causes of stress in modern life. essay

Stress and Its Effects on Health Essay

Introduction, physical effects, psychological effects, behavioral effects.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. The challenging or compelling situations are termed stressors. Stressors can be internal or external and include life changes such as losing a significant figure, low socioeconomic status, relationship problems, occupational challenges, and familial or environmental factors. An individual’s response to stressors influences the outcome of their life. Health is a state of complete social, emotional, and physical well-being and not merely the absence of disease. Stress is a common risk factor for negative health status secondary to negative adaptation and coping with the stressors. Stressors can create a strain on one’s physical, psychological and behavioral well-being, leading to lasting effects that are detrimental to one’s health.

Stress is associated with various physical health impacts on an individual. In an online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020) to determine the association between stress and the physical and psychological health of police officers, the findings illustrate that stress negatively impacts physical and psychological well-being. One hundred and thirty-four police officers were involved in the study (Keech et al., 2020). The findings demonstrate that stress resulted in various short and long-term physical effects that included increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. In addition, stress resulted in the development of gastrointestinal disorders such as peptic ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome. Keech et al. (2020) note that stress’s associated physical health effects are explained by various mechanisms that include overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system results in increased sympathetic actions on the peripheral body organs leading to increased sweat production, heart rate, respiration rate, and urinary and bowel elimination. The study notes that chronic stress without positive adaptation measures results in the progressive development of hypertension, peptic ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome as long-term effects (Keech et al., 2020). Within the gastrointestinal tract, chronic stress activity on the sympathetic nervous system results in increased parietal cell action. Overactivity of the parietal cells results in excessive gastric acid production, gradually eroding the mucosa, and ulceration occurs.

The effects of stress on the cardiovascular system are explained in a review by Kivimäki & Steptoe (2017) to determine the impact of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. In the review, stress is identified to cause cardiovascular conditions secondary to the effects of sustained sympathetic action on heart contractility and peripheral vascular resistance (Kivimäki & Steptoe, 2017). The sympathetic nervous system contributes to normal heart and blood vessel contractility. However, when the system is overstimulated, a surge in contractility above the normal limits ensues, leading to the progressive development of heart conditions.

Psychological well-being incorporates a positive mental health status evidenced by an individual’s satisfaction with life, happiness, rational thinking and decision-making, and positive mood patterns. Stress has been associated with alterations in an individual’s psychological wellness. An explanation for alteration in an individual’s psychological well-being secondary to stress is negative adaptation. Keech et al. (2020) note that an individual’s response to a stressor determines whether stress results in positive or negative effects. In the online cross-sectional survey by Keech et al. (2020), the findings illustrate that pressure resulted in the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders as long-term effects among the participants. Exposure to stressful situations resulted in progressively developing anxiety among the individual secondary to persistent worry over the issue. The anxiety results in other physical manifestations, including increased heart rate, palpitations, sweating, and altered mobility. Depression and bipolar conditions were also associated with chronic stress secondary to the impacts of stress on neurotransmitter function and nerves.

Similar findings are noted in a cross-sectional study by Zhang et al. (2020) to compare the prevalence and severity of stress-associated mental health symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. Five hundred and twenty-four healthcare workers were involved in the study. The study findings illustrate that 31.3% of the participants developed depression secondary to the stressful working environment, 41.2% reported anxiety, and 39.3% reported sleep disturbances (Zhang et al., 2020). The scientific explanation for the relationship between stress and depression was attributed to the effects of stressful periods on neurotransmitter homeostasis. Chronic stress results in the altered regulation of neurotransmitters in the central nervous system. Alterations in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine resulted in the progressive development of depression and anxiety. Sleep disturbances reported by the participants are attributed to alterations in cortisol hormone homeostasis secondary to overstimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

Stressful situations can also lead to alterations in the behavioral patterns of an individual. The most common behavioral effects secondary to stress include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and drug abuse especially alcohol. Alterations in sleep and eating patterns are linked to stress’s effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA). Exposure to stressful events leads to increased activation of the HPA axis with a net effect of increased catecholamine production (adrenaline and noradrenaline) (Moustafa et al., 2018). Increased adrenaline and noradrenaline production results in dysregulation in the eating and sleeping patterns. Sustained high levels of cortisol results in difficulty falling asleep and increased metabolic processes. The biological clock regulates the typical sleeping pattern that relies on producing the sleep hormone melatonin. Melatonin production by the pineal gland is regulated indirectly by the concentration of serum cortisol levels and directly by light perception. Imbalances in the serum concentration cycle secondary to stress results in imbalanced melatonin production and concentration with a net effect of sleeping difficulties.

The emotional strain caused by stress increases the risk of alcohol and other illicit drug use and dependence. Moustafa et al. (2018) conducted an integrative literature review to determine the relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse. The review findings illustrate that stress increases the risk of alcohol and drug use, addiction, and abuse among the victims. An explanation for the increased risk is the individuals’ lack of identification and implementation of effective coping strategies (Moustafa et al., 2018). Lack of effective coping strategies results in maladaptive measures such as illicit drug use and alcohol consumption. Extensive use of the maladaptive measures results in progressive addiction and drug abuse among individuals with an increased predisposition to other health effects. Alcohol consumption and other illicit drug use over time increase the risk of developing cardiac, respiratory, and liver conditions.

