From: david gobel (davegobel@erols.com)
Date: Wed Apr 07 1999 - 12:52:33 MDT
Lyle Burkhead said...
>Is the list healthy?
>I had forgotten how much stress is involved in reading the list...
> But I wonder, what
effect do e-mail arguments have on our health? In spite of our talk about
life extension, we may all die before our time, just from the stress.
I take this observation to be true. Plese excuse length of following.
Consider a typical mammal. It appears to experience stress only to actual
environmental and somatic stressors in the here and now. Threats such as
loud noises, fast movements seen, smells which alert to danger, being eaten
(;-0 needing to eat...needing to mate etc
Humans share these same stressors...along with the hormonal and other
cascading reactions to the stress.
Humans unlike animals have the ability to relive past and prelive/rehearse
futures... think about your most recent intense truamatic event
(sorry...don't try this at home if you're clinically depressed). Car crash?
Loss of: Spouse? Child? Job? Erection? Health? These traumatic past
events -when relived - literally recreate the stress / hormone cascade that
the original stress did (although probably not to the same level). Now,
think about your Boss/employer...continual low level stress, spiking with
missed deadlines, and lost promotions. Hormonal reactions to things animals
wouldn't even notice because to them - they don't exist... "what do you MEAN
I'm not a team player". More stress caused strictly by uniquely human
memorycognitive ability. Now, you fantasize/worry...WHAT IF I lose my job,
wife/husband leaves me, kids get sick...more actual adrenaline/hormonal
upregulation in response to THOUGHTS about things which have not, and in
many cases CANNOT happen (childhood thoughts: what if I could fly, and then
a MONSTER got me?).
In addition to the above, humans are one of the few creatures which often
become addicted to their own stress hormones...testoterone...(sports, video
games, slasher movies) and adrenaline (see previous parenthesis...oops I
forgot movies et al with sexual situations) dopamine....endorphins.
In the equine world, it is too expensive and time consuming to have a prize
stud actually perform the process of getting the mare ready to mate...thus
there is another stallion brought near to the mare who has one job in
life...get the mare ready to go! BUT, that stallion never gets to finish the
job!...Imagine the stress...I wonder if anyone has ever done a longevity
study on these poor "proxy studs".
The point? I now critically observe all media stimuli from the standpoint of
its biological/phsychological impact on me and mine. I DO NOT even read
flame wars on this list or any other. I do not see movies which I know in
advance show graphic killing, sex, or other stressors which may adict me to
my own stress chemicals. I can believe that Saving Private Ryan will prove
to me that war is totally insane. Yet, I already believe that, and don't
need to see virtual butchery.
In my household I performed an experiment on my clinically depressed son. Ad
libidum entertainment was appx 2 1/2 hours video games, of the shooter type.
TV was appx 4.5 hours of the edited R type (heavy action/violence) and
cynical comedy of the seinfeld/satnitelive ilk. Comics appx 1/2 hour of
team/gang warfare type...X Men. He was on St. Johns Wort and could/should
have been on stronger stuff, constant arguments w/parents, zero interest in
needs of others, growing intolerance and verbal and very mild physical abuse
to younger sister,total and absolute self absorption, growing obesity etc ad
nauseum...While on a walk I described to him the symptoms, causes and cure
approaches to drug addiction
and then asked him to consider the possibility of his having become addicted
to his own hormones.
As an experiment, we BOTH went on a media fast...no TV or Video games for 7
days. Thereafter, it was agreed in advance that TV would not exceed 1 hour
per day, and in that one hour no commercials could be seen due to the
continual induction of dissatisfaction which is the primary intent of
commercials. Further, any pg14 or R rated program was blocked by password.
As to Video games, 1/2 hour limit per day. Any breach of the protocol would
cause a new 7 day fast...no exceptions.
Result. within one (ONE) week he was whistling to himself and was asking if
we could play games as a family. He ceased being defensive and began to play
with us good naturedly and with good humor. He has insisted on mowing the
lawn to help us. He smiles...ALOT! His mother has said "what's up with him?
he seems so HAPPY!?". We have not had to have an additional fast, except for
one day long "cautionary time out".
No other conclusion could be reached IMO than that the drastic reduction in
stressors has had a dramatic theraputic effect, and how could this not lead
to longer life from both primary, secondary and tertiary affects avoided (ie
moving to stronger stuff such as recreational chemicals, dangerous friends,
unprotected sex[caution:parent fear talking here])
I have more to say, but i'll stop here cause I talk too much.
dave gobel
If we can't make it to 10,000 what's the point?
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