, I wanted to understand why interruptions are often so stressful. Working with one of my doctoral students, I designed a study that focused on people's experiences of being interrupted.
Participants recorded details such as what happened during each interruption, who interrupted them, and how long each interruption lasted. They also noted the emotions they experienced and jotted down an explanation for those feelings. Given that prior research has overwhelmingly emphasized the negative aspects of interruptions, we were surprised when our study revealed that many interruptions were experienced positively.
For instance, the participants in our study judged interruptions in terms of their "time worthiness." Interruptions seen as "time worthy" are more likely to spark positive emotions. Individuals feel positive emotions if they like or respect the person who interrupted them. In some cases, personal liking can spark a good experience even if an interruption is seen as "time wasting," poorly timed, or overly long.
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