我們或多或少都經(jīng)歷過(guò)工作壓力,有時(shí)與同事分享自己面臨的壓力,可以減輕你肩上的重?fù)?dān)。但如果你一味地吹噓自己承擔(dān)的壓力,把壓力當(dāng)作榮譽(yù)勛章,你的同事可能會(huì)認(rèn)為你不僅不討人喜歡,而且還不稱職。
這是佐治亞大學(xué)特里商學(xué)院(University of Georgia Terry College of Business)一項(xiàng)最新研究的結(jié)論。此外,根據(jù)三月份發(fā)表在《人事心理學(xué)》(Personnel Psychology)雜志上的研究,所謂的“壓力吹噓”會(huì)加劇同事的職業(yè)倦怠。
這項(xiàng)研究的主要作者杰西卡·羅德?tīng)柌┦吭谙嚓P(guān)新聞稿中表示:“我們都見(jiàn)過(guò)這種行為,我們有時(shí)候可能也會(huì)犯這樣的錯(cuò)誤。我很好奇人們?yōu)槭裁磿?huì)這樣做,我想也許我們談?wù)撟约旱膲毫κ且驗(yàn)槲覀兿胱C明自己足夠優(yōu)秀。但我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這往往適得其反。”
壓力有多種形式,這項(xiàng)研究特別將其視為 “當(dāng)一個(gè)人感到自己的要求超過(guò)了自己的能力時(shí)的心理狀態(tài)”。這是一個(gè)大問(wèn)題。美國(guó)心理學(xué)會(huì)(American Psychological Association)的“2023年美國(guó)工作調(diào)查”顯示,77%的受訪者在過(guò)去一個(gè)月中經(jīng)歷過(guò)與工作有關(guān)的壓力。57%的受訪者因此產(chǎn)生了一系列負(fù)面影響,包括情緒耗竭(31%)、工作效率下降(20%)和感覺(jué)自己效率低下(18%)等。
根據(jù)Research and Markets的分析,到2025年,全球職場(chǎng)壓力管理市場(chǎng)的規(guī)模預(yù)計(jì)將達(dá)到113億美元。但由于羅德?tīng)柡退膱F(tuán)隊(duì)認(rèn)為以往的研究主要集中在職場(chǎng)壓力對(duì)個(gè)人的影響,因此他們?cè)噲D評(píng)估職場(chǎng)壓力對(duì)他人的影響,以及他人會(huì)如何解讀。
員工不愿意幫助吹噓壓力的同事
在研究的第一部分,360名參與者被要求對(duì)一位假想的同事進(jìn)行評(píng)價(jià),這位同事剛剛開(kāi)完會(huì),在這次會(huì)議上,他被評(píng)為上一年度的最佳績(jī)效員工之一。在這一情景中,假想同事被問(wèn)及會(huì)議進(jìn)行得如何。研究參與者被隨機(jī)分配到四種回答中的一種:
? 壓力吹噓組。 “嘿!很好。只是我又多了一份差事。而且我已經(jīng)壓力山大了......你根本不知道我的壓力有多大。”
? 對(duì)照組。 “嘿!很好。又開(kāi)完了一次會(huì)。但我也很高興能回來(lái)。我聽(tīng)說(shuō)明年的會(huì)議可能會(huì)在費(fèi)城舉行......那一定很酷。”
? 替代對(duì)照組:談?wù)搲毫Α?“嘿!很好。只是我又多了一份差事。我想我壓力太大了。最近的事情給我?guī)?lái)了很大壓力。”
? 替代對(duì)照組:自我推銷。 “嘿!很好。這個(gè)獎(jiǎng)確實(shí)體現(xiàn)了我的成就。我充分準(zhǔn)備材料,經(jīng)常成功地完成工作”。
將壓力吹噓組與對(duì)照組進(jìn)行比較后,研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),壓力吹噓組會(huì)對(duì)同事對(duì)其熱情和能力的看法產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。此外,參與者在工作中幫助愛(ài)吹噓壓力的同事的可能性更低。
羅德?tīng)柋硎荆骸叭藗円詾檫@樣做能讓他們?cè)谕旅媲翱雌饋?lái)更優(yōu)秀,但實(shí)際上會(huì)傷害自己。”
在替代對(duì)照組中,吹噓壓力的員工被認(rèn)為,與甚少討論壓力的同事相比不討人喜歡。他們感知的能力上的差異在統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)上并不顯著。吹噓壓力的員工也被認(rèn)為不如自我推銷的員工稱職。但吹噓壓力的人比自我推銷者更討人喜歡。
吹噓壓力會(huì)對(duì)同事產(chǎn)生“螺旋式傳染效應(yīng)”
