Book review for Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping by Robert M. Sapolsky
Synopsis: Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers vividly explains the biology behind stress and its impact on our lives, functioning as an effective way to deal with immediate problems, while also posing serious health risks in the long run. The author also offers plenty of practical tips on how to keep stress under control.
Humans, unlike zebras, feel and create stress with the help of our complex brains by envisioning problems in the future (conjuring up intense situations like traffic jams, upcoming deadlines, the mortgage payment, or tense arguments) which other mammals don’t experience. From a evolutionary perspective, sustained psychological stress is a very recent phenomenon. Stress then is not only bad in itself but has effects on our cardiovascular system, insulin production, reproduction, and our overall health.
The author goes into how stress originates as an acute response to physical crises, but also imaginary things. Our brains autonomic nervous system (two systems that work in opposition to each other) manages the way we respond to and recover from stress. The way these systems interact is crucial to how we respond to stress. When under stress, the body prioritizes short-term, high-cost actions over long-term projects. These protective measures, while helpful, also are taxing on the body in the long run. Stress speeds up our blood flow, making us more likely to develop arterial and heart diseases. Then the stress of transferring energy in the body increases the risk of diabetes which can lead to other illnesses. Stress produces changes in the brain that resemble depression and make recovery from trauma more difficult.
Our intricate reproductive system is easily affected by stress, leading to problems for both men and women. Stress is unavoidable, so understanding and balancing our stress response systems is key. We need to take responsibility for the things we can control and providing social support can have a strong stress reducing effect.
The book has detailed how isolated instances like fleeing predators or pre-test anxiety contribute to stress; but poverty, goes beyond isolated incidents and thereby causes chronic stress. Note that our place in society affects stress levels and has a great impact on resistance to illness and mortality rates. The author points out a study of elderly nuns that lived in the exact same conditions for fifty years which had disparity that endures even after out of poverty and stays in the body through old age. Income inequality promotes lack of trust and social cohesion, which translates into worse health for the wealthy and the poor. Just constantly comparing yourself to those around you can create stress even for the rich.
This book did well at describing the physiological processes in regard to how stress is handled in the body and how we can relieve it. I especially enjoyed how both giving and receiving social support is an extremely effective preventative measure against stressors which is why married people are generally more healthy than single people. All in all, we need to find a personal outlet for stress and do it regularly. Read this book in its entirety for a plethora of examples making it easier to understand and remember. Get it here.
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