Social media is filled with over-sharers, but expressing at least some of your thoughts plays an important role in emotional and psychological health.
MONTREAL (PRWEB) August 20, 2022
Twitter users eviscerated psychologist and author Jordan Peterson when he tweeted his distaste for Sports Illustrateds use of a plus-size model for their cover. A male firefighter from Toronto, upset with a proposal to hire more female firefighters, posted a tweet about women having many defects, including their weak arms. In a world where people often feel the need to voice their unabashed opinion even when its not solicited, its hard to imagine that there could be many benefits to wanton self-disclosure. Yet, a recent study from PsychTests.com reveals that people who openly share at least some of their thoughts are happier, more confident, and are more emotionally healthy than those who dont.
Analyzing data from 3,781 people who took the Big Five Personality Test, PsychTests researchers compared the personality, attitude, and behaviors of people who candidly share their thoughts (Uninhibited sharers), those who share some of their thoughts (Partial sharers), and those who keep their thoughts to themselves (Non-sharers). Heres what PsychTests study revealed:
NON-SHARERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STRUGGLE WITH UNPLEASANT EMOTIONS
NON-SHARERS ARE MORE LIKELY TO STRUGGLE WITH CONFIDENCE ISSUES
IN CONTRAST, UNINHIBITED SHARERS:
We certainly dont recommend sharing your innermost thoughts without any filters, but we are strong proponents of self-disclosure. Keeping things to yourself, especially your worries or frustrations, becomes emotionally and psychologically overwhelming, explains Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests. This is why a lot of the Non-sharers also happened to struggle with mental health issues - if you dont vent, all that unpleasantness remains simmering inside, leading to problems with depression, anxiety, and stress as well as relationship issues.
Of course, its not surprising that many people find it hard to self-disclose, continues Dr. Jerabek. It requires a willingness to be vulnerable and the ability to accept the potential for backlash, anger, mockery, and even betrayal. Imagine sharing something personal only to have it used against youit can be traumatizing. In fact, 48% of Non-sharers have trust issues, likely stemming from regretful instances where their divulgences were used to hurt them. That being said, it is clear from our study that the price of keeping everything to yourself can be quite costly as well. And although 39% of Uninhibited sharers admitted that their tell-all approach to life has offended people, they still tend to be better off emotionally and psychologically. This doesnt mean you need to share every thought that pops into your head, but some self-disclosure is healthy, for yourself and your relationships.
Want to assess your personality? Check out the Big Five Personality Test at https://testyourself.psychtests.com/testid/4059
Professional users, such as HR managers, coaches, and therapists, can request a free demo for this or other assessments from ARCH Profiles extensive battery: http://hrtests.archprofile.com/testdrive_gen_1
To learn more about psychological testing, download this free eBook: http://hrtests.archprofile.com/personality-tests-in-hr
About PsychTests AIM Inc.PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists and coaches, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com).
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Penny for your thoughts - New study looks at the many downsides of a lack of self-disclosure - PR Web