Georgianna Donadio, MSc, DC, PhD

It seems today we have a large menu of things to choose to worry about, from the economy to the latest flu epidemic heading our way. It is no wonder this is called the “age of anxiety” or that we are losing our grip on happiness and it is being replaced with anxiety. If you are female, the news is even more disconcerting. Science demonstrates that women are more prone to worry – that is at least more than men are.

A poll taken by Health magazine, 54% percent of women said they worried more than their partners. Only a small, 12% of those surveyed said their partner worried more than they did.

The reason women worry more than men is because of the effects of female hormone on parts of the brain associated with worry, as well as the continuing fluctuation of hormones in a woman’s body which has a direct affect on her thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Jerilyn Ross, a licensed independent clinical social worker, president and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, and author of One Less Thing to Worry About, says that the fluctuations of a woman’s hormone cycle can make women prone to a wide range of feeling including depression and anxiety.

Dr. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist and author of Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life says, “Women are more in touch with their emotions, and worry is an emotion,”.

In spite of these gender differences, health experts say that with some practice, we can all less worried and more happier. The old adage “take time to stop and smell the roses” may be wiser than we think.

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