研究的另一部分要求218人評(píng)估他們?cè)诂F(xiàn)實(shí)生活中與工作壓力吹噓者打交道的經(jīng)歷,以及這對(duì)他們自身心理健康的影響。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),吹噓壓力與聽(tīng)到這種吹噓的同事壓力增大并產(chǎn)生職業(yè)倦怠之間存在相關(guān)性。羅德?tīng)栒f(shuō),這些結(jié)果很難說(shuō)是良性的,而且會(huì)對(duì)工作環(huán)境產(chǎn)生更大的影響。
她說(shuō)道:“當(dāng)有人不斷談?wù)摵痛祰u自己承受的壓力時(shí),會(huì)讓人覺(jué)得有壓力是件好事。這只會(huì)影響到周圍的同事。同事們最終會(huì)感覺(jué)壓力更大,倦怠感加劇或者離職。可以把它想象成從一個(gè)人到另一個(gè)人的螺旋式傳染效應(yīng)。”
對(duì)于某些人來(lái)說(shuō),吹噓壓力可能是一種善意的發(fā)泄方式。羅德?tīng)柋硎荆骸叭绻阏娴酶械綁毫艽螅梢詫ふ液线m的傾訴對(duì)象,與之分享和傾訴。”
然而,長(zhǎng)期壓力會(huì)導(dǎo)致從心臟病到失眠等各種生理和心理問(wèn)題。Aircare Health公司聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼CEO賈克琳·溫萊特上周在加利福尼亞州達(dá)納岬舉行的《財(cái)富》健康頭腦風(fēng)暴大會(huì)小組討論中表示,在工作場(chǎng)所建立社區(qū)意識(shí)有助于識(shí)別同事是否陷入困境。
溫萊特表示:“患有心理健康問(wèn)題、診斷和疾病的人,往往無(wú)法主動(dòng)尋求幫助。他們需要身邊有一群人能理解他們的問(wèn)題,以發(fā)現(xiàn)他們正在面臨困境。當(dāng)然,他們不可能在真空中做到這一點(diǎn)。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
我們或多或少都經(jīng)歷過(guò)工作壓力,有時(shí)與同事分享自己面臨的壓力,可以減輕你肩上的重?fù)?dān)。但如果你一味地吹噓自己承擔(dān)的壓力,把壓力當(dāng)作榮譽(yù)勛章,你的同事可能會(huì)認(rèn)為你不僅不討人喜歡,而且還不稱職。
這是佐治亞大學(xué)特里商學(xué)院(University of Georgia Terry College of Business)一項(xiàng)最新研究的結(jié)論。此外,根據(jù)三月份發(fā)表在《人事心理學(xué)》(Personnel Psychology)雜志上的研究,所謂的“壓力吹噓”會(huì)加劇同事的職業(yè)倦怠。
這項(xiàng)研究的主要作者杰西卡·羅德?tīng)柌┦吭谙嚓P(guān)新聞稿中表示:“我們都見(jiàn)過(guò)這種行為,我們有時(shí)候可能也會(huì)犯這樣的錯(cuò)誤。我很好奇人們?yōu)槭裁磿?huì)這樣做,我想也許我們談?wù)撟约旱膲毫κ且驗(yàn)槲覀兿胱C明自己足夠優(yōu)秀。但我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這往往適得其反。”
壓力有多種形式,這項(xiàng)研究特別將其視為 “當(dāng)一個(gè)人感到自己的要求超過(guò)了自己的能力時(shí)的心理狀態(tài)”。這是一個(gè)大問(wèn)題。美國(guó)心理學(xué)會(huì)(American Psychological Association)的“2023年美國(guó)工作調(diào)查”顯示,77%的受訪者在過(guò)去一個(gè)月中經(jīng)歷過(guò)與工作有關(guān)的壓力。57%的受訪者因此產(chǎn)生了一系列負(fù)面影響,包括情緒耗竭(31%)、工作效率下降(20%)和感覺(jué)自己效率低下(18%)等。
根據(jù)Research and Markets的分析,到2025年,全球職場(chǎng)壓力管理市場(chǎng)的規(guī)模預(yù)計(jì)將達(dá)到113億美元。但由于羅德?tīng)柡退膱F(tuán)隊(duì)認(rèn)為以往的研究主要集中在職場(chǎng)壓力對(duì)個(gè)人的影響,因此他們?cè)噲D評(píng)估職場(chǎng)壓力對(duì)他人的影響,以及他人會(huì)如何解讀。
員工不愿意幫助吹噓壓力的同事
在研究的第一部分,360名參與者被要求對(duì)一位假想的同事進(jìn)行評(píng)價(jià),這位同事剛剛開(kāi)完會(huì),在這次會(huì)議上,他被評(píng)為上一年度的最佳績(jī)效員工之一。在這一情景中,假想同事被問(wèn)及會(huì)議進(jìn)行得如何。研究參與者被隨機(jī)分配到四種回答中的一種:
