In Control and Glad of it! Experimenting
Freedom is extremely important to us humans. But how crucial is it to our mental and physical health? Two researchers, Langer and Rodin, have been studying the issues of power and control and the effects they have on people. Before the study we’re considering here, both Langer and Rodin hypothesized that limiting a person’s control with result in a negative effect on their health. In one study, they found that the negative effects of stress can be reduced if the subjects believe they have some control over the stressful event. They determined this by evaluating subjects’ stress levels inside of a crowded elevator. The people who were close to the control panel believed to have more control and therefore were less stressed out. Another example includes a study in which the subjects were exposed to loud bursts of noise while asked to perform problem-solving tasks. One group was told they could stop the noise at any time but were asked to try not to while the other group had no sense of control. In conclusion, the group who had control over the noise,
even though they didn’t enforce it, performed better than the group who had no choices. The tendency to resist the attempts to limit our control is called reactance, which is a part of the consequences of freedom restriction. Within their newer study, the researchers created a controlled experiment where they took two random groups of residents from a nursing home and gave one group more responsibilities and took away personal choices from the other group. Group 1, the group with more responsibilities, had choices to make which included their room arrangements, if they wanted a plant/which plant to take, if and when they would like to see a movie. Group 2 had those choices made for them. The researchers’ goal was to evaluate the effects control had on the resident’s health and overall wellbeing.
Results
The result of the study proved Langer and Rodin’s
hypothesis that power and control can positively impact the health of a person, both physically and mentally. The resident’s that had more responsibilities in their lives at the nursing home were seen recorded as being happier, more active, and more alert. This is
because the limitation of freedom results in feelings of anxiety, anger, outrage, depression, helplessness, and even physical illness. On the other hand, the feeling of power and control can help reduce a person’s stress and even lead to better health. We can take away from this study the idea that control plays a huge part in our physical and mental health. Maintaining a healthy balance of control should be a priority for all of us and we should take advantage of the things in life we can control in order to lead a healthier and happier life.