How Do We Know That We are More 'Stressed' Than

Question

How do we know that we are more 'stressed' than our ancestors were?
A) cortisol comparisons
B) we don't: they are gone and we have no real measures
C) we actually are less stressed because there are no major predators of humans
D) the proof is in our lower parasite load
E) salivary cortisol comparisons

Accepted Answer

We cannot directly compare our stress levels to those of our ancestors because they are no longer alive, and we lack direct measures of their stress levels. Historical records, biological samples, or other direct measures of stress in ancient populations are not available in a way that allows for a straightforward comparison with modern stress levels.