Stress is the emotional strain or tension experienced by an individual due to a reaction toward various demanding and influential situations. Individual response to stressors influences their health. Maladaptive response to stress results in various physical, psychological, and behavioral negative effects. Negative effects of stress on physical health include increased heart rates, sweating, high blood pressure, and long-term development of the cardiac condition. Psychological effects include the development of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorders. The behavioral effects of stress on an individual include the development of eating disorders, altered sleeping patterns, impaired concentration, and abuse of alcohol and other drugs. Based on the research findings, it is essential for healthcare providers to identify strategic measures and health initiatives to educate and sensitize the community members on effective stress management approaches in all settings to aid in combating the health effects.

Keech, J. J., Cole, K. L., Hagger, M. S., & Hamilton, K. (2020). The association between stress mindset and physical and psychological well being: Testing a stress beliefs model in police officers . Psychology & Health , 35 (11), 1306-1325. Web.

Kivimäki, M., & Steptoe, A. (2017). Effects of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease . Nature Reviews Cardiology , 15 (4), 215–229. Web.

Moustafa, A. A., Parkes, D., Fitzgerald, L., Underhill, D., Garami, J., Levy-Gigi, E., Stramecki, F., Valikhani, A., Frydecka, D., & Misiak, B. (2018). The relationship between childhood trauma, early-life stress, and alcohol and drug use, abuse, and addiction: An integrative review . Current Psychology , 40 (2), 579–584. Web.

Zhang, X., Zhao, K., Zhang, G., Feng, R., Chen, J., Xu, D., Liu, X., Ngoubene-Italy, A. J., Huang, H., Liu, Y., Chen, L., & Wang, W. (2020). Occupational Stress and Mental Health: A comparison between frontline medical staff and non-frontline medical staff during the 2019 novel Coronavirus Disease outbreak . Frontiers in Psychiatry , 11 . Web.

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• Stress Essay

IELTS Stress Essay

This is a model IELTS stress essay. It is about stress in modern society and how to prevent it.

It is a causes and solutions type essay. In other words, you have to identify what causes stressand then suggest solutions.

Stress is now a major problem in many countries around the world.

What are some of the factors in modern society that cause this stress and how can we reduce it?

This type of essay lends itself to two body paragraphs - one explaining the causes and the next discussing some possible solutions.

As is important with any IELTS essay, you must always read the question carefully.

The topic is often narrowed down to a particular group of people or topic.

Narrowing Down the Topic

The key here is that ' modern society ' is mentioned.

If you just talk about stress in general but don't connect it to modern society you may be in danger of not fully answering the question .

You need to brainstorm some issues specific to the world we live in today that may result in stress.

What things effect us today that did not (or not too such an extent) 10, 20, 30 years ago?

Using Personal Pronouns

Also, you may notice that ' we ' is used a lot in the stress essay.

Remember an IELTS essay is not quite the same as an academic essay you will normally write. It is can be more personal as you only have your own experience to support your answer with.

You should avoid too many personal pronouns if possible such as ' I ' throughout the essay but you may wish to use this to give your opinion or examples from your own experience at times. This is ok, but don't overdo it.

This question specifically says how can ' we ' reduce it. So it is already making it personal. So it is ok to write about what all of us, or ' we ', can do.

Model Stress Essay

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

What are some of the factors in modern society that cause this stress, and how can we reduce it?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.

Write at least 250 words.

Stress Essay Model Answer

Stress is a problem that can have detrimental effects on many people’s lives, and there are various factors in modern society responsible for this. However, there are ways to limit the potential impacts.

The modern world we live in today presents us with many issues that we did not have to cope with in the past. Firstly, there are issues of terrorism that we are constantly confronted with in the media. Whether these are real or not, we are led to believe our lives are in constant danger, be it flying on a plane or travelling on public transport. Climate change is another worry that everyone has to face. The results of a significant rise in temperatures could radically affect our ways of life, and our children’s too. There are also more health issues to be concerned about than in the past, with rises in alzheimer’s, diabetes, and stroke to name but a few. All of these concerns can result in stress.

Tackling such problems will not be easy, but there are measures that can be taken. Governments and the media could play their part by ensuring that instead of persistently bombarding us with such negative images and information about the world in which we live, we are given more positive stories too. However, given this is unlikely to happen, we need to develop our own strategies to distract us from these influences. Of course exercising regularly is one thing we should do as this has been shown to increase endorphin levels and lead to feelings of happiness. Sleeping enough helps us to recuperate and restore our body. Finally, eating properly can improve our health and result in less worry about potential diseases.

All in all, although there are many factors around us today which lead to stress, we can take steps to reduce it. Given that the strains we face in modern society will likely get worse, ignoring it is not an option for many people.

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What Is Stress?

Your Body's Response to a Situation That Requires Attention or Action

Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

• Identifying
• Next in How Stress Impacts Your Health Guide How to Recognize Burnout Symptoms

Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical , emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or action. 

Everyone experiences stress to some degree. The way you respond to stress, however, makes a big difference to your overall well-being.

Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin

Sometimes, the best way to manage your stress involves changing your situation. At other times, the best strategy involves changing the way you respond to the situation.

Developing a clear understanding of how stress impacts your physical and mental health is important. It's also important to recognize how your mental and physical health affects your stress level.

Watch Now: 5 Ways Stress Can Cause Weight Gain

Signs of stress.

Stress can be short-term or long-term. Both can lead to a variety of symptoms, but chronic stress can take a serious toll on the body over time and have long-lasting health effects.

Some common signs of stress include:

• Changes in mood
• Clammy or sweaty palms
• Decreased sex drive
• Difficulty sleeping
• Digestive problems
• Feeling anxious
• Frequent sickness
• Grinding teeth
• Muscle tension, especially in the neck and shoulders
• Physical aches and pains
• Racing heartbeat

Identifying Stress

What does stress feel like? What does stress feel like? It often contributes to irritability, fear, overwork, and frustration. You may feel physically exhausted, worn out, and unable to cope.

