Study: Election stress is coming to work with you
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The polls are open for the midterm election in Texas, and a new study finds that all your stress about the state of politics is coming to work with you.
Why it matters: The political news you read or watch outside the office affects how you perform and act at work — even when you're not talking about the latest polling around the water cooler, per research from Texas A&M University.
Zoom in: A team of researchers followed more than 300 full-time U.S. employees during the 2024 presidential primary season over nine consecutive weeks.
- They found that weeks with more political information perceived as negative were associated with higher anxiety and lower work engagement.
- The weeks in which political news was perceived as positive were associated with stronger engagement and more willingness to help co-workers.
What they're saying: "Political information is designed to capture attention and provoke emotional reactions," Ian Hughes, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences who led the research, said in a statement.
- "The challenge is that those reactions don't necessarily disappear once people close an app or turn off the TV."
How it works: The researchers asked the employees about the political content they consumed (news, social media posts, podcasts) and how often they encountered it.
- They also asked how engaged, anxious, hopeful and helpful they felt at work.
- The researchers didn't label political information as positive or negative, but went off of how the participants perceived it.
What's next: The study offers coping strategies for employers and employees, including:
- Offering workplace mental health resources and stress-management support.
- Taking breaks from media.
- Increasing employees' sense of agency and control, which may include time off for voting.
The bottom line: "An informed public is important, and our study isn't arguing otherwise," Hughes said. "The takeaway is simply that political information has emotional consequences."