The NBC News (9/25, Miller) website reports that researchpublished Sept. 25 in PLOS One “looked at the physical and emotional toll of paying attention to and participating in the political discourse.” The study revealed that “‘large numbers of American adults see politics as exacting a significant set of costs on their social, emotional, psychological and even physical health,’ said lead study author Kevin Smith, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska.” For the study, investigators examined “survey data collected by YouGov in March 2017 on 800 Americans – a time at which the costs of politics were ‘unusually acute,’ the researchers wrote.”
Newsweek (9/25, McCall) reports that “4.1 percent of respondents admitted to having suicidal thoughts triggered by events in politics – a number that would roughly translates to 13 million people if scaled up to current population figures,” the study found. The study also revealed that politics is “causing problems in…relationships – one in five said opposing political views have damaged a friendship, while 14.6 percent said that differences in political views have created problems for them in their immediate family.”
Also covering the story are the NPR (9/25, Chatterjee) “Shots” blog and HealthDay (9/25, Thompson).
Related Links:
— “Feeling sick or losing sleep over politics? You aren’t alone, “Sara G. Miller, NBC News, September 25, 2019