Axios Finish Line

December 12, 2023
Welcome back! Smart Brevity™ count: 403 words ... 1½ mins. Copy edited by Amy Stern.
1 big thing: Why we should keep secrets
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
If you're familiar with that giddy feeling you get when you're about to reveal some good news, or the joy of watching someone unwrap a present you know they'll love, you might be doing something right.
🔎 Zoom in: Keeping something secret — as long is it's positive — energizes us, according to a recent study in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Why it matters: The science of secrets has thus far focused on their negative effects, The New York Times reports.
- Studies show that holding onto secrets that are weighing us down — like lies or violations of trust — leads to stress, anxiety and depression.
- But good news kept to ourselves has the opposite effect.
💡 Between the lines: One reason keeping positive secrets stimulates us might be that holding onto something before sharing it with others makes us savor it, Michael Slepian, a Columbia professor and a lead author of the study, told the Times.
- "Positive events tend to sort of blend together. One way to sort of break out of that, and to leverage the positive experiences that we all have, is just to spend a little more time with them — thinking about them, reflecting on them and enjoying them."
The bottom line: Throw more surprise parties, give more little gifts and try keeping your happy news to yourself for a little bit longer — it's good for your spirit!
âš¾ Take me out to the ballgame!
In response to our newsletter about new adventures, Mark H. of Bethesda, Md., shared his adventure:
"For the fourth time (and the first since COVID), my 20-year-old son and I visited baseball parks over the summer. In 2019, we hit 10 parks in six states in 10 days in the Midwest."
- "This summer we hit 13 baseball parks in 13 days in six states over 3,900 miles in the Southeast. Ten were minor league parks, which normally are the most fun."
"Often the most important parts of the trip are what we do before or after the games.
- This summer we went to The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala., which is across the street from the park. We were so moved that we missed the first three innings of the game because it was difficult to leave."
- "Nothing beats traveling with your grown children for building bonds that will never break."
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