Studies show that good secrets, like a surprise or personal achievement you plan to share later, can make you feel more alive and energetic because keeping them increases anticipation and personal excitement.
On the other hand, psychological research shows that heavy or frightening secrets can be psychologically burdensome: they can lead to anxiety, isolation, and mental tension, often increase the level of thoughts about them, and can negatively affect the individual’s social environment.
Secrets can strengthen a relationship when they demonstrate great trust, e.g., revealing something personal that only the loved one knows. But secrets that are kept to hide something negative, e.g., betrayal or lying, can damage trust and intimacy in a relationship.
Psychologists say that some secrets can be protective, e.g., not bothering someone in a difficult moment, and each category has different effects on our psychological well-being.
