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Stress and Genetics

 
Is stress and genetics connected? These days it seems like the answer to everything is genetics. Alcoholics are more likely to have children that are also prone to alcoholism. Many diseases are genetic, and studies are linking the likelihood of someone developing a certain condition, mental or physical, to genetics. Then we have stress – is it genetic? Are you more susceptible to stress if your parents constantly seemed stressed out?

There has yet to be a true study to see whether or not stress is genetic, however parents and children can share the same brain chemistry so susceptibility to similar levels may possible. Studies have linked depression, which can be a result of stress, to brain chemistry which can mean if both parents were vulnerable to depression it was possible for the child to develop it as well. Your genetic makeup can make a map that is easy for depression to reach, which might mean that stress could play a part in that depression to develop; hence you could be more vulnerable to stress than someone else however the link between stress and genetics is yet to be proven.

Your brain does not have to be hotwired a specific way for stress to affect you; everyone is prone to stress from large amounts to the little things. Typically your environment and your ability to handle stress (which was created as you grew up) will be the two deciding factors. Some people are simply better equipped to handle stress, usually due to outside factors. Good parenting, a caring environment that includes friends and family, understanding how to deal with stress, and attitude can all play a part in how much stress affects you.

As such, if you have a child and you are easily stressed, there is no reason to worry your child will grow up the same way. By giving him or her a solid upbringing, helping him or her to deal with problems that may arise and so forth, you may find that your child is a wiz kid when it comes to dismissing stress.