By Sarah Godfrey
Ever heard someone say you are stressing me out? Well, new research conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Technische Universität Dresden has found that the saying may be more true than you thought. The study showed that stress can be highly contagious. And you can catch stress not only by being around a stressed person but by watching them.
“The fact that we could actually measure this empathic stress in the form of a significant hormone release was astonishing,” said researcher Veronika Engert, The study found that observing stress can create stress. Even being around a stressed person no matter the relationship, can cause you to feel stressed in a physically quantifiable way. Engert continued, “Stress has an enormous contagion potential.”
The research focused on inducing stress in a group while being observed by others. Not surprisingly 95% of the people placed under direct stress showed signs of stress. The interesting results were produced by the 26% of observers who showed an increase in cortisol (the stress hormone) as a result of empathic stress. The observers’ stress increased when they were watching partners in a stressful situation (40%) and with strangers (10%). The results differed slightly between watching the stressful events through a one-way mirror (30%) versus watching the events unfold on video (24%).
“Even television programs depicting the suffering of other people can transmit that stress to viewers,” Engert said. The consequences of this study is significant in terms of the levels of our stress exposure, stress contagion and incidental stress.
Consider how much stress you view. In the workplace, watching the news, your selection of movies and of course playing Xbox and other gaming devices. Are we unwittingly raising our own stress levels without realising. What about helping a mate or a friend who wants to share their stress by talking with you?
Acknowledging that watching, listening and being exposed to people under stress can directly cause us to become stressed is important. In doing so we can instigate measures to reduce the contagion.
Here are some tips to contain exposure to stress in daily life.
Be more aware of what you are watching and allowing others to watch.
Make better decisions about exposing yourself to stressful events.
Limit your exposure to observing stress (news, movies, reality TV, gaming devices).
In the workplace monitor the stress levels you are under. Be aware your own stress could be directly effecting those around you.
Monitor and record your stress to gain a better understanding of what, when and who elevates your stress levels and then seek support to reduce these triggers.
If your environment is full of stressful people implement strategies such as meditation, yoga and professional debriefing to reduce your contagion stress levels.
Create supportive but clear boundaries with friends about listening to their stress and be aware of the impact of your own stress upon them. If it doesn’t resolve seek professional advice.