Stress is not always easy to recognize, but there are some ways to identify some signs that you might be experiencing too much pressure. Sometimes stress can come from an obvious source, but sometimes even small daily stresses from work, school, family, and friends can take a toll on your mind and body.

If you think stress might be affecting you, there are a few things you can watch for:

• Psychological signs such as difficulty concentrating, worrying, anxiety, and trouble remembering
• Emotional signs such as being angry, irritated, moody, or frustrated
• Physical signs such as high blood pressure, changes in weight, frequent colds or infections, and changes in the menstrual cycle and libido
• Behavioral signs such as poor self-care, not having time for the things you enjoy, or relying on drugs and alcohol to cope

Stress vs. Anxiety

Stress can sometimes be mistaken for anxiety, and experiencing a great deal of stress can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Experiencing anxiety can make it more difficult to cope with stress and may contribute to other health issues, including increased depression, susceptibility to illness, and digestive problems.

Stress and anxiety contribute to nervousness, poor sleep, high blood pressure , muscle tension, and excess worry. In most cases, stress is caused by external events, while anxiety is caused by your internal reaction to stress. Stress may go away once the threat or the situation resolves, whereas anxiety may persist even after the original stressor is gone.

Causes of Stress

There are many different things in life that can cause stress. Some of the main sources of stress include work, finances, relationships, parenting, and day-to-day inconveniences.

Stress can trigger the body’s response to a perceived threat or danger, known as the fight-or-flight response .   During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released. This speeds the heart rate, slows digestion, shunts blood flow to major muscle groups, and changes various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength.

Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, the fight-or-flight response is now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate—like in traffic or during a stressful day at work.

When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response .   But in cases of chronic stress, the relaxation response doesn't occur often enough, and being in a near-constant state of fight-or-flight can cause damage to the body.

Stress can also lead to some unhealthy habits that have a negative impact on your health. For example, many people cope with stress by eating too much or by smoking. These unhealthy habits damage the body and create bigger problems in the long-term.  

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

On May 19, 2022, Verywell Mind hosted a virtual Mental Health in the Workplace webinar, hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW. If you missed it, check out  this recap  to learn ways to foster supportive work environments and helpful strategies to improve your well-being on the job.

Types of Stress

Not all types of stress are harmful or even negative. Some of the different types of stress that you might experience include:

• Acute stress : Acute stress is a very short-term type of stress that can either be positive or more distressing; this is the type of stress we most often encounter in day-to-day life.
• Chronic stress : Chronic stress is stress that seems never-ending and inescapable, like the stress of a bad marriage or an extremely taxing job; chronic stress can also stem from traumatic experiences and childhood trauma.
• Episodic acute stress : Episodic acute stress is acute stress that seems to run rampant and be a way of life, creating a life of ongoing distress.
• Eustress : Eustress is fun and exciting. It's known as a positive type of stress that can keep you energized. It's associated with surges of adrenaline, such as when you are skiing or racing to meet a deadline. 

4 Main Types of Stress:

The main harmful types of stress are acute stress, chronic stress, and episodic acute stress. Acute stress is usually brief, chronic stress is prolonged, and episodic acute stress is short-term but frequent. Positive stress, known as eustress, can be fun and exciting, but it can also take a toll.

Impact of Stress

Stress can have several effects on your health and well-being. It can make it more challenging to deal with life's daily hassles, affect your interpersonal relationships, and have detrimental effects on your health. The connection between your mind and body is apparent when you examine stress's impact on your life.

Feeling stressed over a relationship, money, or living situation can create physical health issues. The inverse is also true. Health problems, whether you're dealing with high blood pressure or diabetes , will also affect your stress level and mental health. When your brain experiences high degrees of stress , your body reacts accordingly.

Serious acute stress, like being involved in a natural disaster or getting into a verbal altercation, can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias, and even sudden death. However, this happens mostly in individuals who already have heart disease.

Stress also takes an emotional toll. While some stress may produce feelings of mild anxiety or frustration, prolonged stress can also lead to burnout , anxiety disorders , and depression.

Chronic stress can have a serious impact on your health as well. If you experience chronic stress, your autonomic nervous system will be overactive, which is likely to damage your body.

Stress-Influenced Conditions

• Heart disease
• Hyperthyroidism
• Sexual dysfunction
• Tooth and gum disease

Treatments for Stress

Stress is not a distinct medical diagnosis and there is no single, specific treatment for it. Treatment for stress focuses on changing the situation, developing stress coping skills , implementing relaxation techniques, and treating symptoms or conditions that may have been caused by chronic stress.

Some interventions that may be helpful include therapy, medication, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Press Play for Advice On Managing Stress

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast featuring professor Elissa Epel, shares ways to manage stress. Click below to listen now.

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / Amazon Music

Psychotherapy

Some forms of therapy that may be particularly helpful in addressing symptoms of stress including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) . CBT focuses on helping people identify and change negative thinking patterns, while MBSR utilizes meditation and mindfulness to help reduce stress levels.

Medication may sometimes be prescribed to address some specific symptoms that are related to stress. Such medications may include sleep aids, antacids, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Some complementary approaches that may also be helpful for reducing stress include acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, yoga, and meditation .

Coping With Stress

Although stress is inevitable, it can be manageable. When you understand the toll it takes on you and the steps to combat stress, you can take charge of your health and reduce the impact stress has on your life.

