Suppression also deteriorates our mental health. Self-concealment, the tendency to withhold negative information about ourselves, is related to psychological distress and even suicidality for younger adults. Our invulnerability exacts a hefty toll on our bodies. All the energy we spend thinking about what we’re hiding means that, as research finds, secret-keeping makes us feel more isolated and fatigued. When people go through traumatic experiences and don’t share them, they experience more health problems. Another study found that when people experienced the death of a spouse, the less they
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