Remember to ‘Stay Safe’

I've been wondering about the phrase we have been using lately, "Stay safe." Why do we say that? Do we think that our friends need to be reminded to do this? Are there people that are purposely not wanting to stay safe?

The phrase “Stay safe” is considered a well-wishing phrase. Dr. Douglas Gentile is a professor at Iowa State University who has studied well-wishing phrases. He states that such phrases, along with good hopes, function as an admonition.

In a recent study, Gentile found that there are benefits to well-wishing phrases. Individuals who wished others well reported greater feelings for connectedness than the control or experimental group. Also, the well-wishing group felt greater levels of happiness and empathy and lower levels of anxiety.

Are we saying “stay safe” for our benefit or for others? It looks like when the “stay safe” phrase is used with personal hopes specific to the person, it does have positive effects.

There is a difference between saying, “stay safe” and “Stay safe when you go to the store. I hope everyone is wearing a mask.” Adding personal hopes gives the phrase stronger meaning. It shows you are specifically sending well-wishes to them, not just anyone.

The phrase “stay safe” has become the official greeting or sign-off of COVID-19 texts and emails for almost everyone. Most recently it has become a common well-wishing phrase when addressing the latest snow and Siberian cold air we have experienced.

The phrase has become a coping strategy for all of us that is free, and can be used anytime. The benefits of saying, “Stay safe” were suggested to be mostly for our own benefit, unless we convey original-phrased hopes for others.

Who has the time or energy these days to create personal conveyance of hope for all correspondence? I don’t either. Just remember to, “stay safe.”

Dr. Shari Beecher, PhD. is a contributor to KTFP. Dr. Beecher is a psychologist and owner of Platinum Research and Consulting in Kingfisher, OK.