Keeping Secrets Hurts Your Health, New Research Shows

Keeping secrets takes a bigger toll on your health than most people realize. Research shows secrecy increases anxiety, depression, and symptoms of poor health. Some studies even found secrets can speed up disease progression.

The damage comes from feeling isolated and disconnected from others, says researcher Michael Slepian. When you hide information, you cut yourself off from the people around you.

Not all secrets hurt equally. The worst ones make you feel like a bad person, not just someone who did a bad thing. These toxic secrets keep returning to your mind over and over.

Researcher Valentina Bianchi found that holding in information creates ongoing mental stress. Your brain works harder when you're constantly managing what you can and can't share.

Secrets also damage your relationships. The act of hiding creates distance between you and others, making connections less satisfying and meaningful.