A recent paper from my lab suggests that people who are open about the fact they are stressed or nervous are actually more likeable than those that aren't!
As humans, we often show physical signs in our body movements and facial expressions when we are feeling stressed or nervous. However, showing such signs of weakness is hard to explain in evolutionary terms, as it is difficult to think of reasons why this could help us to survive. In fact, it may actually harm us, by signalling to predators that we are in a weakened state.
One reason this might be beneficial is for social reasons. Humans rely heavily on social networks in order to survive. People with stronger social networks are happier and healthier than those without. Showing stress may help us to create and maintain social relationships in one of several ways: it could induce an empathic response in others, making them more likely to help us; or it could help us to appear honest and trustworthy.
We tested this by taking videos of people in the lab under conditions of stress (a fake job interview) or no stress (a casual chat) and asking people to rate how likeable they were. We found that people who showed more 'stress displacement' behaviours, such as hand-wringing and face-touching, and more facial expressions, were rated as more likeable than those that showed fewer of these behaviours.
It seems that being open about our stress does have an adaptive benefit after all - it makes other people like us. So, the next time you are in a job interview or giving a big presentation - just remember, everyone gets nervous, and being honest and open simply endears you to your audience.
You can read the full article here, or see this work reported on in The Telegraph and BBC News.