Who are More Prone to Catching Stress

Right up until he passed away, Dr John Hinwood was a prolific blogger (an award-winning blogger in fact!). John’s blog’s shared musing from a rich history of experience, learnings, travel and wisdom

 

The Hinwood Institute is named in honour of Dr John and to continue his legacy, we’re republishing his blogs to keep his wisdom, wit and wise words alive for the world to enjoy.

You can learn more about the legacy of Dr John Hinwood HERE.

Psychiatrist Dr Judith Orloff in her book The Empath’s Survival Guide explains that all emotions humans express, other humans are able to catch, because we are designed to mimic others. She points out especially negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and depression are particularly contagious. 

There is a basic evolutionary reason for this behaviour. We are programmed to recognise that if something is causing a person around us the be stressed, then we also need to understand what the stressor is, in case we need to escape also.

Who are More Prone to Catching Stress

St Louise University sociology Professor Nicholas Christakis says, “the really interesting thing about emotional contagion is that not only do you pick up on stress in others, you actually then start to copy them”.

Stress mimicry is so innate it even happens to babies, who have been shown to ‘catch’ anxiety from their mother.

In Germany, a study at the Max Planck Institute found that 26%of people who saw someone else showing signs of stress also experienced a rise in the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies.

Judith Orloff points out that… “certain personality types are more prone to ’catching stress’. If you are a very empathic person then you will be more likely to absorb how others are feeling. The mirror neurons, the specific brain cells that allow us to mimic others’ emotions, have proven to be more active in empathic people than those with other personalities”.

The Brisbane Sunday Mail published a Stress Handbook on 1ST July 2018 and here is their short quiz for you to ponder.

Do You CATCH STRESS?

Read the following statements and note how many you relate to. The more statements you agree with, the more likely you are to be affected by others stress.

  • My mood quickly changes when I’m with others
  • I startle easily
  • I always feel better if I get out into nature
  • I tend to leave gatherings early
  • I find crowds very draining
  • I prefer to see friends in small groups
  • I’m often bothered by noise or smells in my surroundings
  • I need time to myself after I’ve spent a lot of time with others
Who are More Prone to Catching Stress

If you want to explore your stress levels further, take our Stress Test to gain more insights! This quick and easy quiz will help you identify your personal triggers and offer practical strategies to manage stress effectively. Understanding your stress response is the first step to building resilience and creating a more balanced, healthier life. Take the test now and start making positive changes today!

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How well do you roll with the punches?

Discover how you score against key resilience indicators and increase your ability to minimise stress, maximise time, live well and roll with the punches.


 

How it works:

  • Answer 25 simple questions
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  • Receive feedback to enhance your score

Listen to the Podcast here

About the Author

Dr. John Hinwood
Dr. John Hinwood is a Global Leader in Stress Management. He is a very experienced and respected executive coach, mentor, consultant, sought after international speaker and author. He specialises in facilitation that leads clients out of the stress and into the calm. He has a reputation for innovative and transformational work in stress-life balance and mindset change for front line employees, to managers and business leaders.

Dr John Hinwood has shared the stage with Dr John Demartini, Dr Deepak Chopra, Dr Wayne Dyer, Dr Joe Dispenzia, Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul fame), Dr Bruce Lipton, Dr Masaru Emoto and others who are at the cutting edge of human behaviour and mindset change.

He has written 14 books with 4 being Amazon international best sellers. He has had papers published in academic journals and was once Captain/Coach of the Danish National Rugby Team. Dr. John’s experience as a health professional by training, successful businessman by effort and an inspiration by inclination has given him an awesome array of practical tools for success.