Adrenal response

[jinasphinx]

I'm on this mailing list for women swordfighters in the SCA. And on it someone recently asserted that when the fight-or-flight reaction is triggered, men "freak out" and take a while to calm down. Whereas women start calm (or maybe it was get calm very quickly), but then after the event is over, we have the freakout (crying). I haven't heard this before; is this from a study, or widely known in sports?

([Edit:] I thought everyone, male or female, felt like crap when they come down off the adrenaline, because you've just used up your entire supply of adrenaline for the day.)

I tried doing a web search but all I keep finding is that damn tend-and-befriend study.

Comments

[waterfaery.livejournal.com]

Lots of the websites on PTSD/child trauma/Dissociative Identity Disorder talk about the continuum from dissociative behaviors (more typical for female abused/traumatized kids) to aggressive/antisocial behaviors (more typical for male abused/traumatized kids). There are neurochemical components to both of these reactions--it's not just adrenaline, but also testosterone, norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other teeny little proteins bouncing around messing with ya. So the general observed tendencies are just that--both generalized, and tendentious, and based on empirical observation--but it's a lot more complex, and there's a spectrum of reactions informed by the chemical and environment-driven characteristics of the individual, and somewhat influenced by the way both neurochemistry and behavior manifest across the gender spectrum. The "calm" evidenced often in women may at times be dissociative, or alternatively may indicate equilibrium. It's going to depend on all those wiggly factors.

All of which is to say that yes, there are studies to support this generalization, and yes, the poster made it far too black and white.

And on the "using up your supply for the day"... different chemicals are produced following an adrenaline (plus testosterone plus norephinephrine) surge, and normal people do "crash" in some fashion after such surges--but individuals (again) are different. For example, people with general anxiety disorder may in some cases be constantly flooded with these chemicals and thus react differently.

I'd suggest looking at some of the studies on dissociation and/or PTSD and/or child trauma. They've got good info on typical/atypical fight (aggression) or flight (dissociation) reactions.

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I didn't think of the "calm" as possibly dissociative, but that makes a lot of sense.