Stress is a term used to describe certain physical and psychological reactions that human beings (and other animals) exhibit in response to any stimulus, or marked change in their environment.
For a long time, scientists have known that some of the ways we respond to a stimulus are specific to that stimulus: If we are exposed to extreme heat, we perspire; if we are exposed to extreme cold, we shiver. In the mid-1930s, however, the pioneering stress researcher Hans Selye observed certain similiarities in our responses to any stressor-heat, cold, good news, bad news, winning money, losing money.
These nonspecific physical reactions-pale skin, rapid breathing, quickened heart rate, elevated blood pressure, plus, often, extreme mental alertness, muscle tension, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea-Selye called stress.
With Selye`s findings came the knowledge that euphoria (exaggerated feelings of well-being) can be as hard on the body as anger, fear, or frustration. A person who has graduated from college, found a job, and married within a relatively short period of time may be just as overloaded with stress as someone who has just lost a job and gotten a divorce. The body, Selye found, does not differentiate between different kinds of stress. It knows only that there has been an upheaval, adjustments must be made, and help may be needed.
References :
Hans Selye, The stress of Life, McGrawHill, New York, 1976.
Marvin R Levy, Mark Dignan, Janet H Shirreffs, Essentials of Life & Health, Fourth Edition, Random House, New York, 1984.
