How many times have you heard or said, “I’m so stressed?” If you’re like most people, you have complained about being stressed once in a while. But if you grumble too much, how does it affect coworkers and how are you viewed by them? A new phenomenon called “stress bragging”—the constant complaining about stress levels, particularly to your peers at work—has a scientific backing in the research literature, plus, it has become a trendy buzzword in the workplace.
A new study recently published in Personnel Psychology and going viral on TikTok shows the negative effects, not just from the stress itself but as a result of workers whining about being stressed out. In March of this year, the University of Georgia Terry College of Business found that “stress bragging” negatively affects “stress braggarts”—those who constantly whine about their stress level—as well as the coworkers to whom they complain:
- Stress braggarts are perceived as less competent by colleagues.
- Stress braggarts are viewed as less likable by coworkers.
- Coworkers of stress braggarts also suffer by experiencing higher levels of burnout due to stress spillover effects.
- Coworkers are less likely to help a stress braggart.
“In an office or corporate environment, “stress bragging” may come across as irritating to coworkers,” according to Josh Millet, CEO of Criteria—especially when everyone is stressed. “While it’s one thing to confide in HR personnel or close managers about how much you’ve got on your plate, it may be an issue worth addressing if you’re constantly talking about how stressed you are at work,” he adds.
Why ‘Stress Bragging’ Backfires At Work
Referring to “stress bragging,” Jessica Rodell, lead author of the study and professor of management at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, explained, “This is a behavior we’ve all seen, and we all might be guilty of at some point. When I was wondering about why people do this, I thought maybe we are talking about our stress because we want to prove we’re good enough. We found out that often backfires.” She adds, “People are harming themselves by doing this thing they think is going to make them look better to their colleagues.”
Millet relayed to me by email that “stress bragging” isn’t a badge of honor, and through the lens of coworkers, being outspoken about stress translates into incompetence. “Workplace teams usually have a mix of different personality types—which can either play to their advantage or in this case, work against it,” he says. “If someone who is very outspoken talks non-stop about how stressed they are to someone who is more on the introverted side, the signals may get crossed, and the complaints may sound more like a brag. It may end up coming across as, ‘I have so much more work to do than everyone else!’”
To learn more about stress and stress-related issues go to stress.org
