Worrying has its benefits, study of law grads finds
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There is a bright side to anxiety, rumination and pessimism, according to a study of 230 law grads awaiting results of the California bar exam.
The study found that law grads who engaged in “defensive pessimism” during the wait responded more productively to bad news and more joyfully to good news than those who had little anxiety during the waiting period. The New York Times Well blog has a story on the study, led by University of California at Riverside psychology professor Kate Sweeny.
The worriers developed contingency plans and prepared for the worst, Sweeny told the Well blog. When the results were published, worriers who failed “were ready with productive, reasonable responses,” Sweeny said. “And if they passed, they were elated.”
Those who were calm during the waiting period didn’t fare as well. “Those who sailed through the waiting period were shattered and paralyzed by the bad news,” Sweeny said. “And if they got good news, they felt underwhelmed. You know, like, ‘Big whoops!’ ”
The study, published in the journal Emotion, surveyed law grads taking July 2013 bar exam, beginning before the exam, and then every two weeks during the four-month period before the results. They were surveyed once again soon after learning whether they passed.
