Think

Not all stress is bad and not all stress is bad for you. Sometimes we look forward to certain notoriously stressful events—like getting married, having children, moving, starting a new job, even divorce! We also know that we tend to perform our best when there is some pressure on us but not too much.

There are many factors that contribute to how people respond to stressful events including what the events are, the amount of stress that happens within a given time period, and specific personality traits. There are also different ways of measuring the effects of stress such as job performance, social functioning, physical health, and emotional well-being. I’m going to focus mainly on the latter two. 

Although it is true that there is a correlation between the amount of stress people experience and health problems, that doesn’t necessarily mean that stress causes illness. In fact, many people are remarkably resilient even after experiencing major trauma or loss. For example, studies of bereaved spouses typically find that fewer than half show signs of significant, long-term distress and most show no signs of clinical depression.

Clearly, some people do not cope as well as others, and personality plays a part. It has been found, for example, that people who are prone to negative moods are more likely to experience life difficulties and health problems. But it has not been established that life difficulties and health problems cause negative moods. In other words, it appears that being negative or pessimistic puts you at risk for health problems—not the other way around.

This is likely due to the subjective nature of stressful events. It is the negative interpretation of the event that compromises the immune system and leads to health problems—not the event itself. Fortunately, studies show most people are optimists, even when faced with potentially life-threatening circumstances. Research indicates that optimistic people react better to stress and are generally healthier than pessimists.

Another factor that is important in our culture is perceived control. A high sense of perceived control, where we feel we can influence outcomes in our lives, is associated with good physical and mental health. But when people feel that they have lost control (e.g., being placed in a nursing home against their wishes), they often deteriorate rapidly and sometimes die unless some measure of control is regained.

A related concept is self-efficacy. This is the belief in your ability to carry out specific actions that will produce a desired outcome. High self-efficacy is associated with greater success in lifestyle change efforts such as quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol, and exercising regularly.

Another factor that has been linked to health problems, specifically coronary heart disease, is Type A personality. Type A persons are typically competitive, impatient, aggressive, control-oriented, and hostile. Of these characteristics, recent studies suggest that hostility—not simply a fast-paced lifestyle—appears to be the culprit.

It may be encouraging to know that research also shows it is possible for people to improve the skills needed to cope with stress without changing one’s basic personality.  

Scott