Pressure bursts pipes. Keeping a secret can do the same to your mind, explains Michael Slepian. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 Up next, Don’t chase happiness. Become antifragile ► youtu.be/e-or_D-qNqM Holding secrets can negatively impact your well-being. But how, exactly? For decades, psychological research suggested that people experience significant stress while hiding secrets from others during social interactions. But this explanation often doesn’t feel right to people, notes Michael Slepian, an associate professor at Columbia Business School who has spent years studying the nature of secrets. Surveys suggest that it’s actually pretty rare for people to find themselves in social situations where they have to actively conceal a secret they’ve never told anyone about. So, how are secrets harming us? In other words, the average experience of concealing a secret turns out to be an easy one. Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/series/devils-advocate/keeping-secrets ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Michael Slepian: Michael Slepian is the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Associate Professor of Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. He previously was a visiting scholar at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. from Tufts University. He is an elected fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, has received the Rising Star Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read more of our stories on secrets: How many secrets are you holding from these 38 categories? ► bigthink.com/neuropsych/secret-life-of-secrets/ Why it’s time to confess your darkest secrets ► bigthink.com/thinking/confess-your-secrets/ Creative cheating: the link between creativity and dishonesty ► bigthink.com/articles/creative-cheating-the-link-between-creativity-and-dishonesty/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About Big Think | Smarter Faster™ ► Big Think The leading source of expert-driven, educational content. With thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, Big Think helps you get smarter, faster by exploring the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century. ► Big Think+ Make your business smarter, faster: bigthink.com/plus/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want more Big Think? ► Daily editorial features: bigthink.com/popular/ ► Get the best of Big Think right to your inbox: bigthink.com/st/newsletter ► Facebook: bigth.ink/facebook ► Instagram: bigth.ink/Instagram ► Twitter: bigth.ink/twitter

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