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A reaction to stress predicts health in the future
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Contrary to popular belief, stress does not cause health problems - it's people's reaction to stressors, which determine whether a person will have health problems, say researchers at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We found that how a person reacts to what is happening in his life today, predicts his chronic illness after 10 years. And in the future it depends on how well the person feels now, and also on the experiences due to stressful situations, "said David Almeida, professor of human development and family research. "For example, if today you have to do a lot of work and this makes you very angry and makes you nervous, then in ten years you have a better chance of having health problems compared to a person who is in the same situation, but reacts calmly to it."
Dr. Almeida and his colleagues conducted a study with the help of which they traced the relationship between stressful events in everyday life, people's reactions to these events and their health and well-being 10 years later.
In particular, the authors interviewed 2,000 people every evening for eight consecutive days and asked participants to describe in detail all that had happened to them in the previous 24 hours. They asked the subjects about their health, the events that occurred during the day and those moments that worried them and made them survive the alarming moments. Also experts collected samples of saliva from all participants - four samples each for four different days. With the help of saliva analysis, scientists could determine the level of cortisol - a stress hormone.
After lengthy studies that began in 1995 and continued in 2005, scientists were able to draw conclusions about how the events that occurred ten years ago can affect health and well-being now.
Scientists have found that people who experience stress daily and are accustomed to dwell on unpleasant situations suffer from chronic diseases, especially those associated with pain, for example, arthritis or cardiovascular problems, much more often than those who do not take to heart unpleasant situations.
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