[[{“value”:”A recently released Finnish study found that there was a strong correlation between “woke” beliefs and worsened emotional health issues, including depression and anxiety.
The study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, “examined the prevalence of vital social justice attitudes in different populations and the scale’s correlations with different variables of interest, including well- being variables: anxiety, depression, and happiness”.
CSJAS ( critical social justice attitude scales ) “was correlated with depression, anxiety, and ( lack of ) happiness, but not more so than being on the political left was”, the researchers wrote.
Oskari Lahtinen, top researcher and author of the study at the University of Turku’s INVEST Research Flagship Centre, claimed he “had been paying attention to a development in British universities, where a new discourse on social justice emerged in the 2010s.”
While critical social justice ( or intersectional or “woke” ) discourse primarily draws inspiration from dynamics within American society, it has now appeared in other Western nations as well. According to PsyPost, the development of a critical social justice discourse ( often called “woke” discourse ) has sparked a lot of debate in Finnish media over the past few years.
This discussion was mostly data-free, so it might be regarded as a useful inquiry to examine how prevalent these attitudes are. I set out to create a reliable and accurate instrument to assess the prevalence and extent of these attitudes in various populations, he continued.
‘ Woke’ people more likely to be unahppy, stressed and unhappy, new study suggests https ://t.co/25RQn08ouR pic. twitter.com/QDHcGadc8D
— New York Post ( @nypost ) March 17, 2024
The New York Post reports:
851 adult participants, the majority of whom were connected to the University of Turku, were included in the pilot survey. After refining the first scale, the study was expanded to a more official national sample of 5, 000 participants, distributed via Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s largest newspaper.
In the end, their last Essential Social Justice Attitude Scale identified seven truisms of awakened people:
” White people have on average a higher level of income than dark people, and that is because of racism,” he said.
” Readiness lists for universities should have fewer light or German authors.”
” Microaggressions should be frequently and earnestly challenged.”
” Trans* women who compete with women in sports are not helping women’s rights”. ( reverse scored )
” We do n’t need to talk more about the color of people’s skin”.
A white person is unable to comprehend how a dark person experiences the same level of happiness as a dark person.
” A member of a less affluent group has the ability to adopt characteristics or social characteristics.” ( reverse scored )
The gender gap was perhaps the most amazing to me, Lahtinen told PsyPost about Finnish attitudes. ” Three out of five women view’ woke’ ideas constructively, but only one out of seven men”.
This was particularly true of women in fields such as social sciences, education, and humanities. In contrast, those who worked in STEM were more likely to criticize social justice initiatives linked to being awake.
Study:” Woke” attitudes linked to anxiety, depression, and a lack of happiness https ://t.co/jPYvjv398A
— Gryphon ( @Gryph911 ) March 18, 2024
From PsyPost:
Additionally, the study found that different social and demographic groups’ important social justice attitudes differed. In areas like social sciences, education, and humanities, people who identified with left-wing political parties and female university students somewhat shared higher levels of agreement with important social justice. On the other hand, people with connections to STEM fields and right-wing political affiliations typically exhibit less common ground with fundamental cultural justice principles.
The study’s investigation of the connection between vital social justice and mental well-being was an intriguing aspect. Higher levels of conformity to essential social justice beliefs and increased anxiety and depression were related to the findings of Lahtinen. The biggest positive correlation with anxiety and depression and the biggest negative correlation with happiness was found in the statement” If white people have on average a higher income than dark people, it is because of racism.”
However, these associations were more in line with the political stances of the participants than the actual vital social justice beliefs. In particular, social left political affiliation was more correlated with poor mental health than high social justice scores only. This suggests that there is a complex relationship between essential social justice beliefs and mental health, which may be influenced by more broader political and ideological beliefs.
The new study provides a unique perspective on vital social justice beliefs and how they are applied in modern society. However, the study’s focus on Finland makes it necessary to be cautious when applying its findings to different contexts.
