Suppressing one’s feelings at work can lead to heart disease

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A Swedish study has found that men who suppress their anger at being treated unfairly at work are up to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from one compared to those who express their frustration. Conducted by the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University, this study tracked 2,755 employed men who had not suffered any heart attacks from 1992 to 2003. By the end of the study, 47 of these participants had either suffered a heart attack or died from heart disease, and many of them were found to be using “hidden coping strategies” to deal with unfair treatment at work. “After adjusting for age, socioeconomic factors, risk behaviors, job stress, and biological risk factors at the beginning of the study, there was a strong correlation between hidden coping strategies and the risk of suffering a myocardial infarction or dying from heart disease,” wrote the study’s authors. Hidden coping strategies were defined as “letting things go without saying anything” or “walking away” despite feeling wronged by colleagues or bosses. The study showed that men who often used such strategies had a two to five times higher risk of developing heart disease than those who were more confrontational at work. The researchers said they could not determine what might constitute a particularly healthy coping strategy at work, but they listed open-ended coping behaviors in response to unfair treatment or conflicts as “protesting directly,” “talking to the person involved right away,” “yelling at them right away,” or “speaking with them later once things have calmed down.” The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. This study conducted by the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University followed 2,755 male employees. These employees had no history of heart disease between 1992 and 2003. But by the end of the study, 47 respondents suffered from heart disease or died from it. Many of them \"suffer in silence\" when they face unfair treatment at work. The researchers wrote in their report: “After performing baseline adjustments for age, socioeconomic factors, risk behaviors, work stress, and physiological risk factors, the study found a strong association between suppressing emotions at work and the risk of secondary myocardial infarction as well as sudden cardiac death.” ” “\"Putting up with it\" refers to the situation where, even though one feels they are being treated unfairly by colleagues or bosses, they \"keep it to themselves\" or \"just walk away\". Studies show that male employees who often resort to this approach when faced with unfair treatment have a two to five times higher risk of heart disease than those who dare to express their dissatisfaction openly. The researchers said that they were unable to answer the question of what specific healthy coping strategies should be used in cases of unfair treatment at work or conflicts, but they listed several common approaches, such as “directly protesting,” “expressing one’s dissatisfaction immediately,” “shouting at the other person,” or “discussing the matter later.” The study was published in the journal Epidemiology and Public Health. Reposted from Hai Ci Happy English, for sharing among Hai friends