• Learn to recognize the signs of burnout. High levels of stress may place you at a high risk of burnout. Burnout can leave you feeling exhausted and apathetic about your job.   When you start to feel symptoms of emotional exhaustion, it's a sign that you need to find a way to get a handle on your stress.
• Try to get regular exercise. Physical activity has a big impact on your brain and your body . Whether you enjoy Tai Chi or you want to begin jogging, exercise reduces stress and improves many symptoms associated with mental illness.  
• Take care of yourself. Incorporating regular self-care activities into your daily life is essential to stress management. Learn how to take care of your mind, body, and spirit and discover how to equip yourself to live your best life.  
• Practice mindfulness in your life. Mindfulness isn't just something you practice for 10 minutes each day. It can also be a way of life. Discover how to live more mindfully throughout your day so you can become more awake and conscious throughout your life.  

If you or a loved one are struggling with stress, contact the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline  at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our  National Helpline Database .

Cleveland Clinic. Stress .

National institute of Mental Health. I'm so stressed out! Fact sheet .

Goldstein DS. Adrenal responses to stress .  Cell Mol Neurobiol . 2010;30(8):1433–1440. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9

Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, et al. Relaxation response and resiliency training and its effect on healthcare resource utilization [published correction appears in PLoS One . 2017 Feb 21;12 (2):e0172874].  PLoS One . 2015;10(10):e0140212. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140212

American Heart Association. Stress and Heart Health.

Chi JS, Kloner RA. Stress and myocardial infarction .  Heart . 2003;89(5):475–476. doi:10.1136/heart.89.5.475

Salvagioni DAJ, Melanda FN, Mesas AE, González AD, Gabani FL, Andrade SM. Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies .  PLoS One . 2017;12(10):e0185781. Published 2017 Oct 4. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185781

Bitonte RA, DeSanto DJ 2nd. Mandatory physical exercise for the prevention of mental illness in medical students .  Ment Illn . 2014;6(2):5549. doi:10.4081/mi.2014.5549

Ayala EE, Winseman JS, Johnsen RD, Mason HRC. U.S. medical students who engage in self-care report less stress and higher quality of life .  BMC Med Educ . 2018;18(1):189. doi:10.1186/s12909-018-1296-x

Richards KC, Campenni CE, Muse-Burke JL. Self-care and well-being in mental health professionals: The mediating effects of self-awareness and mindfulness .  J Ment Health Couns . 2010;32(3):247. doi:10.17744/mehc.32.3.0n31v88304423806.

American Psychological Association. 2015 Stress in America .

Krantz DS, Whittaker KS, Sheps DS.  Psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease: Pathophysiologic mechanisms .  In R. Allan & J. Fisher,  Heart and mind: The practice of cardiac psychology. American Psychological Association; 2011:91-113. doi:10.1037/13086-004

By Elizabeth Scott, PhD Elizabeth Scott, PhD is an author, workshop leader, educator, and award-winning blogger on stress management, positive psychology, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.

5 Sources of Stress and Anxiety in the Modern World

If you’re stressed and anxious, this might be part of the problem..

Posted March 30, 2017 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• What Is Anxiety?
• Find a therapist to overcome anxiety

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million adults in the United States are affected by anxiety , and millions more are afflicted depression -related disorders.

Overall, they estimate 18 percent of all adults have some form of mental illness. And most of the rest of us have too much stress in our lives, especially during the prime productivity and child-rearing ages of 18-55. [1]

Some folks suffer for very specific reasons—perhaps because of a brain lesion, a genetic mutation, specific episodes of trauma , or an idiosyncratic chemical imbalance.

But many folks with diagnosable disorders simply suffer from more intense versions of the same things that almost everyone is suffering from. Some are just harder-hit than others because of their particular social circumstances, or because they are slightly more susceptible (a difference in degree, not in kind).

So why is there so much stress, anxiety, and depression these days?

Evolutionary psychologists will tell us that part of the problem is that there’s a mismatch between the current environment (with its cities, bureaucracies, inequality, and social media ) and the environment of evolutionary adaptation (tribal life on the savanna).

In order to explore this possibility a bit, we will consider some of the ways the modern world is different from the one our ancestors on the savanna might have encountered.

Here are five ways reasons the modern world might produce more stress, anxiety, and depression than that of our distant ancestors.

1. We interact with a greater diversity of people.

As we meet new people over the course of a year, we confront a greater diversity of skills, knowledge, and values than people have ever encountered before.

Diversity is the source of much good. Diverse groups of qualified people usually come up with better solutions to problems than less diverse groups.

However, modern diversity also strains our brains—especially the diversity in values.

A person has a family. A person also has workmates, schoolmates, and playmates. And people join churches or special interest groups that meet weekly or monthly, in person or on the internet.

Perhaps our families are Democrats our work mates are Republicans, and our school mates are Communists.

Perhaps our families are Catholics, our workmates are Protestants, and our schoolmates are Atheists.

Our families like country music, our school mates like rap and pop, and our work mates like classic rock.

Some of these differences are trivial, and some are not.

Somehow we have to figure out a way to get along with those people in our lives who have influence over our wellbeing. And we must be careful how we do this.

People have a stake in whether we agree with them or not. They need to know what to expect from us, and whether we’re with them or against them. And we need to figure out when it’s necessary to be with them and when it’s OK to be against them, because being on the side of one person sometimes requires being opposed to another.

When our grandfather makes an insensitive statement about members of a different group, perhaps we don’t rebuke him, but give a polite smile and change the subject. Then we feel guilt at the thought of what our friends would think of our not speaking out.

