Do Men and Women Stress Differently?
When you reach that long-awaited intersection and don't know where to turn, do you take the chance that you'll choose correctly or roll down the window to ask for help? Men will usually proceed without asking for directions, while women more readily seek out assistance. However, this classic scenario illustrates more than just a battle of the sexes. What it brings to mind may actually boil down to differences in stress management.
Because female hormone levels were believed to be too diverse to yield consistent results, stress research focused only on males. Consequently, it was assumed that females also confronted stress using the "fight-or-flight" reflex. This reflex involves aggressive behavior such as verbal threats, physical violence, or "shutting down" and withdrawal from the stressful situation. However, thanks to the federal government's change of policy in 1995 to include females, researchers have since found that the sexes do handle stress differently.
The Biology In " Stress-o-logy "
Recent UCLA research on the biological and behavioral responses of thousands of humans and animals finds that females will attend to the care of offspring and seek companionship instead of using "fight-or-flight" tactics to cope with stress. This "tend-and-befriend" behavior probably evolved in females through natural selection because "fight-or-flight" tactics endangered pregnancy and the survival of offspring.
Specifically, it may have something to do with the hormones cortisol and oxytocin. Duke University Research shows that for women, the birth of a first child increases the stress-related hormone cortisol and stays at the increased level until long after the nest is empty. More cortisol seemingly allows women to take on the pressures of juggling home and office work. Oxytocin is released in both sexes during times of stress, but UCLA researchers find that women's estrogen enhances the hormone's soothing effect, causing women to be more social and less anxious. Male hormones only seem to weaken this effect.
Live Long With Stress Support
Men are more susceptible than women to the negative effects of stress. Also, they often refrain from seeking help with health problems. The unwillingness to talk about feelings that is characteristic of "fight-or-flight" behavior could help explain why men are at a greater risk of developing heart disease and stress-related disorders involving hypertension or drug and alcohol abuse. Women generally live about seven and a half years longer than men. "Tend-and-befriend" behavior may contribute to women's longevity because seeking social support reduces the stress reaction.
Learning to manage stress is a slow, measured process. Successful stress management involves identifying and understanding one's stressors, and developing effective coping skills and positive attitudes in order to become more resilient when facing life's demands.