Other Environmental Factors

Of course, our caregivers when we’re infants aren’t the only influences on brain development, behavior, attitudes, and coping strategies. We learn from those around us, and we also learn to adapt to the environment that surrounds us.  Some people who grow up with situations or environments that stress them.

For example, Gabor talks about the elevated occurrence of asthma in African-American women who have experienced episodes of racism, or the disproportionate number of women with MS, and the Adverse Childhood Experiences study that links experiences to illness, addiction, and other difficulties. It’s becoming clear that prolonged exposure to stress causes health problems, and can increase the risk of addiction, especially if we haven’t learned any other way of coping with the stress.