Secondhand Stress Impacts Your Health

It's no secret that stress isn't good for your health. Now, new research finds that even seeing someone else under stress may cause problems for other people.

A team of psychologists at St. Louis University found that a stranger just observing someone else in a stressful situation had elevated heart rates and cortisol levels.

Doctors say increased cortisol levels can cause weight gain and affect the immune system, as well as a number of other health-related issues.

"To find that in some people, some of the time, you can elicit these responses just by sitting and watching someone else under stress," said Associate Professor Dr. Tony Buchanan from the Department of Psychology.

So how do we spread stress? Researchers say facial expressions, voice frequency, touch and even odor.

So it's not a bad idea to remember that keeping calm not only helps you -- it can also help those around you.