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Stevens 1 Heather Stevens 3 April 2016 ANT 111_Mechling Research Paper Outline The Evolution of Stress I. Opening Paragraph Stress is concept that is noted and addressed daily in modern society; a word utilized in our daily word house to identify and justify our feelings and emotions. It is experienced by the single parent who struggles to pay the mortgage, it is felt by the lawyer who barely has any time to spend with their children, and it dwells heavily on the college study who attempts to cram for the next bi g exam. Researchers study its effects on humans and attempt to find ways to escape the tight grasp it holds on the vast majority of modern society. We find solutions to fight it in order to simplify our lives, yet it seems that the simpler our lives have b ecome, the more stress we seem to experience. Early humans certainly experienced stress, but how is different than the stress that affects us today? More now than ever, stress has become a factor in how effectively we live our lives as humans. As we have e volved and as survival has become easier to maintain , it has also become less simplified, making stress a prominent aspect of human life. II. Supporting Paragraphs a. When the body experiences a threatened state of homeostasis it adapts through a series of physi ological and behavioral changes which result in stress (Bali & Jaggi, 2015) . i. This concept was first applied by Hans Selye who is known as the “father of stress” (Bali & Jaggi, 2015) . Stevens 2 ii. Stress is clas sified as either acute or chronic which is often determined by specif ic symptoms and their duration (Bali & Jaggi, 2015) . iii. Stress can be either psychological or physical depending on how it affects the body (Bali & Jaggi, 2015) . b. The discovery of the stress response and how it has become important in today’s studies. i. The General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.) was first stumbled upon by Hans Selye of Hungary in 1934 when testing lab rats (Gabriel, 2013) . ii. Stress is measured by peripheral biomarkers such as blood pressure, brain changes, cognition, structural brain changes, physiological brain changes, genetic brain changes, allostatic load, and disease (Oken, 2014) . c. Some societies/ countries are more affected by stress due to the structure of their lifestyle. i. High stress levels are experienced by 25% of Americans with at least 50% experiencing a stressful event in the last year (Oken, 2014) . ii. Child -rearing practices of different cultures determine the stress levels experienced in different countries (Sammons, 2005) . iii. Resilience of stress may be determined by gender, age, social support, self -esteem and history of depression. The level of education does not determine how stressed someone may be (Oken, 2014) . d. Solutions to modern stress i. Medical cures for stress include sedatives, anti -anxiety dru gs and anti - depressants (Reiss, Mills, & Dombeck, 2008) . Stevens 3 ii. Non -medical treatments and other coping mechanisms/ solutions include yoga, social interaction, humor, creativity, journa ling, sleep and counseling (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2016) . e. Early humans and the stress they experienced. i. Stress is a response that has evolved through natural selection for living beings to take action and defend themselves f or survi val (Young, 2000) . ii. Stress of our predecessors was in relation to survival and lack of structure while modern threats relate more to social and menta l threats (Young, 2000) . iii. Stress of early humans vs. modern humans : stress experienced by early humans was induced by the “fight or flight” response and developed alongside many other emotional aspects (Cosmides & Tooby, 2000) . f. Overall evolution of stress and its futur e for the human population. i. Individuals will be more prone to stress if the experience two or more stressful events during brain development which will lead to depression. A family history in depression will almost certa inly lead to more depression (Worlein, 2014) . III. Conclusion Stress will continue to become a more prominent emotion experienced by modern humans as time continues. As survival instincts become less of a factor and ease of life and advancements in technology continue, humans will no longer be able to identify their internal emotions as easily as before, returning back to primal confusion. Stress was experienced by early humans is much different from the stress Stevens 4 we experience today and stress among the human population will continue to evolve in an increased manner. Stevens 5 References Bali, A., & Jaggi, A. S. (2015). Clinical experimental stress studies: methods and assessment. Stress Protocols and Assessment , 555 -579. Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (2000). Evolutionary Psychology and the Emotions. (M. L. Haviland -Jones, Ed.) Handbook of Emotions, 1 (2). Gabriel, G. (2013, April 05). Hans Selye: The Discovery of Stress . Retrieved from Brain Connection: http://brainconnection.brainhq.com/2013/04/05/hans -selye -the -discovery -of-stress/ Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2016). Stress Management . Retrieved from Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy -lifestyle/stress -management/in -de pth/stress - relievers/art -20047257?pg=2 Nesse, R. M., & Young, E. A. (2000). Evolutionary Origins and Functions of the Stress Response. Encyclopedia of Stress, 1 , 965 -970. Oken, B. S. (2014). A systems approach to stress, stressors and resilience in humans. Behavioural Brain Research , 144 -154. Reiss, N., Mills, H., & Dombeck, M. (2008, June 30). Medication Strategies for Stress Relief . Retrieved from Metal Help: https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/medication -strategies -for -stress -relief/ Sammons, A. (2005). Culture and Stress. psychlotron. Worlein, J. M. (2014). Nonhuman Primate Models of Depression: Effects of Early Experience and Stress. Ilar Journal, Behavioral Assessment in Animal Models: Relevance for Human Psychopathology, 55 , 259 -273.