As we read an article about stress in class today, I'd like to look at some of the studies they mention in the article relating to how inequality and perception of control correlates with stress. These studies found that when someone feels they have less control over their lives, they suffer from more negative effects of stress.
One study they mentioned was the Whitehall studies from 1967 and 1978. They studied thousands of British government workers who had very specific rankings of power, so they knew exactly where they stood in terms of their control of their jobs. This study found that the low power did not directly cause the stress, but instead made the lower power people believe they had less control over their health. They resigned themselves to the fact that they had no control over their health because they had no control over their jobs, so actually smoked and drank more. So in reality, it is not the actual power that affects the symptoms of stress, but the perception of control would lead to the negative effects of stress.
Source: http://scienceblogs.com/thepumphandle/2012/10/03/inequality-stress-and-health-the-whitehall-studies/
Another study mentioned was the one by Sapolsky in which he studied monkeys in Kenya. He found that in the pack, the lowest ranking monkeys actually had more indications of stress, including higher blood pressure, higher cholesterol, and higher cortisol. Again this was not necessarily the direct power that affected them, but the fact that they would be picked on by the higher-up monkeys, and were always on edge, making them have the negative chronic stress.
Source: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2007/march7/sapolskysr-030707.html
Thanks for this post Nathan, it is very interesting! It makes sense that people in lower positions in jobs and social structure have more stress because they feel less powerful and less in control. Although, I find it very interesting that those in higher positions do not feel as much stress as those in lower positions. Those with higher rankings have more pressure to get their job done well, and still make sure the people that work for them do their work as well. Because of this, I feel like people with middle rankings would have the least amount of stress, since they have good jobs and less pressure.
ReplyDeleteSplendid job Nathan, you did a nice job finding other sources that have done research on the topic which is every prevalent on our minds, and gone further than what we covered in class. Indeed there are two parts to the spectrum of stress, as Rachel states, and possibly to synthesize both of your points I would point to this: https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-wsh.aspx The source points out both what you gave to us, and what Rachel suggested. I hope that it benefits you in some way, shape, and form, assuming you want to expand upon this.
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