Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: A Guide to Stress, Stress Related Diseases, and Coping

Scientists from various disciplines have contributed to the pool of stress research. Such research has provided relatively definitive insight on the impacts of short-term stress, but not as much is known about the implications of chronic psychological stress. Bioengineers deciphered the mechanisms underlying short-term physical stress, and later it was found that psychological perspectives can modulate stress, leading one physiologist, John Mason, to declare that all stress is psychological stress (254). While this idea was rejected by many in the field, psychological factors became critical to the scientific conversations surrounding stress.

Stress outlets—like exercise, creating art, or lashing out with displaced aggression—reduce the stress-response by distracting a person from the stress and by reminding them that the stress will pass. Exercise is particularly effective because the stress-response is meant to prepare the body for intense physical exertion. Studies show that those with higher social support have lower levels of stress hormones, while those who are isolated have a more sensitive stress-response. Socially-isolated individuals are also more likely to develop cardiovascular issues and, subsequently, to experience premature death, and minority individuals are more likely to experience mental illness.

Sometimes the stress-response can be decreased when the stressor is predictable, and one study found that unpredictable rewards can trigger the release of stress hormones.