When a friend complains about the alienation of the workforce at the hands of greedy capitalists, we might want to respond in a way that keeps us in good standing with our friend (whether we agree with her or not). But we also have our boss and family members in the back of our heads judging how we respond.

The normative landscape is rugged. And these examples are vastly oversimplified. Most issues are not ones you are simply for or against, but there are dozens of nuanced positions to take. And many groups contain members all along a given value spectrum.

It’s fair to ask whether our brains are fully equipped to handle the degree of diversity we face today.

2. We compare ourselves to higher standards.

We watch TV and everyone is beautiful. We are not as beautiful. How many people in a tribe of 150 look like Rosario Dawson? How many look like Jamie Dornan?

We watch TV and everyone is rich. Entrepreneurs are always successful. Authors always get published. People’s houses are considerably nicer than ours.

We watch the Olympics and realize we might as well not even know how to run or swim. And it dawns on us that our synchronized swimming partner sucks.

Only those in the top 1% of 1% of 1% have an opportunity to display their talents, wealth, and beauty before the general public. And those are the people we compare ourselves to. It’s a nearly impossible standard.

It’s natural to want to be the prettiest girl in the tribe, to have the most resources, or to be the best in the known world at something that others understand and respect. Once upon a time we could set goals like that and get away with it.

Today we draw our competition from a pool of 7 billion people, and wanting to be among the elite is most often a recipe for discouragement.

3. We specialize more.

Aristotle read all the intellectual writings that existed in Greece in his time and then went on to add a substantial chunk to this body of knowledge himself.

Even as recently as 1600—if you were reasonably bright and had enough time on your hands—you could have a good grasp of all academic knowledge. You could read all the “classics." You could master the known mathematics, philosophy , rhetoric, and so on.

From 1600 to 1900 you could not master all human knowledge, no matter how bright you were; but, if you worked hard, you could aspire to master a single field—like mathematics, physics, philosophy, or history.

By 1950, you were lucky to master a sub-discipline like Chinese history.

Today, you’re lucky to master a sub-sub-sub discipline—like the history of the first 100 years of the Ch’in Dynasty from the perspective of a house servant.

We now have to work harder than ever to get mastery of ever smaller fields. And the payoff for this work is smaller than ever.

If you were a scholar in the year 1500 and you went to a cocktail party and someone introduced you as “a scholar," that meant something. That meant you knew everything .

Today, you go to a family reunion and tell them you’ve worked for 20 years to become an expert on the realism/anti-realism debate in the meta- ethics sub-sub field of philosophy, and your relatives don’t know what to think of that. Then they ask around and find out you make $35,000/year, and they figure it must not be very important.

You tell someone you develop web-based software. They hear “computers” and they want you to fix their printer. You can’t fix their printer, so you must not really know computers.

We often don’t understand what our neighbor does for a living, and we don’t know how to explain what we do.

We might even be the best in the world at some small little leaf far out on the tree of skill or the tree of knowledge, but no one we grew up with cares.

4. Markets are more efficient (a.k.a. "It's the economy, stupid!")

If you provide a good no one else provides, you can charge a high price and make good money. This probably won’t last long, though. If your profit margin is high enough, others will notice the opportunity and set up shop to compete with you. This will drive down prices. With enough competition, prices will fall to a level not much higher than the cost of production.

As consumers, we love this. As entrepreneurs, we find it frustrating.

This same dynamic applies to the labor market. If you have a skill very few others have, you can charge a high price for your labor. However, if your wages are high enough, others will notice the opportunity and begin developing the skills they need to compete with you. If the supply of qualified workers grows faster than the need for the service, wages will fall.

As business owners, we love this. As workers, we hate it.

On balance efficient markets might work out well for us. The benefits we receive from lower prices and cheaper labor offset the frustrations that come from having to sell our goods and labor at lower prices.

But efficient markets might also fail us personally. If we lose our job, because there’s too much competition for our position, the equation won’t balance in our favor — at least in the short term. And in the long term, some people reap more rewards from efficient markets than others.

Overall, efficient markets have led to higher standards of living on average. Life spans are up. Physical possessions are up. Entertainment options are up. Education levels are up.

But are we happier?

Maybe. And maybe not. Once upon a time, our place in the tribe was secure. Our skills were highly valued, and they would remain that way our whole productive lives. Today our place is not secure. If there’s a lot of competition for our position, we can be replaced with someone better. And there’s almost always someone better.

Today’s worker can be replaced, regardless of how hard they work or how good they are.

Not only that, but whole companies can be replaced. If another company comes along and provides a better or cheaper alternative, everyone can be out of a job through no fault of their own.

Whether you own the business or you work for wages, in the modern world, you very likely live your days with a sword of Damocles hanging over your head.

5. Innovation happens faster.

We live in exciting times. New discoveries are being made every year in almost every field of science. New gadgets are being invented every year. And our existing technologies are being improved every year.

It’s well known that computers have been getting faster. Until recently, computer clock speeds had doubled roughly every 18 months since computers were first developed. Your smartphone is (much) more powerful than the computers NASA used to run the Apollo Project. There’s reason to think this pace of improvement has slowed and will continue to slow, but we are finding other ways, such as parallel computing, to keep finding improvements.

Some improvements are happening even faster. The Human Genome Project set out to sequence the human genome in 1989. It took 13 years and 3 billion dollars to finish.

Toward the end of the Human Genome Project, a private company working in parallel reduced the cost in money and time to $200 million and about one year.

