Photo by millicent bystander 

According to an Oprah Magazine article by Martha Beck, "secrets are like stars: they're hot, volatile concentrations of energy and they have two ways of dying." The first is the often-told "white lie" that "simply burn out and cool off". The second is a more major lie which is likened to a massive stars that "collapse in on themselves, growing so dense that they create an immense gravitational vortex from which even light can't escape. They become black holes".

According to a book by Gail Saltz, MD called "Anatomy of a Secret Life: The Psychology of Living a Lie, even a relatively minor lie can cause the keepers of the secret to withdraw from others, exhibit strange moods and isolate themselves completely.

Beck says that keeping secrets is very stressful and has well-documented physiological effects such as a decrease in immune function and even how long we live. Holding on to a secret for a long time can diminish our capacity for intimacy and openness.

Revealing secrets is liberating and also frees up energy often used to keep the secret in the dark.