Emotions and ailments

Surprisingly, emotions can have an effect on diseases that might seem beyond the power of the mind to influence. Cholera is a classic example, first recognized by Dr. A.T.W. Simeons, a British physician who practiced for some time in India. In his book, Man's Presumptuous Brain (1960), Dr. Simeons pointed out that in a cholera epidemic the very old and the very young survive. Though endowed with greater powers of resistance, those in the prime of life are the chief victims.

The explanation illustrates the awesome power of mind over matter.

The cholera bacillus flourishes in an alkaline medium that, when taken into the body, is normally killed by stomach acids. But fear and worry can alter the rate of acid secretion in the stomach. In a cholera epidemic, young people worry the most, being the breadwinners. Tragically, the worry created by their sense of responsibility alters the acid content of their stomachs, allowing the cholera bacilli to slip through into the alkaline haven of the small intestine. Babies who are oblivious to their illness and the aged who aren't bothered about whether they live or not, survive because their stomachs continue to secrete acid normally.

Reviewing the relationship between personality, stress and death from cancer and heart disease, H.J. Eysenck (1988) found that stress was a potent cause of death-stressed individuals having a 40 per cent higher death rate than non-stressed ones.

Response to stress is not static. It fluctuates and changes as the person interacts with and responds to the stressor. At the workplace, stressed people could be prone to 'desk rage'-flinging whatever comes to hand at colleagues, across the room or on their tables.

"Stress can be subdivided into constructive stress and destructive stress. The former is positive and a good motivator. It increases productivity and efficiency, besides providing stimulation. Destructive stress is counterproductive and detrimental to both psyche and body," Dr Chugh elaborates.

Needless to say, stress affects a negative person's performance in a well-defined manner. This effect is referred to as the Yerkes-Dodson law, which states that as arousal increases, performance improves and with further increase in arousal, performance drops. Stress also effects their behavior by boosting the activity level. Besides, the individual attempts to engage in coping behavior.

Stress and gender

Does stress tend to affect the male of the species more than the female? Opinions vary, since there are differentiating factors between the sexes. All parameters being equal, however, the preponderant view is that women are more adept at handling stress, thanks to better coping mechanisms.

"Statistics do not really bear this out though my personal and professional opinion is that females handle stressors better than men do," opines Dr. Chugh.

Sukhdeepak Malvai, a corporate consultant, firmly believes that: "Men seem to be more stress prone. They are more likely to get into other things that add to stress-like alcoholism or smoking. Of course, I'm not implying that women don't indulge in these. Women are better equipped to deal with emotional issues. Men find it difficult to express anxiety and sorrow; women are more apt to do so. On the other hand, women undergo a lot more stress of another kind as they have to constantly prove they are as good as their male peers."

Agrees D.D. Rajdev, the CEO of Fibcom India Ltd.: "I feel women are much better at handling stress, with a higher level of tolerance. Most men end up expressing stress in some other way."

Ex-journalist Anandi Iyer echoes similar sentiments: "Women tend to have more stress because they have to manage two worlds, home and career. So they are stretched and stressed a little more. But women manage to balance both worlds and have more tenacity. Men tend to flap, while women deal with stress more rationally."

Malvika Joshi, a general manager at Fibcom India, thinks otherwise: "I feel men handle stress equally well as women. Men are more composed and do not show stress. Women show it." But Janki Chopra perceives no gender benders: "Whoever has a mind that's not within control will have stress. Only the areas of stress will differ. Assuming that the level of desires between both sexes is the same, the stress will be the same."