Just 15 years later a machine can sequence a genome in less than a day at a teeny fraction of the cost.

Have you heard about 3-D printers? These machines take a 3-D design for a coffee mug or a bracelet, or pretty much any solid object you can imagine, and print them layer by layer out of plastic. Individuals with a sense of design can invent new gadgets all by themselves.

Currently, the production models of these printers make objects from a single material. And you can’t print a ham sandwich yet. But Star Trek replicators can’t be that far off.

And did you know that we can now re-grow body parts and organs?

True. A woman recently grew a new ear for herself under the skin of her forearm.

Imagine what would happen if we could combine the 3-D printer technology with the ability to grow new body parts. Then you could print a new liver for yourself in your basement.

You laugh. Check this out .

These are exciting times. But they are also disorienting and turbulent times.

New innovations come along so quickly in part because we have such high degrees of specialization, diversity and market efficiency—three factors mentioned above.

But the influence goes the other way as well. New inventions and discoveries require new specializations. Rapid innovation also contributes to some of the negative effects of the efficient market. Not only can we lose our job. Not only can our company go out of business. But with new technologies, entire industries can be swept away.

If 3-D printing becomes extremely cheap and more versatile (and why wouldn’t it?), all you need is a design you can draw up on your computer (or download from someone else’s computer) plus some raw goo, and you can make nearly anything you want. This cuts out a lot of middlemen. Many manufacturing jobs will become obsolete. And many of those workers will need to work very hard to become relevant again.

Not only does rapid innovation make it difficult to keep job skills relevant, but it also makes it difficult to stay “in the know."

Many older folks in their 80s and 90s have not embraced (and likely will not embrace) the internet. When they grew up, electric appliances and automobiles were new industries. Many still walked and rode horses as their primary form of transportation in their youth. In many ways, they had more in common with the young people in the Roman Empire than they have in common with young people today.

They have been left behind. They are irrelevant. After years of helping to build our world, our world no longer has any use for them. And they don’t understand the world they are leaving behind.

Before you pity them, realize something. Because the pace of innovation is increasing, it’s going to be worse for us. We will one day be even more “out of touch” than our octogenarians are today.

Those are five differences between our modern world and life on the savanna. And those five differences might go some way toward explaining why there is so much anxiety in the world today.

We could go deeper at this point and explore how each of these factors affects our basic psychological needs. And we could even try to come up with some remedies for our modern maladies. If that interests you, I take up those themes in “Stop Setting Goals That Don’t Make You Happy.”

[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-anxiety-disor…

Jim Stone, Ph.D., is a philosopher, avid student of motivational psychology, and developer of personal productivity software and workshops.

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Essay on Stress In Life

Students are often asked to write an essay on Stress In Life in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Stress In Life

What is stress.

Stress is when you feel under too much pressure from something in your life. It’s like carrying a very heavy backpack that makes you tired and unhappy. Everyone, from kids to adults, can feel stressed at times.

Causes of Stress

Stress can come from many places. School work, problems with friends, and even family issues can make you feel stressed. It’s like having too many tasks to do and not enough time to do them.

Effects of Stress

When you’re stressed, you might feel sad, angry, or even get headaches. It’s like your body’s way of telling you it’s not happy with what’s going on.

Dealing with Stress

To deal with stress, you can talk to someone you trust, take breaks, or do things you enjoy. It’s like putting down the heavy backpack for a while to rest and feel better.

250 Words Essay on Stress In Life

Stress is when you feel worried or uncomfortable because of too much pressure or problems in life. Imagine you have a big test coming up, and you are scared about how well you will do. That feeling of being scared or worried is stress. Everyone, from kids to adults, experiences stress at some point in their lives.

There are many reasons why people feel stressed. For kids and teenagers, homework, exams, and busy schedules can be stressful. For adults, work, taking care of their family, or money problems might cause stress. Sometimes, even small things like losing your keys can make you feel stressed.

Stress can affect your body and your feelings. You might get headaches, feel tired, or have trouble sleeping. It can also make you feel sad, angry, or frustrated. If stress lasts for a long time, it can make it hard to concentrate or enjoy life.

The good news is that there are ways to deal with stress. Talking to someone you trust about your feelings can help a lot. Taking breaks, playing, and doing things you enjoy can also reduce stress. Learning how to manage your time and not taking on too much can prevent stress from building up.

In conclusion, stress is a normal part of life, but it’s important to learn how to handle it. By understanding what causes stress and knowing how to deal with it, you can feel better and enjoy life more.

500 Words Essay on Stress In Life

Stress and its impact on our lives.

Stress is a natural reaction of the body to challenges and demands. It can come from anything that disrupts our physical or mental balance. While stress can be helpful in some situations, such as when it motivates us to study for an exam or meet a deadline, chronic stress can have negative effects on our health and well-being.

There are many potential causes of stress, including:

1. Work and School: Work and school can be major sources of stress, especially when we feel overwhelmed by our responsibilities or have difficulty meeting expectations. 2. Relationships: Problems with family, friends, or romantic partners can be a significant source of stress. 3. Financial Problems: Money worries can be very stressful, especially when we are struggling to make ends meet. 4. Health Problems: Dealing with a serious illness or injury can be incredibly stressful, both for the person affected and for their loved ones. 5. Major Life Changes: Life transitions, such as moving, getting married, or having a baby, can be exciting but also stressful.

