If you’re stressed, there’s no need to hide it. According to recent research, showing signs of anxiety may improve the response you receive from others.

People frequently touch their faces and hair, twist their mouths, lick their lips, and bite their nails, among other minor habits that are associated with nervousness. 133 participants were asked by Jamie Whitehouse, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University, to assess fake interviews that showed these tendencies. As predicted, the interviewees’ level of anxiety could easily be observed by viewers, and this appeared to be due to those recognizable nonverbal indicators. In addition, a recent study by assistant professor Christopher Thorstenson of Rochester Institute of Technology found that a small blush on the face increased the rating of embarrassment and sincerity, which also raised the likelihood that people would be forgiven. However, how people respond to our nonverbal messages will differ depending on the circumstance. Coworkers who see us scowling at the office may wrongly interpret our stress signals as rage without any indication of the source of our troubles.

By learning to accept our anxiety, we may stop worrying about it. It’s safe to assume that the person who receives our hints will react more positively than we could have possibly predicted.