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BY Peter Saalfield

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With the midterm elections around the corner, political anxiety is in season—and productivity could pay the price.

A new study from researchers at Texas A&M University shows that consuming political news and social media outside of work affects employees’ emotional states and workplace behavior, even if they aren’t discussing politics at the water cooler.

Researchers tracked more than 300 workers over nine weeks during the 2024 presidential primary season, asking them to report how often they consumed political information, whether they viewed it as positive or negative, and how engaged, anxious, hopeful, and helpful they felt at work.

During weeks when workers consumed political information that they perceived as negative, they tended to report higher anxiety and lower engagement.…