Friday, August 03, 2018

Harvard study finds trigger warnings increase anxiety

Harvard study finds trigger warnings increase anxiety

  • A study conducted by three researchers at Harvard University finds that people actually experience more anxiety and "emotional vulnerability" when given "trigger warnings" prior to reading disturbing content.
  • The authors caution that further research is needed, however, saying they plan to conduct two additional studies to see whether they can replicate their findings.

A recently published study by three Harvard University researchers claims that trigger warnings “increase peoples' perceived emotional vulnerability” and “increase anxiety.”
The study, “Trigger warning: Empirical evidence ahead,” published last week in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, concludes that trigger warnings may not be beneficial.
"Trigger warnings may inadvertently undermine some aspects of emotional resilience."    
“Trigger warnings notify people of the distress that written, audiovisual, or other material may evoke, and were initially used to provide for the needs of those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” the study’s abstract explains..."
Read on.

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