? 壓力吹噓組。 “嘿!很好。只是我又多了一份差事。而且我已經(jīng)壓力山大了......你根本不知道我的壓力有多大。”
? 對(duì)照組。 “嘿!很好。又開(kāi)完了一次會(huì)。但我也很高興能回來(lái)。我聽(tīng)說(shuō)明年的會(huì)議可能會(huì)在費(fèi)城舉行......那一定很酷。”
? 替代對(duì)照組:談?wù)搲毫Α?“嘿!很好。只是我又多了一份差事。我想我壓力太大了。最近的事情給我?guī)?lái)了很大壓力。”
? 替代對(duì)照組:自我推銷。 “嘿!很好。這個(gè)獎(jiǎng)確實(shí)體現(xiàn)了我的成就。我充分準(zhǔn)備材料,經(jīng)常成功地完成工作”。
將壓力吹噓組與對(duì)照組進(jìn)行比較后,研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),壓力吹噓組會(huì)對(duì)同事對(duì)其熱情和能力的看法產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。此外,參與者在工作中幫助愛(ài)吹噓壓力的同事的可能性更低。
羅德?tīng)柋硎荆骸叭藗円詾檫@樣做能讓他們?cè)谕旅媲翱雌饋?lái)更優(yōu)秀,但實(shí)際上會(huì)傷害自己。”
在替代對(duì)照組中,吹噓壓力的員工被認(rèn)為,與甚少討論壓力的同事相比不討人喜歡。他們感知的能力上的差異在統(tǒng)計(jì)學(xué)上并不顯著。吹噓壓力的員工也被認(rèn)為不如自我推銷的員工稱職。但吹噓壓力的人比自我推銷者更討人喜歡。
佐治亞大學(xué)特里商學(xué)院管理系教授杰西卡·羅德?tīng)柌┦勘硎荆骸爱?dāng)有人不斷談?wù)摵痛祰u自己承受的壓力時(shí),會(huì)讓人覺(jué)得有壓力是件好事。”
吹噓壓力會(huì)對(duì)同事產(chǎn)生“螺旋式傳染效應(yīng)”
研究的另一部分要求218人評(píng)估他們?cè)诂F(xiàn)實(shí)生活中與工作壓力吹噓者打交道的經(jīng)歷,以及這對(duì)他們自身心理健康的影響。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),吹噓壓力與聽(tīng)到這種吹噓的同事壓力增大并產(chǎn)生職業(yè)倦怠之間存在相關(guān)性。羅德?tīng)栒f(shuō),這些結(jié)果很難說(shuō)是良性的,而且會(huì)對(duì)工作環(huán)境產(chǎn)生更大的影響。
她說(shuō)道:“當(dāng)有人不斷談?wù)摵痛祰u自己承受的壓力時(shí),會(huì)讓人覺(jué)得有壓力是件好事。這只會(huì)影響到周圍的同事。同事們最終會(huì)感覺(jué)壓力更大,倦怠感加劇或者離職。可以把它想象成從一個(gè)人到另一個(gè)人的螺旋式傳染效應(yīng)。”
對(duì)于某些人來(lái)說(shuō),吹噓壓力可能是一種善意的發(fā)泄方式。羅德?tīng)柋硎荆骸叭绻阏娴酶械綁毫艽螅梢詫ふ液线m的傾訴對(duì)象,與之分享和傾訴。”
然而,長(zhǎng)期壓力會(huì)導(dǎo)致從心臟病到失眠等各種生理和心理問(wèn)題。Aircare Health公司聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人兼CEO賈克琳·溫萊特上周在加利福尼亞州達(dá)納岬舉行的《財(cái)富》健康頭腦風(fēng)暴大會(huì)小組討論中表示,在工作場(chǎng)所建立社區(qū)意識(shí)有助于識(shí)別同事是否陷入困境。
溫萊特表示:“患有心理健康問(wèn)題、診斷和疾病的人,往往無(wú)法主動(dòng)尋求幫助。他們需要身邊有一群人能理解他們的問(wèn)題,以發(fā)現(xiàn)他們正在面臨困境。當(dāng)然,他們不可能在真空中做到這一點(diǎn)。”(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
We’ve all experienced stress in the workplace at one time or another, and sometimes commiserating with your colleagues can lift some of that weight off your shoulders. But when you consistently boast about your burdens, wearing stress as a badge of honor, your coworkers may view you as not only less likable but also less competent.
