Your Tweets About Feminism Are GOOD For You, Says Science

I've tweeted or written a Facebook status here or there that has to do with feminism. One day when I was busily walking down the street I was catcalled. What did I do? I tweeted about it!

I explained how messed up it is that I can't just walk down the street without being bothered, and I got confirmation from other women and some men that this is definitely an issue. And hopefully, I got someone who doesn't understand the problem with catcalling to see that it does bother women.

Lately there have been some trending feminist hashtags like #yesallwomen that have helped other women to speak about the every day sexism they go through and are expected to continue to deal with. Some men got defensive and retaliated with #notallmen, but it looks like scientists have found that everyone should be supportive of feminist tweets.

According to a study from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, tweets about such issues are beneficial for women.

"Public tweeters showed decreasing negative affect and increasing psychological well-being, suggesting tweeting about sexism may serve as a collective action that can enhance women's well-being," Mic quotes the researchers of this study.

This is great news since the negative effects of sexism are so strong that it doesn't just influence the woman who is directly involved. An earlier study found that women who are simply bystanders to sexism feel angrier and are more motivated to take action towards men in general to help all women.  

Of course tweeting about feminism isn't only good for women's well-being, it helps the movement as a whole. Thanks to more people talking about it, we now have A-list celebrities weighing in like Beyoncé, who performed with the word "feminist" behind her in big, bright lights at the VMAs.

So the next time you feel the urge to tweet about sexism don't feel guilty about being "preachy." It's good for you and it's good for the world!