Department - Author 1

Social Sciences Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BS in Anthropology and Geography

Date

8-2013

Primary Advisor

Dawn Neill

Abstract/Summary

In a world that is so fast pace and always changing, the human biological systems have need to adapt just as swiftly. WIth the dependence on culture that humans all share has led to the building of societies with complex rules, ideals, and accepted roles and ways of life. In these complex societies, great cities and governments have arisen but so too have unnoticed changes to human biology. One of these changes is with environmental stressors and the effects it has on the nervous system. The human body, in these modern times, still responds to perceived stressors with the release of chemicals and hormones that prepare the body for defense. This 'fight or flight' response, however, is of not too much need in the modern, developed world that many live in today. People in modern societies are perceiving stressors that are of no immediate danger to them and are responding with a sort of 'promotion and devotion' response because these are mainly grounded in social and economic institutions; those institutions artificially created by humans. Using the modern phenomena of travel and studying abroad, this paper aims to illustrate just how cultural stress is in the modern world and the potential health risks associated with the chronic responses that occur when faced with so many culturally created perceived stressors.

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