Rude work emails can ruin your sleep and keep you up all night if they are impolite, new study reveals
- A study has identified a phenomenon known as ‘passive email incivility’
- Researchers surveyed 119 people asking them to record rude emails
- Receivers of passive-aggressive emails were more likely to struggle to sleep
They may seem like harmless, quick messages, dashed off with little thought.
But work emails can leave people struggling to sleep at night if they are impolite.
A study has identified a phenomenon known as ‘passive email incivility’ which has a harmful effect on those at the receiving end.
A passive-aggressive email sender may reply hours later to a well-thought-out and crafted message with a blunt one-word reply, or ignore questions or concerns raised in an email.
The study found receivers of passive-aggressive emails were more likely to struggle to sleep and then feel angry and frustrated the next day (stock photo)
Researchers at the University of Illinois surveyed 119 people in jobs ranging from banking to healthcare, asking them to record rude emails they received and whether they suffered insomnia and negative feelings.
The study, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, found receivers of passive-aggressive emails were more likely to struggle to sleep and then feel angry and frustrated the next day than those who received actively rude emails criticising their work.