Memes Can Help Lower Your Stress According to a New Study

According to a recent study, memes have helped people cope with stress during the pandemic.

Memes Can Help Lower Your Stress According to a New Study
Memes can help lower your stress.

Do you often find yourself stressed out at the end of the day? Well, good news! According to a new study, chaotic and silly memes may reduce stress levels. So, all the hours spent scrolling on social media have not gone to waste.



The American Psychological Association published the new study. According to which memes have played a great role in helping Americans deal with pandemic stress. Furthermore, the study participants claim that they felt more content and calm after looking at memes.

But that is not all. Those who interacted and looked at memes related to COVID-19 were much better able to cope with the pandemic. This new study considered the experiences of 748 people who looked at memes from websites such as IMGflip and Imgur.

 

These memes were usually about humans and animals. At the same time, a control group was also formed, which was shown other forms of digital media. Then, the participants from the meme group got images that had captions related to COVID-19 instead of the original captions of the image.

Then, participants rated whether the meme was funny and cute. Along with that, they also reported their anxiety levels and whether they had positive feelings such as cheerfulness. This was followed by questions related to the pandemic and the way they are coping with it.

Eventually, researchers found that looking at memes could have a positive impact on stress. The lead author of the study, Jessica Gall Myrick from Pennsylvania State University, stated, “Because we’re isolated when you see a meme about COVID and it reflects something about our experience, it’s really powerful because you don’t get to have as much interpersonal interaction with people. There’s something about it that helps us relate to other people.”

Of course, the sample size of this study is not huge. The lead author did admit that further research is needed to accurately determine whether memes can have a positive impact on stress levels.

But for now, the researchers have certainly found a “notable bright spot.” according to The Washington Post.

 

Get a dose of memes below.

 

 

 

In other news, here are some tips to make you asleep fast.



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