[Vision2020] Protesting May Be Good for Your Health

[Tim Lohrmann]

Visionaries,
    Should placards and slogan shouting be on your New
Year's resolution list? 
    Read on.
     TL

> Health - Reuters 
>  
> Protesting May Be Good for Your Health
> Mon Dec 23,11:02 AM ET  
> 
> LONDON (Reuters Health) - Taking part in protests
> and
> demonstrations can be good for your physical and
> mental health, a new British study suggests. 
> 
> Psychologists at the University of Sussex found that
> people who get involved in campaigns, strikes and
> political demonstrations experience an improvement
> in
> psychological well-being that can help them overcome
> stress, pain, anxiety and depression. 
> 
> The finding fits in with other studies suggesting
> that
> positive experiences and feeling part of a group can
> have beneficial effects on health. 
> 
> "Collective actions, such as protests, strikes,
> occupations and demonstrations, are less common in
> the
> UK than they were perhaps 20 years ago," researcher
> Dr. John Drury said in a statement. 
> 
> "The take-home message from this research therefore
> might be that people should get more involved in
> campaigns, struggles and social movements, not only
> in
> the wider interest of social change but also for
> their own personal good." 
> 
> The results emerged from in-depth interviews with
> nearly 40 activists from a variety of backgrounds.
> Between them, they had more than 160 experiences of
> collective action involving groups of demonstrators
> protesting against a range of issues. These included
> fox-hunting, environmental damage and industrial
> matters. 
> 
> Volunteers were asked to describe what it was about
> taking part in such collective action that made them
> feel so good. 
> 
> "Many published activist accounts refer to feelings
> of
> encouragement and confidence emerging from
> experiences
> of collective action," said Drury. "But it is not
> always clear how and why such empowerment occurs,
> so we aimed to explain what factors within a
> collective action event contribute to such
> feelings." 
> 
> He said the interviews revealed that the key factors
> were that participants felt they had a collective
> identity with fellow protestors. They also derived a
> sense of unity and mutual support from taking part. 
> 
> Such was the strength of the feelings they
> experienced
> that the effects appear to be sustained over a
> period
> of time. 
> 
> "Empowering events were almost without exception
> described as joyous occasions," said Drury.
> "Participants experienced a deep sense of
> happiness and even euphoria in being involved in
> protest events. Simply recounting the events in the
> interview brought a smile to the face of the
> interviewees." 


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