arousal.
“Consciously controlling your breathing and listening to chilled music are two strategies known to work. Then there are the more traditional strategies such as reducing how much coffee you drink, getting enough sleep, and eating well.”
I’ll be sure to test them out soon at the one place where you don’t want to say the wrong thing: the Christmas dinner table.
