Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Using forensic technology and biochemistry, researchers from the University of Western Ontario looked at stress levels in pre-Columbian Peru. They discovered that stress has been around for at least 1500 years.

When people experience stress, they release a chemical known as cortisol which is found in the blood, the urine and the hair. The researchers looked at the hair strands of 10 individuals from different archaeological sites in Peru, examining their cortisol levels.

They found that the time just prior to individuals dying was stressful. In addition, the majority of individuals had experienced stressful periods in the years leading up to their death. This suggests that stress was a normal part of life in the pre-modern period.

While it may seem that our modern lifestyles create more stress than in the past, we now know that stress has been around long before our modern world was created.