Leadership in Action: In Focus - Health - Stress Takes a Toll on Leaders

HIDDEN RESPONSE

The psychological aspects of distress, in the form of negative thoughts and uncomfortable feelings, are often immediately recognizable. Physiological responses, although just as intense, are not always as easily recognized. A cascade of hormones, primarily cortisol and the catecholamines epinephrine and norepinephrine, is released—the same hormones that are released when someone faces physical danger or a challenge that requires effort. This highly adaptive hormonal response has proved effective for survival in times past, inciting a fight-or-flight reaction to danger. In today's world, however, this response can be a disadvantage because in many cases it is no longer socially appropriate.

Research suggests that excessive secretion ...