The subject of one experiment is a rat that receives mild electric shocks {roughly equivalent to the static shock you might get from scuffing your foot on a carpet}. Over a series of these, the rat develops a prolonged stress-response: its heart rate and glucocorticoid secretion rate go up, for example. For convenience, we can express the long-term consequences by how likely the rat is to get an ulcer, and in this situation, the probability soars. In the next room, a different rat gets the same series of shocks-identical pattern and intensity; its allostatic balance is challenged to exactly the same extent. But this time, whenever the rat gets a shock, it can run over to a bar of wood and gnaw on it. The rat in this situation is far less likely to get an ulcer. You have given it an outlet for frustration. Other types of outlets work as well-let the stressed rat eat something, drink water, or sprint on a running wheel, and it is less likely to develop an ulcer.
( Robert M. Sapolsky )
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