Could worrying actually be good for you?

You would be hard pressed to find someone what hasn’t heard the phrase “you’re worrying yourself to death.” However, new research has shown that a little bit of worry might actually be good for your mental and physical health.

The University of California psychology professor Kate Sweeny has released a new paper in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass entitled “The Surprising Upsides of Worry”. In the study, Professor Sweeny has stated that worry actually has a great place in our wellbeing as a motivator and emotional buffer.

An example given in the study is that the “worry” of a car accident, or a fine from the police, makes you put your seatbelt on.  It’s a prime example of how a bit of worry can actually make you take proactive actions for your health.  It’s this same type of worry that makes you seek advice from your doctor or other experts when it comes to your health or lifestyle. If you didn’t worry about that small crack in your wall, you might not have found the much bigger damage that needed to be fixed behind the crack.

Professor Sweeny tells Science Daily, “Interestingly enough, there are examples of a more nuanced relationship between worry and preventive behaviour as well”.  She adds, “Women who reported moderate amounts of worry, compared to women reporting relatively low or high levels of worry, are more likely to get screened for cancer. It seems that both too much and too little worry can interfere with motivation, but the right amount of worry can motivate without paralysing.”

The professor also lays out three great ways worry helps you. Worry lets you know when you need to take action, it keeps bigger problems at the forefront of your mind so that you take action to relieve your worry, you use the facts behind your worry to make proactive decisions.

The study also shows that some worry works as an emotional buffer.  Professor Sweeny says, “If people’s feelings of worry over a future outcome are sufficiently intense and unpleasant, their emotional response to the outcome they ultimately experience will seem more pleasurable in comparison to their previous, worried state”. 

While Professor Sweeny is saying some worry is good for you, she wants to make one thing clear saying, “Extreme levels of worry are harmful to one’s health. I do not intend to advocate for excessive worrying. Instead, I hope to provide reassurance to the helpless worrier — planning and preventive action is not a bad thing”.  She adds, “Worrying the right amount is far better than not worrying at all.”

What do you think of the study?  Do you agree or does your worry go into the extreme levels?