Author: ‘Daily stressors – specifically the small and small inconveniences that we have throughout the day – even those that have long-lasting impacts on mortality.’
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Does a discussion in the office on Monday still bother you on Friday? Daily stressors affect people from all directions and some negative situations are simply unavoidable. However, researchers at Oregon State University say that the way you deal with these daily conflicts can seriously affect your health. The study found that when people solve their problems immediately, the emotional consequences of the discussion are almost completely erased.
The study authors add that the reduction of chronic stress plays an important role in improving overall health. This is critical to avoid mental health disorders and reduce physical illness due to stress.
“Everyone experiences stress in their daily lives. You will not prevent stressful things from happening. But the extent to which you can tie them up, shut them down and resolve them will definitely pay dividends in terms of your well-being, ”said senior author Robert Stawski in a university statement.
Previous studies have found how chronic stress can impact human health. Emotional tension can lead to problems like depression and anxiety or physical problems, including heart disease and gastrointestinal problems. Stress can even damage the immune system and cause reproductive dysfunction. While many may consider the main stressors, such as money or crime, the main culprits, the team says that even small problems can have important consequences.
“Daily stressors – specifically the small inconveniences we have throughout the day – even those that have lasting impacts on mortality and things like inflammation and cognitive function,” explains OSU lead author and PhD student, Dakota Witzel.
Unresolved arguments can leave negative ‘waste’ behind
Stawski and Witzel examined the data collected by the National Study of Daily Experiences during their study. The survey interviewed more than 2,000 people who reported their feelings and emotional experiences for eight consecutive days.
The OSU team focused on each person’s arguments and avoided discussions during that time. The researchers define the avoided arguments as instances in which the participants could have argued with someone, but chose to let the subject go. Stawski and Witzel then measured how a person’s negative and positive emotions changed after these incidents; examine changes on the day of the discussion and the day after.
When stressors affect someone emotionally, scientists refer to immediate increases in negative emotions or decreases in positive emotions as reactivity. The prolonged emotional rush of these events is called residue. Using these measures, the team assessed the negative and positive affection the arguments of each participant – or the degree to which someone feels these emotions on a given day.
The results reveal in the days of an avoided discussion or discussion, resolving the conflict immediately improves emotional well-being greatly. Participants who solved their problems reported about half of the emotional reactivity of those who let the problem persist.
The day after these incidents, the results show an even greater difference. People who think they resolved their stress the day before did not show an increase in negative affect the next day.
Are older adults better at getting rid of stress?
Researchers also found that age can play a role in how we deal with stressful situations. Adults aged 68 and over were more than 40% more likely to resolve their conflicts successfully than those under 45. However, the emotional effect of resolving arguments remained the same, regardless of the person’s age.
The OSU team suspects that there are some reasons why older people seem to be better at resolving stress. On the one hand, older people can be motivated to leave emotional problems behind because they have fewer years to live. Stawski and Witzel also believe that older adults are likely to have more experience in dealing with arguments and stress.
“If older adults are really motivated to maximize their emotional well-being, they will do a better job, or at least a faster job, to resolve stressors in a more timely manner,” adds Stawski, associate professor at the Faculty of Health Public and Human Sciences.
Although some daily stressors are uncontrollable, the researchers note that the lack of control itself is an emotional stressor. The more people work on their responses to certain situations, the better for their health can become.
“Some people are more reactive than others,” concludes Stawski. “Resolving your arguments is very important for maintaining well-being in daily life.”
The study appears in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B.