Stress and gender differences

July 3rd, 2009, 6:00 am · 3 Comments · posted by Courtney Perkes

smoking-man In these unsettling economic times, new research from USC indicates that men take more risks when they’re stressed, which can result in more gambling, smoking, unsafe sex and drug use.

Women, however, become more cautious when feeling stressed and play it safe.

The study involved having participants inflate a balloon for 5 cents a pump. They could cash out at any time, but balloons would explode at random times, and all winnings would be lost. Men in the stress group inflated their balloons 30 percent more than the women in the stress group.

“Some risk taking was necessary to make gains, but excessive risk was associated with diminishing returns. If you always clicked and never cashed out, you would lose every time,” said Nichole Lighthall, lead author of the paper.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, men are more likely than women to smoke, drink, put off health check ups and engage in risky behavior. The Mayo Clinic reports that 25 percent of Americans say most of their stress comes from work.

Introducing addictive chemicals into the brain also increases risk taking, said Dr. Daniel Headrick, an addiction medicine specialist and CEO of Pacific Coast Recovery Center at Mission Hospital Laguna Beach.

“Your impulse control physiology in your brain changes and your judgment center changes,” Headrick said. “You start doing pretty crazy things. Once you start pumping a drug into your brain, it doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman; you’re going to take a lot more risks.”

Headrick said stress relief measures including proper diet, exercise, sleep, prayer and meditation are important for everyone during times of stress or depression. He said when it comes to addiction, men are more likely to experiment with drugs, but both sexes have the same likelihood of developing addiction.

“It comes down to more of a genetic thing,” Headrick said.

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