SECRET-KEEPING IS HARD

(May, 2017) For the first time, researchers have looked at how secret-keeping impacts your overall health. Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the study found:
– The average person keeps 13 significant secrets, and it is typical for five of those to never be disclosed to anybody else.
– Some common secrets would be infidelity, sexual orientation, theft, poor professional performance, drug taking, and undergoing an abortion.
– The most common secret for people to keep is having sexual thoughts about somebody who isn’t their partner, followed by actually having sexual relations with that person.
Researchers have discovered that thinking about your secrets – which often concern unresolved issues – can encourage chronic surges of stress hormones such as cortisol, which lead to everything from stomach/bowel problems and high blood pressure to a weak immune system, memory loss, problems sleeping and the disruption of one’s metabolism. Spiking cortisol levels can also be linked to osteoporosis and loss of collagen in the skin, which causes wrinkles. The best thing to do? Confide in a counselor or therapist. Failing that, writing your secrets down over a period of several days (then throwing them away) has been shown to dramatically reduce stress hormone levels and blood pressure.
* PHONE TOPIC: Or … you could call us right now and tell the world on the radio! What’s your Big Secret?
* If the average person tells 8 of their 13 secrets, we’re all in for a lot of trouble.
* Especially if infidelity is Secret #1.
* Write your secrets down? What if your secret is you don’t know how to write?
* If keeping secrets causes wrinkles, my grandma has some ‘splaining to do.
* The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests you to spend money on a counselor or therapist? What are the odds?