Everyone has a rough day from time to time and most of us just put on a happy face, stuff our feelings down and trudge through the day until we can get home and drown our feelings in a glass of wine. But a new study shows that just letting yourself be in a bad mood can be better for you in the long run.
Researchers from the University of California Berkeley looked at the link between psychological health and accepting your emotions in 1,300 adults in three separate studies. And it turns out, folks who fought their negative emotions ended up feeling more stressed than those who just embraced feeling down.
"We found that people who habitually accept their negative emotions experience fewer negative emotions,” explains study senior author Iris Mauss, “which adds up to better psychological health."
At this point, researchers can only speculate on why accepting your lousy mood can help it. But Mauss says maybe if you have an accepting attitude about negative feelings, you’re not giving them as much attention, and if you’re always judging your emotions, that negativity adds up. So take the good with the bad and feel all the feels. And if you want wine or chocolate to help you deal, have them – it’s all for your health.
Source: Whimn