Secrets and emotions can be a difficult concept to cope with, and everyone deals with problems they cannot keep to themselves. Sometimes, we need to open up to people to feel better or to relieve a weight from our chest. Secrets can change an entire situation from good to bad, or vice versa. But regardless of the situation someone is in, the truth is always the way to go. Because the longer emotions are pent up, the longer it will take for them to be resolved, whether that is a secret about a breakup, or a plot to rob a bank.
Here is a scenario of two friends named Sam and Tom: They are hanging out and Sam gets invited to a party by some other friends that Tom despises. Sam can either let Tom know he was invited to the party, or keep it to himself. He chooses the latter but feels guilty whenever he sees Tom. He is emotionally conflicted by carrying this secret alone. What many do not know about secrets and pent up emotions is that they can affect your health and well being.
Anita Kelly, a professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, spent 10 weeks researching how people were affected by keeping secrets. She had two groups—one made up of liars, and one made up of truth-tellers. Kelly would have sessions with her groups and talk with them and undergo a series of activities that would either help or hinder their “performance.” She noticed that the liars had developed an increasing amount of stress and anxiety, unlike the truth-tellers who were in perfect condition.
The person who kept their little secret from their friend will involuntarily stress themselves out. That is because people’s natural instincts is to prevent the risk of harm onto the body, and surprisingly, secrets are one of them. This is because parts of the brain brain fight over where the secrets go, thus producing an abundant amount of stress hormones which lead to stress and anxiety.
However, all the technical information aside, keeping secrets can be a pain in the rear end. So letting it out loose and free is somewhat therapeutic and relieving because the situation will not get worse since it has already been said. Not unless the secret harms someone else. But regardless of what the secret is, people will find that telling the truth and opening up can save the day.