Who is most vulnerable to stress during the holiday season-men or women?
Spiegel: I think that women tend to carry most of the burden of the holiday season. Women are working now too, but they tend to get a disproportionate amount of the other responsibilities on top of working. So I think the holiday season becomes a particularly stressful time for women who are trying to do their jobs, and bring the family together, and feed everyone and make it all work. There are other seasonal conditions, though. Because the day is shorter, some people have what’s called seasonal affective disorder. This occurs when the photoperiod is shorter. That is why you see a lot of depression in Scandinavia, where the winters are very long with very little daylight. There are some people who will routinely get depressed in the winter, but feel better in the summer. Question: What are some recommendations for reducing stress during the holidays? Spiegel: Because we’re still working but now have all these extra things to do like shopping for presents and cooking big meals, one thi
