Research shows that sharing stress with others can reduce anxiety, highlighting the importance of emotional similarity in coping. Effective communication strategies include conveying feelings, offering clarity, and avoiding blame to foster mutual support in stressful situations. Emphasizing trust and specificity in messages enhances the supportive environment among employees.

1. Strength in
Numbers
HOW SHARING THE SAME
STRESS HELPS YOU COPE
1

2. Research found that
when two or more
people feel stress and
share their emotions
with each other, these
interactions translate
into less anxiety.
Sarah Townsend, Heejung Kim, Batja Mesquita (2014) "Are You
Feeling What I’m Feeling? Emotional Similarity Buffers Stress ,"
Social Psychological and Personality Science 5, 526-533.
2

3. 3 communication strategies
help you use emotional
similarity to navigate
stressful situations.
“Are you feeling
what I'm feeling?”
3

4. Convey your
feelings
Set the tone for emotional similarity and
mutual support by sharing your own hopes
and concerns about the situation.
01
4

5. Employees might be filtering your message through
a wide variety of emotions, so what you say needs
to be specific, and sharing more (within reason)
builds trust.
Offer
clarity
02
5

6. Avoid throwing anyone under the bus.
Ban the
blame
03
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