September 30, 2019
Figure 1: The political divide has taken a significant toll on our health.
It is hard to avoid seeing politics everywhere.
Whether you’re a Democrat or you’re a Republican, chances are you are starting to get sick of our political divides and endless debates.
Every day, it seems like a new scandal appears that threatens our future.
Figure 2: Effects of Politics on Health. A new study shows that our political atmosphere has negatively impacted our health
A new study looks at the effects of politics on our health and our social fabric.
It finds that for a significant portion of the population, politics has a profoundly negative effect on our mental and physical health. About a quarter of people have experienced fatigue and symptoms of depression from political events.
Even though national politics rarely affects our everyday lives, watching it can affect our mental well-being.
Source: Friends, relatives, sanity, and health: The costs of politics
Figure 3: Effects of Politics on Society and Friendships. Politics has damaged our friendships and our social fabric. It has caused some of us to lose our friends and our collective cool.
It has also had a significant effect on our social fabric. As you can see in the results below, people have lost friendships and have sometimes lost their cool over politics.
It has in some ways started to rip us apart.
However, as you can see in the bars above, this doesn’t affect everybody. While most of us may watch politics and may feel a little down from it, most have not directly experienced negative health effects.
Figure 4: Risk Factors for Political Stress. Emotionally stable individuals have less political stress, while those who regularly discuss politics have more.
Researchers used statistical analysis to find risk factors for political stress.
They found that those who discuss politics the most are at the highest risk of also experiencing political stress, as are individuals who express an interest in politics.
Individuals with agreeable personalities as well as older individuals have a significantly lower risk of experiencing political stress.
Emotional stability has the strongest protective effect against political stress.
Figure 5: Tips for Dealing with Politics. Try taking a break from social media and exploring a new interest. Pursue emotional stability as a defense against stress.
If you are experiencing stress from politics, one of the best things you can do is to take a break from it. Turn off the news, get off of social media, and find a hobby.
While political involvement maybe good for our society, it can be detrimental to health for some based on the data in this study.
It may also be worth trying mindfulness or exploring stoicism. Emotional stability is one of our best tools for fighting political stress. Stay grounded and stay above the fray.
Source: Friends, relatives, sanity, and health: The costs of politics