Chronic stress can have a wide range of negative effects on our health and well-being, including:

1. Physical Health: Stress can lead to a variety of physical health problems, such as headaches, stomach problems, heart disease, and weight gain. 2. Mental Health: Stress can also contribute to mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia. 3. Cognitive Function: Stress can impair our ability to concentrate, remember, and make decisions. 4. Behavior: Stress can lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or overeating. 5. Relationships: Stress can also strain our relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.

Managing Stress

There are many things we can do to help manage stress, including:

1. Exercise: Regular physical activity can help reduce stress levels and improve our mood. 2. Relaxation Techniques: Practices such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can help us relax and reduce stress. 3. Healthy Diet: Eating a balanced diet can help us maintain our energy levels and cope with stress better. 4. Adequate Sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential for both physical and mental health and can help us better manage stress. 5. Time Management: Learning to manage our time effectively can help us avoid feeling overwhelmed and reduce stress. 6. Social Support: Talking to friends, family, or a therapist can help us process our feelings and cope with stress.

Stress is a normal part of life, but chronic stress can have negative effects on our health and well-being. By understanding the causes and effects of stress and learning to manage it effectively, we can improve our overall health and well-being.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Causes of stress in modern life

IELTS essay Causes of stress in modern life

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Stress — The New Sources Of Stress In Modern Society

The New Sources of Stress in Modern Society

• Categories: Modern Society Stress

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Words: 1747 |

Published: Apr 2, 2020

Words: 1747 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

Table of contents

Political events causing stress, financial/economical downturn causing stress, technological changes causing stress, coping up with systemic stress.

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The stress of life: a modern complaint?

In a series of apocalyptic novels published shortly before his death, the British author J. G. Ballard (1930-2009) imagined the potential impact of progressively advanced modern societies on human behaviour. Struggling to cope with new forms of work and wealth and with the expansion of leisure, the disaffected middle-class characters that inhabit Cocaine Nights (1996), Super-Cannes (2000) and Millennium People (2004) seek release from the stress of life by turning to violence, sexual license and carefully calculated forms of madness. According to Ballard’s dystopian vision, the frustration, insecurity and loneliness of modern lives are only capable of generating communities oppressed by social unrest, political instability, immorality and injustice.

Although eccentric and controversial, Ballard’s fictional portrayals of a species under stress captured an emergent reality. In 2000, the British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that there had been a 30% increase in occupational stress between 1990 and 1995. Four years later, the Whitehall II study highlighted the role of stress in shaping sickness patterns amongst civil servants. In 2009, the HSE estimated that 13.5 million working days were lost to stress each year and that the annual cost of work-related stress was in the region of £4 billion. Concerns about the socio-economic impact of work-place stress have been accentuated by claims that rising trends in hypertension, heart disease and depression might also be caused by the stress of modern lives. According to the American biologist Robert M. Sapolsky (b. 1957), many chronic diseases can be explained in terms of the neuro-endocrine disturbances generated by attempts to cope with the stress of rapid social, cultural and technological change. While a certain degree of stress is accepted as necessary for performance and productivity, unmitigated stress appears to be threatening the health and happiness of modern Western populations in particular.

Although we may like to believe that we are more stressed than our predecessors, complaints about the stress and strain of life have a long history. Even Ballard’s idiosyncratic prophecies have their precursors. In the 1970s, the left-wing American writer Alvin Toffler (b. 1928) argued that post-war populations were suffering from ‘future shock’, a state caused by ‘the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time’. The inhabitants of modern ‘throw-away society’, he insisted, were struggling to adapt to the ‘unwanted tempo’ of life manifest in the transience of people and places, the speed of technological innovation, and the surfeit of choice in consumables, education and the media. In the eyes of Toffler and many of his contemporaries, the inability to cope with change was directly responsible not only for epidemics of heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression and suicide, but also for escalating levels of aggression and crime, the demise of sexual standards, and the instability of international relations.

Toffler’s opinions gained some credibility from scientific and clinical studies of stress. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Hungarian-born scientist Hans Selye (1907-82) had suggested that many chronic diseases were the result of faulty adaptation to stress, or what he referred to as the ‘general adaptation syndrome’. Shortly after the Second World War, Selye developed a more comprehensive account of human pathology by insisting that failures or irregularities in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis were responsible for the inability to cope with stress. Selye’s descriptions of the biochemical mechanisms of stress reactions and his vigorous attempts to popularise the language of stress not only initiated further scientific studies of neuro-endocrine pathways, leading eventually to the identification of hypothalamic releasing factors, but also encouraged doctors and their patients to explain patterns of health and illness in terms of the escalating stress of life.

Selye’s laboratory investigations were mirrored by psychological studies of stress. The role of stress in shaping individual behaviour had become particularly apparent during the Second World War, when British, American and Canadian air-force authorities had blamed the poor performance of some pilots on ‘flying stress’. In the decades after the war, a number of researchers pursued the psychology of stress in more detail. In his studies of appraisal and coping, for example, the American psychologist Richard Lazarus (1922-2002) argued that psychological stress reactions, which he regarded as directly analogous to the physiological mechanisms revealed by Selye, were shaped by people’s perceptions. Around the same time, two American psychiatrists, Thomas H. Holmes (1918-88) and Richard H. Rahe (b. 1936), developed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, which attempted to quantify stressful life events such as bereavement, divorce and illness and to provide doctors with a provisional scheme for predicting disease onset.

