AFTER [TWO AND A HALF YEARS] of staying mostly at home, I've come to understand certain things about mice. Mice hate open spaces. That's why they hunker down inside walls and cabinets instead of lounging on the sofa. Exposed environments are unpredictable, which makes those spaces seem dangerous.
Unsurprisingly, when a team of researchers placed mice in an open portion of a maze, the rodents scurried for an exit, and neurons provoked by anxiety started popping off like fireworks. "The more anxious the mouse, the more the neurons were activated, and the more likely they were to try to flee," says Dr. Mazen Kheirbek, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and one author of the study. I feel for those jittery mice. I have bolted on two occasions in the past month alone-once from the grocery store, when a woman in the produce section unleashed a voluminous sneeze, and again when I was hiking and heard yipping and rustling in some nearby brush. Hadeda? Caracal? Lion on the loose? Faced with uncertainty, I behaved like your average risk-averse rodent. I fled.
Uncertainty is one of the most insidious stressors humans (and other mammals) face. Studies of both people and rodents have shown that it's less stressful to know that you're about to receive an electric shock than to think you might get one. Uncertainty disrupts your ability to forecast what will happen in the future, making you anxious, hypervigilant and more likely to overreact to upsetting or worrisome news or events.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2022-utgaven av Men's Health South Africa.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2022-utgaven av Men's Health South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Last 7 Recipe You'll Ever Need
FADS COME AND GO. BUT GOOD EATING AND PROPER NUTRITION CHANGES VERY LITTLE. SO WE COMBED THROUGH ALL THE RECIPES IN MEN'S HEALTH'S 36-YEAR HISTORY TO FIND THE ONES THAT TRULY DELIVER ON BOTH FLAVOUR AND FUNCTION.
The Changing Face Of Cancer
While cancer rates are falling in older adults, they're increasing among younger age groups. It's a trend exposing holes in both diagnosis and care. It's also raised a new question for experts: how do you get vital and potentially life-saving information to people unaware they need it?
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 ADVENTURES
YOUR TIME OFF IS VALUABLE. TO BOOK YET ANOTHER FLY 'N' FLOP IS TO DO YOURSELF A DISSERVICE. THIS YEAR, BREAK FREE FROM THE POOLSIDE BAR AND GET YOUR KICKS IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. FROM EXPEDITIONS IN FAR-FLUNG PLACES TO HIGH-OCTANE WEEKENDS CLOSER TO HOME, CONSIDER THESE YOUR FIRST STEPS OFF THE BEATEN TRACK.
4 WAYS TO REBOOT YOUR MINDSET
STRESSED ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD AND/OR YOUR SANITY? WE'VE GOT FOUR SIMPLE BUT ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO HELP YOU ADAPT AND OVERCOME, THIS YEAR AND BEYOND.
TRAIN TO YOUR MAX
Cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the most important health markers when it comes to your overall wellbeing. Here's how Discovery Vitality Fitness gives you more ways than ever to fire up your engine.
SLUSH FUN
FROZEN DAIQUIRIS ARE REFRESHI AND ALSO SICKENINGLY SWEET. TRY A FROZEN PIMM'S CUP, WHICH HAS ALL THE FLAVOURS WITH WAY LESS SUGAR.
THE HEALTH SNOB'S GUIDE TO COLD-BREW COFFEE
BOTTLED COFFEE MIGHT BE ABUNDANT, BUT CAFFEINE AFICIONADOS MAKE THEIR OWN. FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO PREP A HEALTHY BREW FOR A REFRESHING PERK-ME-UP.
SUPP CHECK RECOVERY PACKAGE
COLLAGEN IS TOUTED AS THE GO-TO SUPP FOR BONE, SKIN AND JOINT HEALTH, PLUS FAST INJURY REPAIR. BUT DOES IT DELIVER? TIME TO GEN UP.
THE SEMI-COMPLETE USER'S GUIDE TO...THE SINUSES
FOR AS LONG AS sinuses have been around, aka forever, there has been a ton that scientists haven't figured out about them.
BULLISH
The Blue Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier is striving for greatness. Here's how he's putting in the right reps to make sure mind and muscle are firing in unison.