Pavlov's Experiment on the Effects of Mental Stress on Health

Pavlov once studied the influence of central nervous system function on aging, and he carried out a very interesting experiment. In the experiment there were two groups of dogs, all receiving the same food and care. However, one group of dogs developed conditioned reflexes of adhering to a fixed daily routine, while the other group was subjected to a great many stimuli.

As a result, the cerebral cortex of the first group was not overburdened by excessive stimulation and they remained in good health; the cerebral cortex of the second group was long burdened with tasks beyond its capacity, their higher nervous activity was disrupted, and their health was markedly worse than that of the first group.

In the later stage of the experiment, the second group of dogs gradually became emaciated and lost their fur; their skin was prone to herpes, boils and difficult-to-heal ulcers, their teeth readily decayed and fell out, and the rate of both benign and malignant tumors was higher than in the first group.

The second group of dogs fell ill more easily, moved feebly, and had a markedly shorter average lifespan than the first group. Pavlov's experiment proved that mental stress has a significant effect on the health of animals, and this conclusion is consistent with the health-preserving thought advocated in the chapter "On the Ancient Sincerity and Primordial Simplicity" of the ancient Chinese medical classic Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon).

Huangdi Neijing advocates that a person should be "free-minded with few desires, at ease and without fear, and physically active yet not weary"; only by achieving this can one enjoy health and longevity. This also shows that many theories of traditional Chinese medicine can be verified through controlled experiments; it is only that the ancients did not master this scientific method, although many of the conclusions they reached on the basis of intuition were correct.

Mental stress is a very common problem in today's society. Nowadays not only adults are under great mental pressure, but minors are as well.

Those of us born in the 1970s at least had a relaxed and happy childhood, but for the generation of my son, childhood is no longer relaxed and happy. Excessive academic pressure causes them to lose their carefree innocence at an early age.

An overly competitive social environment has caused widespread damage to people's central nervous systems, and few people are able to be exceptions. Apart from cutthroat competition, the development of high technology over the past twenty-odd years has also made addictive behaviors increasingly common. The video arcades and internet cafes that once swept the streets, and now short videos and games, are all products of the combination of high technology and addictive psychology. Addictive behavior is essentially a persistent and unhealthy stimulation of the nervous system, and it can alter the structure of the cerebral cortex.

My most direct feeling is that our material conditions are constantly improving, yet our mental state is not as good as when I was a child, and people's life pressure is far greater than before.

When I was young, the busy farming season was indeed hard, but most people led relaxed lives during the slack season. People back then seemed far more positive than people today, which has a great deal to do with the fact that their brains received little stimulation each day.

We need to adjust our own lifestyles, moderately distance ourselves from the modern lifestyle that pursues stimulation, and reduce the intensity and frequency of the external stimuli we receive.

I maintain a cautious attitude toward technological progress. In an economic society, tech elites have always been studying how technology can be combined with human weaknesses so as to control technology users more effectively and generate greater economic returns. This value orientation inevitably leads technology to become, in the end, an important factor that stimulates the human central nervous system.

It is essentially contrary to a people-oriented spirit. No matter how the technology community calls for technology to take ethics seriously, this situation cannot be changed, because no one can stop the collective pursuit of profit.