Politics follow you at work – no matter if you’re talking about it or not
Por Julia Musto — – World RSS Feed
Politics follow you at work – no matter if you’re talking about it or not
Findings based on workplace surveys conducted during 2024 presidential primary season
Julia Musto in New York Thursday 17 September 2026 21:52 BST
- Bookmark
- Comments Go to comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
Your support helps us to tell the story
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Read more
It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about politics in the office or not: new research shows it’s probably coming to work with you, anyway.
The social media, podcasts and news content consumed by employees outside of work can influence their behavior in the office, a study of more than 300 U.S. workers found.
Employees who consumed more political information they perceived to be negative had higher anxiety levels and lower engagement in the workplace.
“Political information is designed to capture attention and provoke emotional reactions,” Dr. Ian Hughes, assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Texas A&M University, said in a Thursday statement.
“The challenge is that those reactions don’t necessarily disappear once people close an app or turn off the TV – they can continue influencing how people experience the rest of their day.”
open image in galleryBut the opposite was seen after employees received political news they believed to be positive.
People felt more hopeful and that was associated with stronger work engagement and an increased willingness to help co-workers.
Workers were surveyed weekly, over the course of nine weeks, during the 2024 presidential primary season from January 19 through March 15.
The findings suggested that treating politics as something separate from work may not serve employers or employees ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
There are serious consequences to political stress, too, with political discussions potentially raising blood pressure and leading to mood swings, trouble sleeping, weight fluctuation and substance avoid, the University of Michigan says.
open image in galleryBut the cure for any stress related to politics isn’t becoming less informed. “An informed public is important, and our study isn’t arguing otherwise,” Hughes said.
Instead, the study offers solutions for mitigating stress from negatively perceived political information.
Employees should balance staying informed with activities that can help them to recharge, such as physical activity, sleep and meditation.
Workplaces can help by offering mental health support and increasing employees’ sense of agency by giving them time off to vote or encouraging volunteering.
“These practices provide alternative pathways to replenish hope and counteract the draining effects of political stress without requiring political disengagement,” the study said.
More about
U.S.politicsSocial MediaAnxietyResearch
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed
