What Stress Causes And Doesn’t Cause

There may be no state with more daily stress than New Jersey, and that stress gets blamed for a lot of things, some correctly and some incorrectly.

There are physical responses to stress that can be dangerous for us, but there are also things that we blame on stress that isn't really stress' fault. The National Institute of Mental Health attempts to separate the facts about stress from the fiction, according to msn.com.

Hair loss. This one is true. Stress affects the immune system in a way that could impact hair follicles and cause you to lose hair.

Gray hair. Not true. Well, not exactly. Experts say most graying is due to age, but there is a possibility prolonged stress has something to do with it although no direct link has been found.

Ulcers. You're sitting in traffic on the Parkway and you think to yourself, "This commute is going to give me an ulcer." Research says no it won't. Even though ulcers have historically been associated with stress, studies say that most ulcers are actually caused by bacteria.

So it looks like the traffic, cost of living, work schedule, kids schedules, bills, taxes and all the other glorious things we encounter during our life in New Jersey might cost us some hair, but don't blame the stomach pains or your gray hair on that stress.

Personally I think the researchers should spend a day or two in the Garden State before they completely close the book on this one.