That’s according to new research from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. In addition, so-called “stress bragging” can induce higher levels of burnout among coworkers on the receiving end of the boasting, per the study published in March in the journal Personnel Psychology.
“This is a behavior we’ve all seen, and we all might be guilty of at some point,” lead author Jessica Rodell, PhD, said in a news release about her research. “When I was wondering about why people do this, I thought maybe we are talking about our stress because we want to prove we’re good enough. We found out that often backfires.”
Stress comes in many forms; this study in particular examines it as “the psychological state when one feels that their demands exceed their capacity.” And it’s a major problem. The American Psychological Association’s 2023 Work in America Survey showed 77% of respondents experienced work-related stress in the past month. For 57%, this led to a range of negative impacts, from emotional exhaustion (31%) to lower productivity (20%) to feelings of being ineffective (18%).
By 2025, the market for global workplace stress management is expected to reach $11.3 billion, according to a Research and Markets analysis. But because Rodell and her team felt previous research focused on individual ramifications of workplace stress, they sought to assess how it affects and is interpreted by others.
Employees less inclined to help stress-bragging coworkers
In the first part of the study, 360 participants were asked to evaluate an imaginary coworker who had just returned from a conference at which they were recognized as one of the previous year’s top performers. In this scenario, the hypothetical coworker was asked how the conference went. Study participants were randomly assigned one of four responses:
? Stress bragging. “Hey! It was good. Just one more thing on my full plate. And I was already stressed to the max…you have no idea the stress that I am under.”
? Control. “Hey! It was good. It was just another conference. But I’m also glad to be back. I heard next year’s might be in Philly…that would be cool.”
? Alternative control: Talking about stress. “Hey! It was good. It was just one more thing on my plate. And I think I’m just stressed. Things have been quite stressful as of late.”
? Alternative control: Self-promotion. “Hey! It was good. This award really reflects my accomplishments. I prepare materials thoroughly and often succeed in bringing work assignments to a good end.”
When comparing the stress bragging group to the control group, researchers found perceived stress bragging negatively impacts people’s perceptions of their coworker’s warmth and competence. Furthermore, participants were less likely to say they’d help the stress-bragging colleague at work.
“People are harming themselves by doing this thing they think is going to make them look better to their colleagues,” Rodell said.
Concerning the alternative controls, employees who bragged about stress were viewed as less likable than those who merely discussed it. The difference between their perceived competency wasn’t statistically significant. Employees who bragged about stress were also seen as less competent than the self-promoters. However, the stress braggarts were viewed as more likable than the self-promoters.
“When somebody is constantly talking about and bragging about their stress, it makes it seem like it is a good thing to be stressed,” said Jessica Rodell, PhD, a professor in the Department of Management at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.
Stress bragging has ‘spiraling contagious effect’ on coworkers
Another part of the study asked 218 people to assess their real-life experience with workplace stress braggarts and the impact it had on their own mental health. The researchers found a correlation between stress bragging and heightened stress and burnout on the receiving coworker. These results are hardly benign, Rodell said, and can have larger implications for the work environment.
“When somebody is constantly talking about and bragging about their stress, it makes it seem like it is a good thing to be stressed,” she said. “It just spills over onto the coworker next to them. They wind up feeling more stressed, which leads to higher burnout or withdrawal from their work. Think of it as this spiraling contagious effect from one person to the next.”
For some, stress bragging may be a well-intentioned way to blow off steam. “If you genuinely feel stressed, it’s OK to find the right confidant to share with and talk about it,” Rodell said.
Chronic stress, however, can lead to physical and psychological problems, from heart disease to insomnia. Building a sense of community at your workplace can help identify when a colleague is struggling, Jaclyn Wainwright, cofounder and CEO of Aircare Health, said last week during a panel discussion at Fortune’s Brainstorm Health conference in Dana Point, Calif.
“People who are suffering from mental health problems, diagnoses, disorders, they often have an inability to raise their hand and ask for help,” Wainwright said. “They almost require a group of people around them to understand that they are not OK, to recognize that they are struggling. And they certainly can’t have that happen in a vacuum.”