The Stress Curve

Apparently, just over 100 years ago, two scientists by the names of Yerkes and Dodson, I am informed, working at Harvard University (unverified but most likely) proposed an interesting law that describes the relationship between levels of arousal and resulting performance. It is the shape of an inverted u, or even better still: the top half of a circle cut in half!! The horizontal axis is the level of arousal from 0 (minimum, on the left side) to 10 (maximum, on the right side); the vertical axis is the spectrum of performance: once again, minimum of 0 at the bottom and maximum of 10 at the top).

Draw the inverted U/top half of a circle , starting at the left bottom corner, and then the vertical and horizontal lines.

Some interesting bits of info emerge:

1. Too little arousal (bottom left) leads to low performance.

2. Too much info (bottom right) leads to poor performance.

3. Top of curve: middle of the range arousal/stress/demands leads to optimal performance.

Most of my clinical work is with people to the right of this curve: areas labeled as distress and burnout, or if severe, breakdown. The latter often require hospitalization.

But it is casting the eyes to the left of the mid-line and gently sloping down towards the bottom left that teases my professional interest - a state of boredom, which in fact (scientific!) can lead to death. Vital stats: 60% of men who retire at 60 years with non-significant ie low strain retirement work/hobbies, are dead with in three years. Something to think about: boredom can be fatal.

So my ethical responsibility, my 'big conversation' has been to seek out the reasons behind this phenomena and the focus of my formal enquiries for the past 14 years, but really began as a science student in 1977. So at least thirty two years have been poking about the human condition finding clues that collectively forms the foundation of FOTEO, the second half of my career.

As the blog develops I will relate some of the fascinating experiences, resistances, findings and the (unconsciuos) pursuit of (unconscious) red herrings I encountered along the way.