LONDON : Men who bottle up frustrations about unfair treatment at work are twice as likely to have a heart attack, a study published in Britain on Tuesday suggests.
Those who express their feelings openly, for example by getting angry, have no increased risk of heart problems, said the study which warned of the dangers of "covert coping."
"Covert coping is strongly related to increased risk of hard-endpoint cardiovascular disease," said the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The research, led by experts at the Stress Research Unit at Stockholm University, grouped men according to how they react to conflict, including by saying nothing, walking away, or taking their anger out at home later.
Men who sometimes or always walked away from conflict had three times the risk of a heart attack or dying from heart disease, while overall those who avoided conflict had twice as high a risk.
In contrast those who reacted to unfair treatment in an open way, such as talking directly to the person with whom they were in conflict or getting angry, had no increased risk of heart attack, it said.
"We all find different things stressful and symptoms of stress can vary," said Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, responding to the study.
"But the important thing is that we need to find ways of coping with it in our lives in a positive way, whether at work or home," she added.
The average age of the more than 2,700 participants was 41 at the start of the study. None had had a heart attack when screening started in 1992. But by 2003, 47 had suffered a heart attack or died from heart disease.
- AFP/il
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1020389/1/.html
I am speculating a link between depression and unhealthy eating in these cases. Picture this; unhappy man comes home to nagging wife, gets more stressed and starts drowning in alcohol and potato chips. There could be many other factors of course.
Culturally speaking, it seems hard for Asian men to show true emotions. The Chinese saying ‘Men bleeds but does not cry’ says this too well. Asian society has drawn out the roles for men and women. These are roles that, despite the huge wave of modernization, refuse to be washed away and stand stubbornly in many corners of many Asian societies.
Another factor of stress is the increasing amount of pressure put upon working adults in today’s offices. As time progresses, people’s lives become faster and there is an expectancy for people to work faster and create better results. There are more who become increasingly stressed, and a horrifying pattern of suicide cases start to add on.
Anger and sadness are strong emotions that can affect the mind and body. These emotions can not just lead to heart problems as presented in this article, but depression, which can lead to equally disastrous consequences.
It has also been shown in other research that laughter, and expressing your true emotions can give you a longer life. Also, being happier also means having a healthier quality of life.
Moral of the story: Emotional management is an important skill we all need to learn.
In time to come, we see ourselves learning to adapt better and as men evolve, perhaps they begin to see the significance of expressing oneself. Hopefully, in time to come, we will all learn to be more expressive in our emotions
Learning to laugh can help alot. Confront the problems that bother you and try and share it with a friend, remember not to keep these feelings to yourself. Laughing and enjoying humorous entertainment never seemed to hurt either.
Confronting your emotions does not mean having to shed your manly image, it could mean to just take things at a slower pace and not let yourself be burdened by your workload. You can choose to lead a stress free lifestyle.
Those who express their feelings openly, for example by getting angry, have no increased risk of heart problems, said the study which warned of the dangers of "covert coping."
"Covert coping is strongly related to increased risk of hard-endpoint cardiovascular disease," said the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The research, led by experts at the Stress Research Unit at Stockholm University, grouped men according to how they react to conflict, including by saying nothing, walking away, or taking their anger out at home later.
Men who sometimes or always walked away from conflict had three times the risk of a heart attack or dying from heart disease, while overall those who avoided conflict had twice as high a risk.
In contrast those who reacted to unfair treatment in an open way, such as talking directly to the person with whom they were in conflict or getting angry, had no increased risk of heart attack, it said.
"We all find different things stressful and symptoms of stress can vary," said Judy O'Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, responding to the study.
"But the important thing is that we need to find ways of coping with it in our lives in a positive way, whether at work or home," she added.
The average age of the more than 2,700 participants was 41 at the start of the study. None had had a heart attack when screening started in 1992. But by 2003, 47 had suffered a heart attack or died from heart disease.
- AFP/il
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/health/view/1020389/1/.html
I am speculating a link between depression and unhealthy eating in these cases. Picture this; unhappy man comes home to nagging wife, gets more stressed and starts drowning in alcohol and potato chips. There could be many other factors of course.
Culturally speaking, it seems hard for Asian men to show true emotions. The Chinese saying ‘Men bleeds but does not cry’ says this too well. Asian society has drawn out the roles for men and women. These are roles that, despite the huge wave of modernization, refuse to be washed away and stand stubbornly in many corners of many Asian societies.
Another factor of stress is the increasing amount of pressure put upon working adults in today’s offices. As time progresses, people’s lives become faster and there is an expectancy for people to work faster and create better results. There are more who become increasingly stressed, and a horrifying pattern of suicide cases start to add on.
Anger and sadness are strong emotions that can affect the mind and body. These emotions can not just lead to heart problems as presented in this article, but depression, which can lead to equally disastrous consequences.
It has also been shown in other research that laughter, and expressing your true emotions can give you a longer life. Also, being happier also means having a healthier quality of life.
Moral of the story: Emotional management is an important skill we all need to learn.
In time to come, we see ourselves learning to adapt better and as men evolve, perhaps they begin to see the significance of expressing oneself. Hopefully, in time to come, we will all learn to be more expressive in our emotions
Learning to laugh can help alot. Confront the problems that bother you and try and share it with a friend, remember not to keep these feelings to yourself. Laughing and enjoying humorous entertainment never seemed to hurt either.
Confronting your emotions does not mean having to shed your manly image, it could mean to just take things at a slower pace and not let yourself be burdened by your workload. You can choose to lead a stress free lifestyle.
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