Some people believe that trigger warnings can help others get ready for or avoid seeing things that might remind them of a past painful experience.
However, a study in the journal Clinical Psychological Science suggests that these warnings might not do that job very well.
Instead, they seem to make people more anxious about what they're going to see, without actually stopping them from seeing it.
How it was discovered
This information was found by researchers from Flinders University and Harvard University.
The study looked at 12 different research projects about how warnings affect people's feelings, their tendency to avoid certain things, and how well they understood what they were seeing.
The results showed a few things. First, warnings made people more nervous about what they were going to see.
Second, they didn't really change how people felt after seeing it. Whether they got a warning or not, their feelings were the same.
Third, warnings didn't really make people avoid the content more. They still looked at it.
Lastly, warnings didn't change how well people understood what they read.
Why it's important to know
This research suggests that warnings might not be the best way to help people deal with difficult material.
It also shows that people don't always avoid things even if they've been warned about them.
The researchers think that maybe teaching people how to handle their feelings might be a better way to help them prepare for tough stuff.
Trigger warnings don't help: A new study on warnings and stress
Some people believe that trigger warnings can help others get ready for or avoid seeing things that might remind them of a past painful experience.
However, a study in the journal Clinical Psychological Science suggests that these warnings might not do that job very well.
Instead, they seem to make people more anxious about what they're going to see, without actually stopping them from seeing it.
How it was discovered
This information was found by researchers from Flinders University and Harvard University.
The study looked at 12 different research projects about how warnings affect people's feelings, their tendency to avoid certain things, and how well they understood what they were seeing.
The results showed a few things. First, warnings made people more nervous about what they were going to see.
Second, they didn't really change how people felt after seeing it. Whether they got a warning or not, their feelings were the same.
Third, warnings didn't really make people avoid the content more. They still looked at it.
Lastly, warnings didn't change how well people understood what they read.
Why it's important to know
This research suggests that warnings might not be the best way to help people deal with difficult material.
It also shows that people don't always avoid things even if they've been warned about them.
The researchers think that maybe teaching people how to handle their feelings might be a better way to help them prepare for tough stuff.
