2008 Woodie Awards
Body and Soul at Smith College
Does too much time alone stress you out?
Gretchen Evans
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Features
Good news, Smithies! Living in a house amongst a myriad of crazy, hooligan women may not be so bad for your stress levels after all. A recent study by the Institute of Animal Science and Health of the Raukura Research Center in Hamilton, New Zealand, found that isolation might negatively affect cows. What does that mean for you? More parties! Just kidding, it means we should spend less time faux-conversing via Facebook, and more time interacting face to face.
Did I say cows? Why yes, I did. Moo. The study was initiated in an effort to uncover ways to bring out the sweet taste of milk. To induce stress, the cows were put in a novel environment by themselves - first-years, I think we can identify with this. Then the heifers had to hang out for a while chewing, or whatever cool stuff cows do these days. After a significant period of time the tightness of the cows' mammary glands was evaluated. As the cow became stressed, the tight junctions in her mammary glands would loosen and yucky serums could get in. At the same time, levels of cortisol - our most prominent stress hormone - raised significantly.
So if too much social isolation raises our stress levels, does that mean I can't have any more alone time? Well, no, not exactly. It just points out that regular contact is extremely effective in helping you stay chill. Alone time is awesome, but you need to balance it with social time, for sanity's sake. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean we should habitually exchange our homework for some luscious hang out time, but it does show a little helps a lot. Plus, we have mammary glands too, so that must mean…umm…err… yeah.
The psychology department at the University of Chicago found that socially isolated young adults rated everyday events as more intensely stressful. This correlates to even scarier effects such as hypertension and slower wound healing. Fortunately, stimulating social activities aren't hard to find at Smith. Stay productive and start a study group to keep your Zen and raise your grades. Conversation-wise, if you want to skip the "small talk" and get straight to emotional business, the Healthy Heads student-run support groups are an awesome place to go for balanced, therapeutic connection. Most importantly, our house communities are social havens. Just start talking loudly and someone is bound to hear you.
I must admit that I'm writing in my room… alone. So I can definitely identify with the whole isolation-stress thing. On that note, perhaps I'll be back next week, writing about something as equally intriguing as mammary glands.
Did I say cows? Why yes, I did. Moo. The study was initiated in an effort to uncover ways to bring out the sweet taste of milk. To induce stress, the cows were put in a novel environment by themselves - first-years, I think we can identify with this. Then the heifers had to hang out for a while chewing, or whatever cool stuff cows do these days. After a significant period of time the tightness of the cows' mammary glands was evaluated. As the cow became stressed, the tight junctions in her mammary glands would loosen and yucky serums could get in. At the same time, levels of cortisol - our most prominent stress hormone - raised significantly.
So if too much social isolation raises our stress levels, does that mean I can't have any more alone time? Well, no, not exactly. It just points out that regular contact is extremely effective in helping you stay chill. Alone time is awesome, but you need to balance it with social time, for sanity's sake. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean we should habitually exchange our homework for some luscious hang out time, but it does show a little helps a lot. Plus, we have mammary glands too, so that must mean…umm…err… yeah.
The psychology department at the University of Chicago found that socially isolated young adults rated everyday events as more intensely stressful. This correlates to even scarier effects such as hypertension and slower wound healing. Fortunately, stimulating social activities aren't hard to find at Smith. Stay productive and start a study group to keep your Zen and raise your grades. Conversation-wise, if you want to skip the "small talk" and get straight to emotional business, the Healthy Heads student-run support groups are an awesome place to go for balanced, therapeutic connection. Most importantly, our house communities are social havens. Just start talking loudly and someone is bound to hear you.
I must admit that I'm writing in my room… alone. So I can definitely identify with the whole isolation-stress thing. On that note, perhaps I'll be back next week, writing about something as equally intriguing as mammary glands.
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