Hypertension and Arteriosclerosis in Executive and Nonexecutive Personnel

A comparison was made between 1,171 male executives and 1,203 nonexecutives (of whom 563 were female), observed over periods averaging five years, with respect to evidence of arteriosclerosis and hypertension. A summary of the results for 1,083 men in the executive group and 293 men over 40 years of age in the nonexecutive group gave the surprising result that the incidence of hypertension was not greater, and cardiovascular disease in the form of generalized arteriosclerosis, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and myocardial infarction was disproportionately low, in the executive group. The authors point out that stress is a relative matter and that the disruption of the harmonious balance between a man and his environment can result from either the demands of the environment or the failure of the man to measure up to them. Success in a career goes hand in hand with good health. The executive, as part of his training, learns to judge the amount of occupational stress he can stand and to appreciate the value of outside avenues of expression.