![]() Repeated and long-term releases of the stress hormone cortisol cause changes in brain structure that leave individuals more susceptible to anxiety and mood disorders, including depression. ![]() The problem comes in when stress becomes a daily part of life, triggering a physiological response that’s actually detrimental to health over the long term. The flight-or-flight response is intended to be short-term. But adaptive mechanisms are still very much a part of our brain’s biology. In modern life, we don’t have to worry much about attacks from lions, tigers or bears. Good during lion attack, less good during daily life In the African wilds in which early humans roamed, the consequence of underreacting could mean death. This automatic response prepares our bodies for possible actions: fight or flight! From the perspective of evolutionary adaptation, it’s in our best interests NOT to distinguish between life-threatening and non-life-threatening dangers. Stress hormones are released, the heart beats harder and faster, breathing becomes rapid and muscles tense, ready for action. When faced with imminent danger, like a pouncing tiger, our bodies have evolved an automatic reaction to help us react fast. This stress response evolved in human beings to help us navigate a wild, dangerous and unpredictable world. Anxiety is stress that lingers after the immediate threat is gone it’s experienced as a feeling such as embarrassment, fear or worry.įight-or-flight is a physiological response. ![]() It’s how the body reacts to these situations. Stress is an adaptive response to perceived threats. And there’s an evolutionary reason for that physical response. When things feel uncomfortable – like when I was confronted with that comment a decade ago – our brains can overinterpret the situation as an imminent threat. Fight or flight, designed for quick responseīecause of their underrepresentation, women in STEM often regularly question their place in these professions. It’s a self-reinforcing cycle that we need to break. ![]() Ironically, the difficulties that they (we) encounter often dissuade the next generation of women from joining us. This situation is often uncomfortable and mentally demanding, when even just showing up and doing your job comes with constant social stresses and anxiety. The large gender imbalance means that women may naturally feel they’re outsiders at school and at work. The reality is that STEM professions are most commonly male and it remains surprising when these professional roles are held by women. In the United States, women are 12% of the engineering and 26% of the computing workforce. In Canada, women account for 23% of engineering graduates and 30% of mathematics and computer graduates. Women remain an underrepresented group in STEM. Second was the attitude that since I was in engineering, this could be explained only if there was something exceptional or outstanding (or, once again, freakish) about me. First was the surprised, skeptical tone of the other student’s voice that conveyed it was surprising and unusual (or, to put it more crudely, freakish) that I was in engineering. But when unpacked, they reveal subversive attitudes about women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).Īs I think back to this encounter, there are two aspects that stay with me. It has been over 10 years since I was a first-year engineering undergraduate student but when I remember the time a fellow female student made this comment, I can still feel a visceral, bodily reaction: my muscles tense, my heart rate increases, my breath quickens.Ĭomments like these on the surface appear as compliments. “You’re in engineering!?! Wow, you must be super-smart…”
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