Choir Practice by Dr. Juan Harrison

Choir Practice
I read the other day that women live to be an average of 79 while men live to be 73, or 6 years sooner. A number of things contribute to a man’s shorter life span. Today more commonly both spouses have a job outside the home or work from home. Recent statistics show that two thirds of married women and seventy percent of single mothers work outside the home or from home.
Traditionally men have been considered the main breadwinner in the American family. As family size shrank over time, more women joined men in the workforce. With both partners in the workforce, families were able to have higher income and access to more choices in life. For everything from house size and location to what vehicles they drove. Unfortunately for the womenfolk, divorce statistics rose which pretty much forced many single moms to work at one or even two jobs to help meet basic needs.
In recent years life expectancy in America has gone down. Some experts tell us man’s makeup such as testosterone shortens his life while estrogen lengthens women’s lives. Men tend to engage in more risky behavior such as 25% guilty of infidelity. Similar behavior for women stood at 15%. Heart disease for men was a leading cause of shorter lives for men compared to women.
If we can look at some general facts, we find men are the major provider of income for the family while women may bring in lower income because of being out of the workforce for years or working in occupations not paying as much as men might be paid.
Men are notorious for keeping things inside and not communicating well with spouses. One of the major factors influencing everything from heart attacks to ulcers for men is stress. Women tend to be more social, sharing friendship with several close friends, sharing feelings helping to relieve stress and the likelihood of its effect on their health. Men tend to be less social with fewer close friends and less opportunities to let out stressful feelings with their impact on their bodies.
Many men feel the pressure of being the major provider in the home. Many of their occupations are highly stressful or dangerous for some of the higher paying jobs. Men aren’t particularly good at telling others about worries or concerns. Sometimes these stressors cause the men to stew and worry. They feel the pressure of providing for the family and what might happen if they weren’t there to protect the family. Men are pretty hardheaded and not likely to take much advice from others regarding their health or going to the doctor. Throw in some inherited traits from his parents, and you might get a glimpse of why he acts like he does. Most likely, men are gonna do what men do. Job tells us our days are numbered. Us guys may need to get a head start on Choir Practice up on high.
By Dr. Juan Harrison