Secrecy has often been associated with negative consequences. However, a recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers a surprising twist, revealing that positive secrets can actually increase feelings of energy.
Positive secrecy is the intention to keep positive information from others. Classic theories have suggested that any form of secrecy depletes cognitive resources due to the continuous effort to hide information. However, newer perspectives suggest that the effects of secrecy may instead be about how individuals reflect on the hidden information rather than the act of concealment itself.
Michael L. Slepian and colleagues conducted five experiments, recruiting 1800 participants between 18 to 78 years across the U.S via online crowdsourcing platforms.
Study 1 involved 200 participants who were presented with a list of 38 common categories of good news (e.g., receiving a promotion, winning an award) and asked to indicate which pieces of good news they currently held as secrets and which were non-secrets. They were then randomly assigned to reflect on either their secret or non-secret good news. Measures included feelings of energy using the six-item subjective vitality scale (e.g., “feeling awake and alert,” rated from 1 = not at all to 7 = very), positive affect using two items from the PANAS-X joy scale (i.e., “How good does it make you feel?” and “How happy does it make you?” rated from 1 = not at all to 7 = very), and intent to share the good news with others (“I intend to tell people/someone about this,” rated from 1 = not at all to 7 = very much).
Participants who reflected on secret good news reported significantly higher feelings of energy compared to those who reflected on non-secret good news. This effect was independent of positive affect and intent to share, suggesting that keeping good news secret itself contributes to increased energy levels. Intent to share also had an independent positive effect on energy.
Study 2 included 600 participants in committed relationships. Participants selected a piece of good news that could plausibly happen to them and would make them happy but was not yet known by their partner. They were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions: intrinsic motivation (choosing to keep the secret), extrinsic motivation (unable to share due to external constraints), or a baseline condition (no reason specified). Feelings of energy were measured using an expanded energy scale (10 items, e.g., tired, depleted, energized, alive, rated from 1 = not at all to 7 = very much).
Participants who kept their good news secret for intrinsic reasons (i.e., personal choice) reported higher feelings of energy compared to those who kept it secret for extrinsic reasons (i.e., external constraints) or no specified reason. The intrinsic motivation condition reported feeling more energized than both the extrinsic motivation and baseline conditions, supporting the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation enhances the energizing effect of positive secrets.
Study 3 included 700 participants to compare positive secrets to negative secrets and secrets of unspecified valence. Participants were randomly assigned to recall a positive, negative, or unspecified secret. They reported their intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation for keeping the secret using a binary measure (intrinsic = 1, extrinsic = 0) and rated their positive affect with the PANAS-X joy scale (i.e., happy, joyful, delighted, cheerful, rated from 1 = not at all to 5 = extremely).
Positive secrets were found to be more intrinsically motivated than negative secrets or secrets of unspecified valence. Participants who recalled positive secrets reported higher levels of intrinsic motivation (78%) compared to those with unspecified secrets (55%) and negative secrets (61%). Additionally, positive secrets were associated with higher positive affect and greater feelings of energy, suggesting that intrinsic motivation plays an important role in the energizing effects of positive secrets.
Study 4 involving 500 participants focused on comparing positive secrets to secrets of unspecified valence. Participants recalled either a positive secret or a secret of unspecified valence and reported their intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, feelings of energy, and positive affect. The measures included the same intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation binary measure, the 10-item energy scale used in Study 2, and the PANAS-X joy scale.
Positive secrets were more intrinsically motivated (69%) than secrets of unspecified valence (52%). Participants who recalled positive secrets reported higher energy compared to those with unspecified secrets. The intrinsic motivation behind positive secrets mediated the energizing effect, independent of positive affect. This suggests that the motivational quality of positive secrets contributes to their energizing effects.
The final study included 800 participants recruited from Prolific. Participants were randomly assigned to recall positive or unspecified valence information relevant to an upcoming conversation with their partner, either as a secret or non-secret. Measures included intrinsic and extrinsic motivation scales, feelings of energy, and intentions to share the information.
Positive secrets were found to be more intrinsically motivated and more energizing than unspecified valence secrets and non-secrets. The intention to share the information did not significantly influence feelings of energy, highlighting that the energizing effects of positive secrets are primarily driven by intrinsic motivation. This study confirmed that self-alignment and intrinsic motivation are key mechanisms behind the increased feelings of energy associated with positive secrets.
Overall, this research suggests that positive secrets can be a significant source of energy and vitality, challenging the traditional view that all secrecy is inherently burdensome.
One limitation is the reliance on self-reported measures of energy and motivation, which can be subject to bias.
The research, “The bright side of secrecy: The energizing effect of positive secrets”, was authored by Michael L. Slepian, Katharine H. Greenaway, Nicholas P. Camp, and Adam D. Galinsky.