You Docs
You Docs: Narcissistic men on fast track for heart disease
February 8, 2012
You Docs
Gordon Gekko (Wall Street). Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men). Patrick Bateman (American Psycho). Jean Dujardin (The Artist).
What do these characters have in common? They’re narcissists through and through. They feel entitled and can’t empathize with others. And under that callous skin of theirs, they’re also on the fast track for heart disease, dementia, diabetes and the doghouse.
Narcissistic men crank out a lot of the stress hormone cortisol. (Surprisingly, that’s not true of narcissistic women.) Unchecked, that chemical messenger wreaks havoc on the body and relationships. But you can rein it in and avoid the mess it creates.
Here are three ways to manage stress and limit damage.
• Drink tea. No kidding. A daily dose helps your body recover from stress and cools health problems. Certain compounds in tea (polyphenols, flavonoids, amino acids) calm you down.
• Change shoes. Choose someone you know (but don’t much like) and imagine being them. Run through his day — trying to see the world through his eyes. If you can empathize, you’re not acting like a narcissist and that helps you manage your stress.
• Get nosy in a nice way. Personal connections relieve stress. Consider what you don’t know about someone close to you — then fire away. Ask questions, listen and absorb. When you aren’t thinking about your grand self, your stress diminishes big time.
YouDocs Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen are authors of YOU: Losing Weight. Order it at StarStore.ca. Submit questions and find more info at RealAge.com
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