Film Stress: Portrait Of A Killer

Stress, as classified by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is the tension or worry caused by problems in your life (Webster, I. 2003). It was once used as survival mechanism long ago, but now a burden to our lives and killer to our bodies. In today’s age, stress is the cause of 60% of all human illnesses and can be recognized as one of the top killer diseases (Stress is Killing You 2012).

Pages 334 and 335 in our textbook talks about the two different kinds of stress, distress and eustress. Distress occurs when catastrophes happen that cause extreme amounts of stress and fear. They could also occur when we face hassles or daily annoyances that cause small aggravations or irritations resulting in stress. Eustress is the stress caused by positive events that cause a person to adapt. When a
positive event occurs that causes change in lifestyles or habits then stress is created. For an example, going to college and moving out of your parents’ house is a positive change for most. It’s a change in lifestyle and could also be a change in scenery if you are moving to a different city.

In the documentary Stress: Portrait of a Killer, Dr.
Robert Sapolsky warns people of the consequences that dealing with stress can cause. He makes the comparison between a zebra running for its life to a human using the same amount of stress for minor psychological states. Sapolsky claims that hierarchy is the reason behind most stress and I agree with his standpoint. Your ranking, whether it be in social class, family, or politics can cause stress through many shapes and forms. Sapolsky’s work shows that the higher ranking baboons are less susceptible to stress-related diseases. I think the same can be said for social classes. The higher people in the hierarchy don't have to stress as much because they are already popular. However, the lower ranking individuals are stressed about making the right friends and wearing the right things in order to improve their rank in hierarchy. He also suggests that stress is found when there is a lack of control or events that are beyond the control of the individual. This is a kind of stress that I can say consumes most of my life. As much as I try to let things be and go with the flow, it stresses me out to be out of control and
vulnerable.

The studies in the book and the studies from the documentary are really quite different. The book says that stress is mainly caused by events in your life. Sapolsky’s appeal about lack of control is fairly similar to the book’s understanding of stress. The documentary claimed stress can come from hierarchy and ability to keep control. While Sapolsky’s studies can be related to many aspects of life (like in with friends or in the work field), I can see myself needing the information in the book because I will soon graduate high school and start at UNCW this fall. These changes create stress because you are having to adapt to living on your own and learn your way around the new school and town. I will be able to cope with this eustress using the problem-focused coping strategy. I can meet fellow students and make new friends and ask locals and professors about places in the city.

In today’s age, there are plenty of things to cause humans to stress. Whether it be distress or eustress, it is imperative that we learn how to turn off our stress mechanisms and cope with the stress that does occur. Having positive outlooks on life and taking control of the things that stress you like hierarchy and lack of control are just two of many ways to improve your stress level. As studies done by Sapolsky and others have shown, a life with less stress is a life enjoyed and treasured.