Accounts of stress developed after the Second World War were themselves not entirely original, but were heavily dependent on inter-war studies of the manner in which socio-political instability and deepening economic recession were precipitating new forms of nerve strain and rising levels of sickness absence and social unrest. In 1937, the British cardiologist Lord Horder (1871-1955) argued that ‘the stress of modern life’ was a product of the ‘monotony and drabness’ of work, a lack of exercise and sleep, an ‘increasing sense of international insecurity’, and the ‘anxiety connected with the competition of living’. In an article in the Lancet published four years earlier, Walter Langdon Brown (1870-1946), Regius professor of physic at Cambridge, had already suggested that the proliferation of functional disorders, caused by emotional disturbances operating on the autonomic nervous system, could be explained in terms of a failure to adjust ‘to conditions which are changing so rapidly’.

According to some inter-war clinicians, prolonged stress led not only to functional nervous diseases, but also to organic conditions. In 1925, the Chicago psychiatrist William S. Sadler (1842-1910) suggested that it was the ‘tension, the incessant drive of American life, the excited strain of the American temperament’ that was responsible for rising mortality rates from high blood pressure and diseases of the heart and kidneys. Humans, he argued, had not yet adapted to the ‘stress of a civilization which counts on the airplane and the wireless as commonplaces’. Of course, for Sadler the prevalence of stress-related conditions served to establish America’s social and technological superiority, an example of hubris also captured by the term ‘Americanitis’, which was popularised by the Harvard psychologist William James (1842-1910) with reference to his own nerve strain.

James’s insistence on a link between stress and psychological disturbances was in turn based on earlier studies of insanity and nervousness. In 1890, the English psychiatrist Charles Arthur Mercier (1852-1919) had argued that insanity was a ‘function of two variables’: heredity and stress. For Mercier, stresses ranged from internal physiological disturbances associated with puberty and pregnancy through to external factors such as overwork, marital problems, insomnia, and head injuries. Other clinicians echoed Mercier’s approach, pointing at the same time to the association between stress-induced insanity and social progress. According to the American physician William A. White (1870-1937), insanity could be initiated by the ‘stresses incident to active competition’ in the civilised, industrial world.

Perhaps the most persistent late Victorian version of a connection between advanced societies and stress was embedded in the concept of neurasthenia, a term popularised in the 1860s by the American neurologist George M. Beard (1839-83) and widely adopted by European physicians and their patients. In several books on neurasthenia, or what he referred to as ‘American nervousness’, Beard explained the growing prevalence of nervous fatigue in terms of the pressures of modern life. In a passage that betrayed a multitude of anxieties about rapid technological and cultural change, he argued that nervousness could be traced to the principal features of ‘modern civilization’, namely ‘steam-power, the periodical press, the telegraph, the sciences, and the mental activity of women’. As in many later pronouncements on the consequences of failing to adapt to accelerating social progress, stress and nervousness were thought to be more common amongst the affluent Western middle classes.

Late nineteenth-century doctors and their patients also believed that stress could generate or exacerbate physical illness. Clinicians sometimes explained the development of cancer, diabetes and thyroid disease, or the appearance and severity of influenza, in terms of the debilitating effects of over-work and over-worry. The emotional stresses and strains of bereavement, domestic difficulties, financial problems and the pace of life were all regarded as plausible triggers of pathology. In 1872, an article in The Times suggested that rising death rates from heart disease were the ‘unavoidable result of the great mental strain and hurried excitement’ generated by steam and electricity, over-crowded communities, and the relentless and exhausting struggle for existence. Contemporary belief in the capacity for stress to produce both mental and physical disease was so strong, according to the prominent Cambridge physician T. Clifford Allbutt (1836-1925), that many people regarded the nineteenth century as ‘a century of stress’.

Even a cursory historical survey suggests that it would be presumptuous to assume that we are more stressed, or indeed more preoccupied with stress, than our predecessors. As Hans Selye pointed out in 1980, when we proclaim ours as an ‘age of stress’, we tend to ignore the traumas and dangers faced by earlier societies and the fact that inhabitants of those societies equally regarded themselves as stressed. In the early twenty-first century, we are stressed by global economic recession, job insecurity, marital breakdown, and political and religious extremism. Past populations have been no less stressed by analogous cocktails of warfare, epidemic disease, unemployment, and poverty. Since at least the mid-nineteenth century, these narratives of distress have been bound together not primarily by mutual understandings and shared experiences of stress, but by the apocalyptic fear that stress is the inevitable result of the psychological pressures generated by the unfettered growth of industrial and technological capitalism.

Further reading

• Becker Dana. One Nation under Stress: The Trouble with Stress as an Idea. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 2013. [ Google Scholar ]
• Jackson Mark. The Age of Stress: Science and the Search for Stability. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 2013. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kugelmann Robert. Stress: The Nature and History of Engineered Grief. Praeger; Westport: 1992. [ Google Scholar ]
• Sapolsky Robert M. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping. 3rd edition Henry Holt; New York: 2004. [ Google Scholar ]
• Selye Hans. The Stress of Life. McGraw-Hill; New York: 1956. [ Google Scholar ]
• Toffler Alvin. Future Shock. Bodley Head; London: 1970. [ Google Scholar ]

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• Stress in Modern Life

Stress in Modern Life - Essay Example

• Subject: Psychology
• Type: Essay
• Level: Undergraduate
• Pages: 7 (1750 words)
• Downloads: 7
• Author: auerskyla

Extract of sample "Stress in Modern Life"

• Cited: 1 times
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CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Stress in Modern Life

Explain in detail why stress is a normal reaction to a demanding situation, stress in the modern life, stress in modern life and its consequences, comparison on consequences of stress on modern and past life, stress is a problem of modern life, modern life and stress, the meaning of stress and how modern lifestyle aspects cause stress, stress is a common problem in modern life.

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