Under Pressure-The Science of Stress
Under Pressure-The Science of Stress
Have you ever felt so busy that you “can’t think straight”? It’s not just a phrase. People under pressure are less likely to use logic and more likely to rely on instinct or snap judgements. They give more weight to the best-case scenario, instead of considering what might go wrong.
Some studies suggest that men are likely to make risky choices when they are stressed, while women spend too much time worrying. Here’s a simple scenario: Imagine a group of people on a sinking ship. There’s a life raft nearby, but a much fancier lifeboat a huge leap away. A greater percentage of men might risk the unsafe leap. A higher number of women might continue weighing their options while the ship sinks beneath them.
All of this is why emergency responders don’t rely on instinct. Instead, they memorize the actions they should take in a crisis. Firefighters, for example, might need to sound an alarm, evacuate the area and rescue people who are stranded before helping people who’ve been hurt. It wouldn’t make sense to help one wounded person while leaving a dozen others inside a burning building. Having a preset order helps ensure firefighters make the best decisions, even in the midst of flames and alarms.
Under Pressure takes a look at stress, what causes stress, the symptoms of stress, how to manage stress and research done on stress. Tanya Lloyd Kyi has written a variety of books for young adults on topics ranging from survival to the human body to underwear to fire. Her books are always well-written and engaging, highlighting interesting facts about her topic, and Under Pressure is no exception. The book is well-laid-out, starting with an easy to relate to scenario in the introduction, then moving on to an overview of stress, types of stress, and the history of stress research. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a full chapter, covering how people can develop PTSD, how it is diagnosed, and different therapies and techniques that are used to manage PTSD. Finally, the book looks at ways to manage stress, including telling yourself to be excited rather than to be calm.
Each chapter is easy to read, with additional information in boxes on the side. The additional information doesn’t fall into any single category and includes information about stress in a 4000-year-old novel, facts about beetles and how much they can lift when they are stressed and a brief overview of stress busters. Marie-Éve Tremblay has filled the pages with colourful and often amusing drawings that enhance the information.
Under Pressure defines terminology within the text as needed rather than providing a separate glossary. The space is used instead for an excellent resource list including a short list of other books on stress and dealing with stress for a young adult audience. This list is followed by a list of sources for the information in the individual chapters. The information sources are not aimed at a young adult audience, and readers should keep this in mind if they are looking at the specific sources.
Under Pressure provides a good overview of the science of stress, including types of stress, how to manage stress and stress research. The book will be useful, as well as being interesting, to a wide variety of readers as stress is something that we all have to manage in our lives.
Daphne Hamilton-Nagorsen is a graduate of the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.