Today, Stress-Related Diseases Like Stroke, Heart Attack, and Cancer Are

Multiple Choice

Today, stress-related diseases like stroke, heart attack, and cancer are more likely to kill people than are communicable diseases like influenza, tuberculosis, and syphilis. Researchers argue that this is because our bodies are not prepared to deal with the constant demands of modern life: noise, pollution, endless daily decisions, and pressures to look more attractive, make more money, and buy more things. What is the best evolutionary explanation for why we are not prepared to handle modern stressors?

A) Our ancestors did not have any stressors at all in their lives.
B) All evolutionary research emphasizes the body and not the brain, and stress is mostly mental and emotional.
C) Evolution prepared our bodies to deal with short-term stressors like fighting off an enemy or running away but not constant, long-term pressures.
D) Our ancestors had fewer sex differences, which made relationships much easier to handle.
E) Our ancestors had more sex differences, which made relationships much easier to handle.