Find a Sense of Wonderment to Ease the Stress of Waiting

As the song goes, “the waiting is the hardest part,” but researchers believe they have found one way to make waiting a little easier. In a study published recently in the Journal of Positive Psychology, researchers at the University of California-Riverside found that an induced sense of awe or wonder can make waiting for uncertain news a little less stressful. The researchers noted that waiting for news that is beyond your control, such as a medical test result or a response from the person selling the home you just made an offer on, can be much more stressful than waiting to land a new job, for example, because the job hunt is somewhat in your control. And while activities such as meditation or tasks that require your total focus can be helpful in keeping your mind from worrying about uncertain news, those options aren’t always right or effective for everyone. But in a study involving more than 700 people, researchers found that an activity that inspired wonder boosted positive emotions that can counteract the stress during these times. In the study, researchers showed three different videos to groups of people who were waiting results of IQ tests and feedback about how they were perceived by others in the study. One video showed a beautiful sunrise accompanied by inspiring music; another video showed cute animals and was meant to induce positive or happy feelings, but not awe; and the third video was meant to be neutral and explained how padlocks were made. The takeaway message is that if just a short, awe-inspiring video can ease the stress of waiting during difficult periods, then what other interventions might be helpful for people coping with similar or more anxious periods?

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