Would you call yourself a worrier? It can be taxing, but there are some upsides to certain kinds of worrying.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where “worrier” is one of the 44 words you can create with the letters provided.
According to an August 2020 report by the UK-based news organisation BBC, psychologists think that what separates worry from general concern is its emotional nature, and the fact that people are likely to take action and be motivated to do something to end the situation that worries them.
At a moderate, localised level, a little worry can be a good thing. A September 2003 study in the Netherlands-based journal Behaviour Research and Therapy showed that people who worried about their health attempted to quit smoking more often than those who didn’t, and ex-smokers who worried were also less likely to relapse. And worry correlated with better academic performance, according to a November 2006 study in the Germany-based journal Cognitive Therapy and Research.
Worrying can help on a bigger level, too. For example, in Australian states that are prone to wildfires, researchers found that constructive worry led to better wildfire preparedness, according to a 2016 study in the journal Psychological Assessment. And a November 2013 study published in the international journal Risk Analysis, found that worry about climate change was the single strongest predictor of support for climate policies. This even has implications for environmentalists, who, knowing this fact, could appeal to the public’s worries rather than their fears.
All this research amounts to an interesting truth: worry is future-focused. Instead of lamenting about the past or being stuck in the present, it gets us thinking about how to change or prevent certain situations, and creates the potential for people to become adaptive thinkers.
So, worrying can involve effective preparation, planning, and problem-solving.
The major caveat, though, is that any worrying we do, should be done in moderation. Too much, and it could lead to poorer mental and physical health – it has been associated with disrupted sleep, and avoidance of cancer screenings or doctor’s appointments.
Do you find the right balance? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
