Study finds most bottle up emotions

Only 15 percent of Americans say they let their feelings out often, although 80 percent believe it is healthy to do so. These are some of the key findings from a recent national study that explored perceptions about emoting: "Letting It Out in America: The Social Landscape for Expressing Emotions."

"Letting it out" refers to expressing emotions more freely. The study of 1,003 Americans 18 and older, conducted on behalf of Kleenex by The Segmentation Company, a division of Yankelovich Inc., revealed that 63 percent of Americans think people are too bottled-up when it comes to their emotions.

Study results also showed that while 80 percent know that letting it out in a positive way is healthy, a surprising gap exists between this knowledge and actual behavior, as 56 percent of Americans say it has been three months or more since they've let it out, and 10 percent can't remember the last time they did. Furthermore, to let it out in a positive way, most people (73 percent) seek support from others.

"Americans like to feel 'in control,' but at the same time, want to be more expressive," said David Bersoff, senior vice president of Yankelovich. "Research provides compelling evidence that letting out our emotions in constructive ways has significant health benefits; yet as a society, we value the ability to keep our emotions in check. Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement or a go-ahead to release our feelings, because ultimately, we'll feel better."

This story provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.