Me, Myself, and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being

by Brian Little

The security staff, in their wisdom, remembered the events of the previous month, and from what I could tell from the residents of that corner of my building the next day, these custodians of campus safety did not chuckle. The following morning I went up the elevator to my office, and as soon as the door opened I saw my dean and the head of security waiting to intercept me. They proceeded to tell me that everything was okay now but that there had been an incident overnight at my office. Apparently security had seen the cigar box, button, and wires, and they had alerted the police. They came with a bomb squad and blew up my door. “Got her good,” said the head of security. I’m not entirely sure I will ever understand the logic of demolishing my door, but the whole event seemed symbolically expressive of the surreal month I had just experienced. I was able to rescue the cigar box with its big brass button, and I have stored it away as one of my prized possessions. It reminds me of the potential perils of professing and the strange complexity of seemingly simple buttons—both real and metaphorical.

Recognizing that it is the deeper trait of hostility rather than the surface traits of hurry sickness or workaholism that poses health risks has important practical implications.

Hurry Sickness :-)