Read the whole study, titled ‘ Construction and validation of a scale for assessing important social justice attitudes,’ HERE.”}]] [[{“value”:”
A recently released Finnish study found that people who hold so-called “woken” beliefs are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression.
The study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology “examined the presence of critical social justice attitudes among different populations, and the scale’s relationships with other variables of interests, including well-being indicators: anxiety, depression, or happiness.”
Researchers found that the CSJAS scale (critical social justice attitudes scales) was “correlated with depression, anxiety and (lack) of happiness, but not as much as being on the left-wing political spectrum,” they wrote.
Oskari Lähtinen, senior researcher and study author at the INVEST Flagship Research Centre at the University of Turku said that he had “been paying attention to an American university development, where a discourse on social injustice became prevalent in 2010s.”
“While critical social injustice (or intersectional, or ‘woke” discourse) draws primarily from dynamics within American culture, it has now emerged in other Western countries. In the last two years, the arrival of a critical discourse on social justice (often referred to as ‘woke’), sparked much discussion in Finnish media.
“This debate was largely devoid of data and it would be worthwhile to study the prevalence of these attitudes.” Before the study, there was no reliable and valid tool to assess the extent and the prevalence of these attitudes among different populations. So I set out to create one.” he added.
‘Woke’ people more likely to be unahppy, anxious and depressed, new study suggests https://t.co/25RQn08ouR pic.twitter.com/QDHcGadc8D
New York Post (@nypost), March 17, 2024
The New York Post reports on:
The pilot survey included a total of 851 adult respondents, most of whom were affiliated with the University of Turku. After refining its initial scale, the survey was expanded to a national sample of 5,000 respondents, distributed through Helsingin Sanomat (Finland’s largest newspaper).
The final Critical Social Justice Attitude Scale identified 7 truisms that woke people believe:
“If whites have a higher average income than blacks, it’s because of racism.”
The reading lists of universities should include fewer white and European authors.
“Microaggressions must be challenged often and aggressively.”
“Trans* women competing with women in sport does not help women’s rights.”
“We don’t have to talk about the color of skin.”
“A white person can’t understand how a person of color feels the same as another person of color.”
“A member of an privileged group can adopt cultural elements or features of a group that is less privileged.” (reversed scored)
Lahtinen, speaking of Finnish attitudes, said that the gender divide surprised her most. “Three of five women see ‘woke’ concepts positively, but only one in seven men.”
This was particularly true for women who work in fields like education, humanities, and social sciences. Participants who worked in STEM fields were more likely than others to criticize social justice efforts that are associated with being woke.
Study: “Woke” attitudes linked to anxiety, depression, and a lack of happiness https://t.co/jPYvjv398A
Gryphon (@Gryph911), March 18, 2024
From PsyPost
The study also revealed variations in critical social justice among different social and demographic groups. Individuals who identified with left-wing parties and female students in fields like social sciences, education, or humanities showed higher levels of agreement with the principles of critical social justice. On the other hand individuals with STEM fields or right-wing political affiliations tend to have lower levels of agreement with critical justice principles.
The study’s exploration of the relationship between social justice and mental health was an intriguing aspect. Lahtinen found that higher agreement with critical attitudes towards social justice was correlated with increased anxiety and depression. The strongest correlation between anxiety and depression and agreement with the statement, “If white people on average have a higher income than African Americans, it’s because of racism”, was found with the statement, “If black people have a lower income on average, it’s because of racism”.
These associations were however more strongly correlated to participants’ political orientation rather than their critical social justice attitudes. Being on the left-wing was more predictive of poor mental health than high critical justice scores alone. This suggests that there is a complex relationship between critical social justice and mental health, and it may be mediated through broader political and ideologic beliefs.
The new research offers unique insights into critical social justice attitudes, and their implications for contemporary society. The study’s focus in Finland requires caution when transferring its findings to other contexts.
Click HERE to read the full study titled “Construction and Validation of a Scale for Assessing Critical Social Justice Attitudes”.
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