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Mental Health HomepageConditions LibraryConditions CategoryConditions CategoryWhat Is Second-Hand Anxiety?
Table of Contents:OverviewThe Science of Spreading StressHow to Stop Second-hand Anxiety
Anxiety DisorderRead Time: 5 Minutes
Published On: February 26, 2018
Reviewed On: February 26, 2018
Updated On: July 2, 2024
OverviewYour friend comes over after a bad day. Huffing and puffing, he brings it all to you:His boss was a jerk, he accidentally deleted his presentation, and spilled coffee on a new white shirt. Suddenly, you find yourself tense, even though you were having a relaxed day.What gives?There’s a name for the phenomenon of stress spreading: second-hand anxiety. Second-hand anxiety, or second-hand stress, is not a psychological diagnosis, illness, or disorder. It is, rather, a neurological phenomenon that refers to the way emotions spread.Understanding how second-hand anxiety works not only teaches us more about the social nature of emotions, but can also help us keep our cool when other people’s negative emotions overwhelm us.
Overview
Your friend comes over after a bad day. Huffing and puffing, he brings it all to you:His boss was a jerk, he accidentally deleted his presentation, and spilled coffee on a new white shirt. Suddenly, you find yourself tense, even though you were having a relaxed day.
What gives?
There’s a name for the phenomenon of stress spreading: second-hand anxiety. Second-hand anxiety, or second-hand stress, is not a psychological diagnosis, illness, or disorder. It is, rather, a neurological phenomenon that refers to the way emotions spread.
Understanding how second-hand anxiety works not only teaches us more about the social nature of emotions, but can also help us keep our cool when other people’s negative emotions overwhelm us.
The Science of Spreading StressHow does second-hand anxiety work? It’s all in the mirror neurons.Mirror neurons are cells in the brain that produce an empathetic response to the behaviors we witness around us. Ever sneezed because someone around you sneezed or felt pain watching someone else get injured either in-person or on film? Those are your mirror neurons at work!Mirror neurons fire when we see someone doing a particular action, like lifting their arm. Since they are also some of the same neurons responsible for performing that very action ourselves, we experience an empathetic response. Researchers argue that mirror neurons can helpexplain emotional empathy, too.In fact, several studies have found that emotion is communicated on the level of the body itself. One study found that people tend toecho the emotionsof gesturally expressive people around us.Another foundthat people experience an increase in cortisol levels, which indicate stress, even from seeing a stranger express stress on a video screen — and the effect increases significantly if the stressed out is a loved one.Yet another study foundthat even smelling the sweat of an anxious person can increase our stress levels.And while the occasional bad mood doesn’t mean much in the long-run, the effects of second-hand stress can be serious.In one study, for example, non-depressed pregnant women with depressed partners experienced more premature births than women whose partners did not have a mood disorder. Pretty crazy, huh?
The Science of Spreading Stress
How does second-hand anxiety work? It’s all in the mirror neurons.
Mirror neurons are cells in the brain that produce an empathetic response to the behaviors we witness around us. Ever sneezed because someone around you sneezed or felt pain watching someone else get injured either in-person or on film? Those are your mirror neurons at work!
Mirror neurons fire when we see someone doing a particular action, like lifting their arm. Since they are also some of the same neurons responsible for performing that very action ourselves, we experience an empathetic response. Researchers argue that mirror neurons can helpexplain emotional empathy, too.
In fact, several studies have found that emotion is communicated on the level of the body itself. One study found that people tend toecho the emotionsof gesturally expressive people around us.Another foundthat people experience an increase in cortisol levels, which indicate stress, even from seeing a stranger express stress on a video screen — and the effect increases significantly if the stressed out is a loved one.Yet another study foundthat even smelling the sweat of an anxious person can increase our stress levels.
And while the occasional bad mood doesn’t mean much in the long-run, the effects of second-hand stress can be serious.In one study, for example, non-depressed pregnant women with depressed partners experienced more premature births than women whose partners did not have a mood disorder. Pretty crazy, huh?
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How to Stop Second-hand Anxiety
Here’s the good news: If we can pick up anxiety from the environment, we can also receive (and transmit!) joy. Here’s how to support those around you without losing your own cool — and how spread more positive emotions.
Listen EmpathicallyWhen a loved one comes to youfeeling stressed, they’re looking for a listening ear and a space to feel understood. Actively remind yourself that the emotions they’re expressing aren’t about you — they’re about whatever situation is stressing your loved one out.
Set BoundariesWe want to be there for the people we care about, but the truth is that sometimes it’s better to disengage for a bit rather than engage only to have the negative emotions build and lead to conflict.
Leaving a stressful situation or suggesting that you talk more when you’ve both calmed down is responsible, not cold. In public or professional settings, you can actively choose not to engage with an anxious person to distance yourself from the stress. Or you can gently ask them what’s up and if the community can help collectively address the issue.
Reina GattusoReina Gattuso writes about food and agriculture, gender and sexuality, and mental health. Her writing has appeared in Time, The Washington Post, and Atlas Obscura, and her work on sexuality and consent has been cited in Duke Law Journal and other academic publications. She was a 2015-2016 Fulbright fellow in New Delhi, India.
Reina Gattuso writes about food and agriculture, gender and sexuality, and mental health. Her writing has appeared in Time, The Washington Post, and Atlas Obscura, and her work on sexuality and consent has been cited in Duke Law Journal and other academic publications. She was a 2015-2016 Fulbright fellow in New Delhi, India.
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