Gulf News

Stress management main reason why women outlive men

- — Jumana Khamis, Staff Reporter

Women’s skills in managing stress and emotional difficulti­es are one reason they tend to outlive men, Dr

Saliha Afridi, clinical psychologi­st and managing director at Lighthouse Arabia told Gulf News. She provides insights into other reasons that help women manage stress better.

Psychologi­cally, women are socialised to understand their feelings, verbalise them, and share them.

Due to this, they are able to better deal with stress, which is related to over 80 per cent of all health issues and one of the leading causes of death, Dr Afridi said. “Men, on the other hand, are told from a very young age that ‘big boys don’t cry’ and thus, they never really understand their feelings, and don’t feel safe to share them. They are not socialised to understand their emotions so they deny them or repress them,” said Dr Afridi. “This repressing and denying of feelings is a major factor in [men] feeling the negative effects of stress, resulting in far more health issues, and higher mortality rates,” she said.

Women more readily admit they are stressed.

This is another key reason that helps women deal with pressure better than men. “Women will admit that they are stressed and this will allow them to get the support they need faster,” said Dr Afridi. Men, on the other hand, think they are doing enough to manage their stress and typically are not doing enough.

The issue of being the breadwinne­r.

Although it is shifting slightly, Dr Afridi said that men are still considered to be the primary breadwinne­rs of the family. “Financial difficulti­es, paying for rent, schooling, all typically fall on the shoulders of a man. This amount of pressure, combined with other factors mentioned, puts a lot of stress on men, emotionall­y and psychologi­cally.” And men are not groomed to deal with the emotions that come with them, she said.

Men have higher emotional reactions to difficult life events, according to research.

“This has to do with biology (female’s soothing hormones), in addition to a sense of confidence and familiarit­y women have in dealing with difficult events (i.e., a crying baby),” said Dr Afridi.

Admitting to weakness also contribute­s to a woman’s strength.

“Women have an easier time admitting that they need help — whether it is for a physical ailment or for emotional support.”

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