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4 months ago
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Going on and on about how stressed you are at work may help you get a load off your chest.
But if you often indulge in so-called 'stress bragging', your colleagues might think less of you for it, a new study suggests.
According to experts in the US, employees who complain about being stressed a lot are perceived as less competent and less likeable in the workplace.
These 'stress braggarts' may be trying to get sympathy or respect for being under a lot of pressure or having a heavy workload – but this tactic can backfire.
Although research suggests a little bit of stress can be good for you, high stress levels have been linked with mental health issues, high blood pressure, digestive problems and much more.
In the workplace, some people 'wear stress as a badge of honour' - but this can make them seem less likeable
What is stress bragging?
'Stress bragging' is the act of complaining about how stressed you are to your colleagues.
Psychologists consider it a mechanism for people to cope with high levels of stress and possibly get sympathy or respect.
The study by Rodell et al. found stress bragging has 'resoundingly negative implications for braggarts'.
In the workplace, they are evaluated as less competent and less warm by coworkers.
The new study was conducted by psychologists at University of Georgia's Terry College of Business and published in Personnel Psychology.
'This is a behavior we've all seen, and we all might be guilty of at some point,' said lead author Professor Jessica Rodell.
'When I was wondering about why people do this, I thought maybe we are talking about our stress because we want to prove we're good enough.
'We found out that often backfires.
"People are harming themselves by doing this thing they think is going to make them look better to their colleagues.'
Professor Rodell and colleagues conducted their study in two phases, starting with an initial survey of 360 participants who compared statements from imaginary co-workers who just returned from a conference.
In the survey, a hypothetical stress-bragging colleague described the conference as 'just one more thing on my full plate and I was already stressed to the max', adding 'you have no idea the stress that I am under'.
Participants rated that person as significantly less likable and less competent than someone who talked about how great the conference was, as well as someone who was stressed but less vocal about it.
The participants also said they would be less likely to help the complaining co-worker if they were overburdened at work.
Stress is commonly linked with emotional exhaustion and poor mental health both in and out of the workplace (file photo)
In the second part of the study, another 218 participants also judged real-life 'stress braggarts' as less competent and likeable.
But the experts also found colleagues of stress braggarts often had higher levels of personal stress and burnout too.
The team say stress spreads like a contagion from one person to the next when people are vocal about it.
'When somebody is constantly talking about and bragging about their stress, it makes it seem like it is a good thing to be stressed,' Professor Rodell said.
'It just spills over onto the co-worker next to them.
'They wind up feeling more stressed, which leads to higher burnout or withdrawal from their work.
'Think of it as this spiraling contagious effect from one person to the next.'
An important distinction in the findings was that the people who were perceived at stressed (but didn't brag about it) weren't judged badly.
'It's not the being stressed part that's a problem,' Professor Rodell added.
'We found that if I perceive you as stressed, I actually see you as more competent.'
The researchers say they've provide greater insight into the 'relational ramifications of this unconventional behaviour'.
University of Georgia researchers previously found a little bit of stress can be good for your brain – specifically, the working memory.
Humans have a sweet spot known as the 'hormetic zone' where stress can actually improve cognitive functioning - but if stress gets too high it can have a 'toxic' effect on our brain
The working memory is the mental 'notepad' that contains fleeting thoughts and is responsible for the temporarily holding and processing of information.
The 'potential neurocognitive benefits' caused by stress are less investigated than the detrimental effects, they reported at the time.
However, health experts generally warn that chronic stress leads to negative mental and physical effects, like anxiety, depression, digestive problems, high blood pressure, tiredness and more.
Stress: Definition and symptoms
Stress is the body's reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. It's very common, can be motivating to help us achieve things in our daily life, and can help us meet the demands of home, work and family life.
But too much stress can affect our mood, our body and our relationships – especially when it feels out of our control. It can make us feel anxious and irritable, and affect our self-esteem.
Experiencing a lot of stress over a long period of time can also lead to a feeling of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, often called burnout.
Stress can manifest itself in a huge variety of symptoms, but there are some basic signs. These symptoms can, broadly speaking, be divided into four different types:
1. Physical: Fatigue, headaches, migraines, insomnia, muscle aches/stiffness (especially neck, shoulders and low back), heart palpitations, chest pains, loss of libido, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal cramps, nausea, trembling, cold extremities, flushing or sweating and frequent colds.
2. Mental: Decrease in concentration and memory, indecisiveness, mind racing or going blank, confusion, no sense of humour.
3. Emotional: Anxiety, nervousness, depression, anger, frustration, worry, fear, irritability, impatience, short temper.
4. Behavioural: Pacing, fidgeting, nervous habits, increased eating, loss of appetite, increased reliance on props - smoking, drinking, drug taking; crying, yelling, swearing, blaming and even throwing things or hitting out.
However, just because you experience any of the above symptoms doesn't necessarily mean you are stressed. A certain level of pressure is a natural part of everyday life. The danger comes when things spiral out of control and this pressure turns into chronic stress - something which can damage both our physical and mental well-being.
If you suffer from stress at home, chances are your work will start to suffer, while if you are stressed at work, it will affect your home life. This creates a dangerous cycle of depression from which it can be almost impossible to escape.
Source: NHS
