Many people don't just experience discrimination when it happens -- they anticipate it ahead of time. A new UBC-led study has found that this mental state of bracing' is common in daily life and it significantly impacts people's mental and physical health.
For the study, researchers from UBC and the U.S. examined how anticipating discrimination affects people's day-to-day experiences. While most studies focus on discrimination after it occurs, this study explored what happens when people expect they might be treated unfairly based on characteristics such as their age, race or gender.
"Most of what we know comes from experienced discrimination," said lead author Lydia Ong, a PhD candidate in UBC's department of psychology. "But in daily life, people anticipate what discrimination might happen -- and that anticipation can have emotional and physiological effects."
The research team collected data on daily experiences from 341 U.S. adults aged 19-74 over a 10-day period. The results showed that discrimination was anticipated on 21 per cent of days, suggesting it is a relatively common part of everyday life -- and that some groups were more likely to anticipate discrimination. Racial minorities reported higher levels, as did people who had experienced more discrimination in the past.
The study also examined what happens when anticipated discrimination actually occurs. People who expected discrimination more frequently rated actual discrimination experiences as more stressful than people who didn't expect as much discrimination in their daily life. They also experienced larger increases in physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and muscle soreness.
"There's been some debate about whether anticipating stress can help people prepare," said Ong. "But what we found is that, in this case, it actually amplified the stress response."
Anticipation may trigger physiological stress responses even before any event takes place, said senior author Dr. Nancy Sin, associate professor in UBC's department of psychology.
"We know from past research that anticipatory stress can also affect cortisol levels, sleep and cardiovascular health," said Dr. Sin. "Those changes can shape how people feel physically and how they interpret sensations in their bodies."
Over time, these patterns may contribute to broader health impacts. Previous studies, including work by Ong and Dr. Sin, have linked frequent experiences of everyday discrimination to declines in well-being, poorer sleep, higher inflammation, accelerated biological aging, the development of chronic conditions and increased risk of early death.
"There can be a chain reaction where past experiences lead people to anticipate discrimination more, which affects stress and health over time," said Ong.
The researchers emphasize that the findings should not be interpreted as a problem of individual perception, but as a broader societal issue.
"We don't want to place the burden on people to try and stop anticipating discrimination," said Ong. "These expectations are shaped by real experiences and broader social conditions."
This work points to the importance of creating more welcoming and inclusive environments -- whether in workplaces, schools, healthcare or community settings -- where people are less likely to expect unfair treatment in the first place, said Dr. Sin.
"Anticipating discrimination is a natural response. It reflects the realities that people face every day," said Dr. Sin.
The research, "Anticipated discrimination in daily life: Predictors, stress appraisals, and responses," was published on April 2 in PLOS One. Co-authors include Drs. Megan W. Wolk and Patrick L. Hill from Washington University in St. Louis; Anthony L. Burrow from Cornell University; and Monika Lohani from the University of Utah.
