January 22, 2024 – In the 1979 comedy manhattan, Mary (played by Diane Keaton) They tell Isaac (Woody Allen) to vent their frustrations so they can finally air their feelings publicly. „i don't'Don’t be mad,” Isaac replies. „Instead, it causes a tumor to grow. ”
Allen's characters are often neurotic and prone to excessive worry, anxiety, and stress. Hollywood has a history of playing this for laughs, but in real life, neurosis It has long been linked to poor health, and today more science supports the link.
„There is now a growing body of evidence that personality traits are associated with a variety of health outcomes,'' the psychologist said. Daniel MroczekPhD, Director of Personality and Health northwestern university. Neurosis seems to be particularly problematic.
high level person neurosis The world is generally considered to be miserable and unsafe. You may feel moody, nervous, or sad.
„They tend to feel their emotions more intensely, be more reactive, and take longer to calm down.“ Shannon Sauer ZavalaPh.D., psychologist at the University of Kentucky.
The effects may go beyond just a bad mood. Research has shown that neuroticism increases the risk of not only physical illnesses such as heart disease and heart disease, but also mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Several cancer. Some studies have linked neuroticism to neurodegenerative diseases such as: Alzheimer's disease and parkinson's disease.Recent meta-analysis Neuroticism increases the risk of dementia, and systematic review A paper published last month linked aspects of neuroticism to early death.
Even a common problem like a headache can have an even greater impact on a neurotic person. Data from the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands show that: advanced neurosis can be increased Possible headache.
big question
Does neurosis cause poor health, or does poor health cause neurosis? Suffering can certainly make a person anxious, worried, and emotional. And because most of these studies are associative, they cannot prove causation.
But studies that have evaluated and followed healthy people over many years suggest that personality traits are at least partially linked to poor health, he said. Angelina SoutineProfessor of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, Florida State University College of Medicine, Ph.D.
One possible reason is that nervous people often engage in unhealthy behaviors. Research shows that particularly nervous preschoolers are more likely to: pick up smoking In adolescence. In one study conducted by Soutine and his colleagues, neurotic people had the following symptoms: 15% more risk Stroke development – This finding is partially explained by a clear tendency toward smoking and sedentary behavior.
„Feeling more stress may cause people to be less physically active and eat more comforting processed foods,“ Soutine says.
In addition to unhealthy coping behaviors, neurotic people may also have stronger physical reactions to stress.
in 2021 survey, scientists measured the levels of neuroticism in more than 1,000 adults and looked at how strongly each person reacted to everyday stressors. They found that highly neurotic people felt more negative emotions when something didn't go their way, such as missing a deadline at work. Then, years later, when scientists looked at the health data they had collected, they found that people who were more emotionally reactive had chronic illnesses like ulcers and high blood pressure.
„Living in a state of chronic stress takes a toll on your body over time,“ says Sauer-Zavala.a 2022 survey Neurotic people showed higher levels of iinterleukin 6 And C-reactive protein is both a marker of inflammation, and this was true regardless of physical activity, diet, or smoking. Chronic inflammation is associated with: various diseasesfrom heart disease, and Diabetes These include autoimmune diseases (when the nervous system attacks healthy tissue) and neurodegenerative diseases (diseases that damage the nervous system).
This stress can also disrupt your sleep. According to research nervous people They may not record enough quality sleep at night and may feel sleepy during the day, both of which are predictors of early death.
Another molecule that has been linked to neuroticism is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is important for the maintenance of neurons. People with high neuroticism may have symptoms such as: BDNF levels are lowWhich I was able to explain Increased risk of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration disease.
Negative emotions associated with neurosis can also affect gut health.Recently, Korean researchers found People with high anxiety and low stress tolerance, Two sides of neurosislow diversity in the gut microbiome – this can have an overall impact. health.
“Healthy” neurosis?
in the movie city slickers, Billy Crystal's nervous personality led him to ask for a CAT scan for his birthday, according to his wife, who calls him „Mr. Billy.“ death. „My head hurt,'' he defends. Clearly, this anecdote is humorously overdone.
Still, some researchers have suggested that increased attention to bothersome symptoms could potentially be beneficial for neurotic people. After all, having a suspicious mole checked early and being cautious could save your life if it is actually cancerous.
in 2023 survey, Mroczek and colleagues found that neurotic people were more likely to actually visit their primary care physician.
But Mroczek said there was scant evidence linking „healthy neurosis“ to improved health. When he and his colleagues looked at the following data: 15 studies A study of about 50,000 people found that being neurotic was not associated with a lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.somewhere else studyresearchers found that it also didn't protect people from premature death.
Soutine speculates that one reason for this may be: Doctors may take such patients „less seriously“ and overlook the actual medical problem. For Soutine, an important lesson for medical professionals is not to automatically ignore neurotic patients. „Hyperarousal states may be sensing things going on inside the body that cannot necessarily be detected by testing.“
Treatment of neurosis
Fortunately, neuroses are „not fixed,“ says Sauer-Zavala. Research shows that personality can be changed with well-designed treatments, and neuroticism happens to be among them. most flexible Features.
in 2021 surveySauer-Zavala et al. treated 223 volunteers with an approach called t.The Unified Protocol is a relatively new treatment designed to help people manage intense emotions.
„We spend a lot of time talking about how emotions work,“ Sauer-Zavala said. This technique teaches mindful emotional awareness and has people perform activities aimed at causing physical sensations of anxiety. For example, spinning around in circles as if feeling dizzy; Breathe through a thin straw to mimic shortness of breath. At Sauer Zavala study, the protocol worked fine. After 16 weeks, people in the study were significantly more nervous than people in the waiting list control group.
Unified Protocol Institute list We are a group of therapists trained in this method. However, you can also consult a licensed psychotherapist for help in managing your strong emotions and reducing your neurotic tendencies.
Personalities can change, experts agree. That's no joke.