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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v12n06)
Gettin' Ripped in Ripple - Beat the Mean Tweets - by Laura Minor
posted: Mar. 20, 2015

Gettin' Ripped in Ripple header

Beat the Mean Tweets

I saw a very interesting study the other day. As intriguing as it was, it didn't and shouldn't come as much of a surprise, really. Most of us these days participate in some form of social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. In doing so we keep up with the lives of hundreds. We see their vacation and family photos, hear about job promotions, "remember" their birthdays, and strangely enough see what they are eating 😄. I am sure this all seems pretty obvious to you. And, if you regularly visit social media you probably also notice the patterns of posts coming from certain people. I have definitely noticed that some individuals consistently post uplifting and positive quotes, photos, etc. And others, unfortunately, rarely have anything but negative and angry comments about just about everything under the sun. If you find that many of your friends behave a large like the latter, not only can it dampen your day, it could actually be hurting your health. "What?!" you say. . . I will explain.
The findings of a study coming from the University of Pennsylvania determined this correlation. The results showed that the nature of Twitter posts in certain regions can be a strong predictor of the community's psychological well-being and can predict rates of heart disease.
The research team explains that psychological factors, such as anxiety, stress, and depression are known risk factors for heart disease, but in addition, the expression of negative emotion portrayed either through speaking or writing can also trigger social behaviors that can lead to heart disease such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and substance abuse.
The study was conducted by analyzing the language used in tweets from 1,300 counties in the US between 2009 and 2010 and used that data to create a map with counties ranging from positive overall tweets (colored in green) and continued along the spectrum to negative overall tweets (red). Then juxtaposed next to this map is another with the same counties indicating heart disease deaths. Low rates in green (with eight shades in between) and high rates in red. The similarity is astounding! Please look it up and see for yourself at medicalnewstoday.com.
This leads one to believe that the grumpy and cranky people die younger than their Pollyanna counterpart. Seems to make sense. However according to the study's co-author Hansen Andrew Schwartz, "The relationship between language and mortality is particularly surprising since the people tweeting angry words and topics are in general not the ones dying of heart disease. But that means that if many of your neighbors are angry, you are more likely to die of heart disease." INTERESTING. So this obviously infers that those exposed to the negative comments have a higher risk of health risks than those spewing them.
A final point that the study mentioned is that Twitter can be useful for identifying the drivers behind negative comments by region which could help inform public health interventions.
What I primarily took away from this study is that it is important to pay attention to the energy that you put out to the world. Being negative definitely doesn't affect just yourself but all of those around you. When I am having a bad day, for whatever reason, I am happy to get back to work. No one wants to listen to a cranky trainer. So, I snap out of it at least for that period of time, and it almost always makes me feel better or forget my silly problems altogether. And knowing that MY mood can improve or hinder someone's actual health will certainly reinforce to have a positive attitude around others.
Last point to think about: When some have a bad day especially due to someone's negativity, they can't wait to get home and have a drink or maybe a gallon of ice cream to "escape". Conversely, when some have a great day especially due to someone's positivity, they may enjoy a workout class, a walk, or a fabulous healthy meal. The former, if habitual, can cause harm and the latter obviously can improve health. So, perk up and leave the grumpy alone!



Laura Minor owner and operator of So.Be.Fit. Personal Training and Fitness studio located at 54th and the Monon. She is passionate about teaching others how to "FIT" exercise and physical activity into their daily lives, and have fun while doing so! Visit her website at www.sobefitindy.com or e-mail laura@BroadRippleGazette.com




laura@broadripplegazette.com
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