People who are stressed can cope better with bad news, reveals study

A study has found that people who feel stressed and anxious can process and internalize bad news.

Written By: Aishwarya Vaidya | Published : August 8, 2018 10:20 AM IST

Stress is a part and parcel of life. Many factors like health, personal and professional problems can cause stress and one may get anxious too. If someone is already stressed we believe that the person will not be able to deal with the bad news and hence, we refrain from telling the person. But, the research, published in The Journal of Neuroscience will completely shock you! Read on to know more

The research revealed that those are generally stressed and anxious can be good at dealing with the bad news as if they are attuned to it. According to Dr Tali Short, UCL Experi, the study's co-author, people embrace the good and ignore the bad as they have an optimistic approach and the participants of the study felt exactly the same and they were calm. But, a different pattern emerged when they were stressed out. They were wary of the bad news given to them even though the news had nothing to do with the source the participants anxiety.

The study found that those who lead an optimistic life can only incorporate positive information. To stay happy, their attitude helps them as they get motivated to do so. But, they were not able to deal with the bad news.

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After completing the task the participants were asked to give a speech on a surprising topic in order to increase their stress while the other participants were asked to write an essay inside the Colorado lab. By physiological arousal and self-reported anxiety, the stress amongst the people who gave the speech was measured. Before being told about the real risk depending on their estimate, they were asked to estimate the risk of certain issues. Later, they were also asked to talk about the risks which they feel for themselves.

The research revealed that the participants who were relaxed were able to deal with the good news better. Even when being told the threatening event was more likely than they thought, the participants continued to underestimate some risks. And people who were stressed were easily able to cope with the bad news.

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