Preparations are underway at the University of Nevada for the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday night, the last time that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will go head to head on a national stage before election day. 

Certainly a big day for both candidates, as well as voters, especially those who may be facing anxiety or stress due to the nature of this election year. The American Psychological Association reports that 52 percent of American adults say that the 2016 election year is a very or somewhat significant source of stress. The survey was conducted online among adults 18 years or older living in the U.S.

Dr. Paul Bolls, the associate director of the Texas Tech Center for Communication Research, says as a citizen, he’s not looking forward to Wednesday night’s debate, but as a researcher, he’s interested to see the behavioral responses to the debate. 

“One thing that has made this election cycle so different from recent campaigns is the intensity of negative emotion,” said Bolls, who says students and even colleagues of his have come up to him saying this election is “consuming their lives.”
 
One source that both Bolls and the APA survey attribute to all the stress: social media.
 
“You really can’t escape coverage or commentary on the election,” said Bolls. “Pretty much every individual can be their own media company sending out their own content and commentary.
 
“We need to figure out how to talk to each other in a more agreeable and productive manner that advances democracy, and that leads to all of us feeling better about how everything is going from a political perspective.”
 
In addition, Bolls also advises working on how parents and relatives discuss the election in front of children. 
 
“For a certain age of the population this is being set as their ‘normal,’ which is kind of scary thing.” 
 
Doctor Zachary Hohman, a TTU professor of psychological sciences, advises voters to “detach” some. 
 
“We’re seeing this at a level we’re not used to seeing,” said Dr. Hohman. “Detach from social media, maybe not watch all of the clips of everything that’s coming out right now. It doesn’t mean to completely unplug from what’s going on, but don’t obsess about it, don’t ruminate about it, that’s when we get this stress and anxiety going.” 
 
The third and final presidential debate will air Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
 
On Wednesday, Dr. Bolls and his colleagues will be conducting a study over the debate and are calling on community members to participate. They are looking for independent and undecided voters; participants will be paid $50 for their time during the debate, and an additional $20 if they choose to participate in a focus group after the debate. If you are interested in participating, you’re encouraged to email Dr. Bolls for more details: paul.bolls@ttu.edu