According to Greek Philosopher Aristotle:
“Fear is associated with the expectation that something destructive will happen to us...People do not believe this when they are, or think they are, in the midst of great prosperity, and are in consequence insolent, contemptuous, and reckless...nor yet when they have experienced every kind of horror already and have grown callous about the future [for] there must be some faint expectation of escape...Fear sets us thinking what can be done, which of course nobody does when things are hopeless. Consequently, when it is advisable that the audience should be frightened, the orator must make them feel that they are really in danger.” (Aristotle, Rhetoric 2.5.1383).
Consequently, Marcus and MacKuen (1993) in their research paper which has been published in the American Political Science Review Journal, have added to the literature by stating that:
“On the face of it, our proposition makes too much sense to ignore. Generally, inattentive to political matters, citizens may require sharp notice before they become motivated to learn anything new. And at least at the intuitive level, threat seems as good a spur to action as any.” (Marcus & MacKuen, 1993, p. 672).
Anxiety also occupies a prominent place in the contemporary psychology of emotions as observed by Marcus and MacKuen (1993).
It was during the 1990’s, psychologists such as Ax 1953; Diener and Emmons 1985; Plutchik 1980; Russell 1980; Tellegen 1985 had developed a two-dimensional typology of emotional response that clearly distinguished anxiety from such emotions as depression. At the same time, the two-dimensional character of emotional response has proven a powerful schema for the analysis of citizen response to political candidates. (Marcus & MacKuen, 1993, p. 672).
Where does the term Post-election Stress Disorder originate from?
According to BetterHelp (2024) in the blog post titled: What is “post-election stress disorder,” and how can you find support?:
“Every year, the American Psychological Association conducts a survey called “Stress in America” to measure general attitudes and perceptions of stress among the public. In the 2020s, more Americans have reported increased stress levels about the nation’s political climate after elections. The survey reported increased stress levels from all political parties and a higher incidence of physical and mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, headaches, and overwhelm. Some Americans have called this type of stress “post-election stress disorder.” The term became popular after the 2016 US presidential election and continued to be discussed throughout the 2020 US presidential election.”
Is Goa also experiencing a similar form of post-election stress disorder?
Perhaps the answer to this question lies in the analysis provided by Dr Robert Bright, MD in Psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic:
“(There is) a lot of fearfulness (and) a number of mixed emotions - people with fear and hypervigilance and constantly searching the news and being on whatever social media outlet you have, and getting these messages. I was watching the television this morning, and every commercial has this catastrophic message, ‘If you vote for this guy or that guy, horrific, catastrophic things are going to happen.’ And that constant message creates a sense of anxiety and fear, and diffusely feeling overwhelmed in ourselves. And it affects our emotions after a while. So we start getting irritable and short, and snapping at people, not trusting people, seeing people as the other or as the same. And that starts affecting our relationships at home. It starts affecting our work.” (Dr. Bright, 2020)
Does media coverage of the polls stress-out the elector perceptions?
According to Hyunjung Kim (2022) in her research note entitled: The Third and First-Person Effects of Election Polling News Through Emotions which has been published in the Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research:
“The first-person perception of polling news is positively associated with reinforcement of support for the preferred candidate. These results suggest that how voters perceive the effects of polling news may have actual impacts on their political behaviors.” (Kim, 2022).
Kim (2022) also observed that in the works of Perryman et al. (2022) that: “Despite numerous criticisms, such as misleading voters’ estimation of the public’s mood and attitudes toward candidates and reducing their desire to vote, election polling news is perceived to influence political behaviors and the outcome of elections (Perryman et al., 2020).”
Further, Kim (2022) also finds rationalisation in the study conducted by Wei et al. (2011) which states that: “Research shows the perception that polling news would exert an influence on the self and on other voters may have an actual influence on the perceivers’ behaviors (Wei et al., 2011)”.
What is the sentiment experienced by voters of the losing candidate?
According to Almudin et al. (2022) in her literature review which has been published in the International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science:
“The review shows that voters of the losing candidate show signs of stress among other factors from the result of the elections with those who have maladaptive coping mechanisms showing higher overall levels; voters of winning candidates show signs of elation. (Almudin et al., 2022, p. 342).
How not to give in to ‘Election Stress Disorder’?
According to Katherine Cusumano (2020) of the New York Times in her article entitled: Don’t give in to ‘Election Stress Disorder’:
- “Election Day isn’t going to bring an end to the anxiety — especially if the race hasn’t been called for a candidate. So before you bring up politics with family members, take a moment to assess where your head’s at.”
- “You may feel especially powerless in the period between casting your vote and when the election is called or if your preferred candidate does not win. Still, you can mitigate that feeling through other productive political actions.”
- “Limit your ambient exposure to social media, where attacks on a candidate or policy can feel like attacks on you”
- “If you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, or need to take time out of a challenging conversation, go for a walk or run, and try to spend at least 30 minutes outside.”
