Stress research: voting campaigns can trigger stress among minorities

A referendum campaign, such as the one on 'marriage for all,' can trigger stress in those affected and their allies, according to researchers at the University of Zurich. Their study showed that participants released more stress hormones during the referendum campaign. +Sign up to get the most important news from Switzerland directly in your inbox The researchers investigated how the 2021 "marriage for all" campaign affected the stress levels of queer people and their sympathisers by using hair samples. They surveyed several hundred people about their stress levels before, during and after the campaign and collected hair samples to measure stress hormone levels. Increased cortisol and cortisone levels The results revealed that respondents released significantly more cortisol and cortisone during the campaign. This increase was observed not only in the queer participants but also in their friends and family. The researchers concluded that political campaigns against the rights of ...