For some of us, every instance of sexism is a chance to tweet. That bro-tastic TV show that loves talking about ‘the friend zone,’ the humiliating experience with catcalling, the bonehead quote from that brute of a politician—they all inspire exasperation—and sharing outrage via the handy dandy gadget in your pocket is a refreshing release. Luckily for me and the countless other women who share their feminist views and find a like minded community via Twitter, a new study has found that this form of digital catharsis is good for your health. Yes, that whoosh that flows through you after shooting a bold missive out to the interweb telling the patriarchy where it can go actually improves a woman’s mental health.
Tweeting about sexism: The well-being benefits of a social media collective action, published in the British Journal of Social Psychology last week found that women who were instructed to tweet publicly about sexism reported a “decreasing negative affect and increasing psychological well-being, suggesting tweeting about sexism may serve as a collective action that can enhance women’s well-being.” The women who tweeted privately and those who did not tweet at all after reading the same topical pieces on sexism reported no changes in their well-being.
The women’s tweets were broken down and studied for emotional content and linguistics. Scientists found the women reacted to sexism with anger, discontent, sarcasm, shock, surprise,, and sadness. The most common were surprise and discontent combined.
“We know that popular online campaigns such as Everyday Sexism have empowered women to speak out and share their experiences,” said researcher Mindi Foster in a statement. “This study demonstrates how tweeting publicly has the potential to improve women’s well-being. More research is required to understand whether this form of collective action has any further health benefits.”
Tweet on, feministas.
