Verification Statement and Acknowledgements

I verify that I constructed and tested this experiment and designed the display. I would
like to acknowledge all of the subjects that partook in my experiment for their cooperation in the
tests. I would like to thank my parents for letting me use materials in our house that were
necessary for the tests. I would like to thank Ms. Sanders and the Galloway school for allowing
me to borrow a heart rate monitor to test the subjects.
 Abstract
The different effects of stress on gender are an important risk factor for certain diseases

and disorders (Verma, Bahara, Gupta, 2011). The project was designed to investigate the

differences in stress for genders. It was predicted that the stress levels will be different for each

person depending on their gender but females will tend to be more stressed at a higher stress

level. 10 females and 10 males had their heart rates tested in a series of tests including a math

test, sound tests, and a puzzle. Their diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, and pulse

were recorded. The results indicated that females had a higher systolic blood pressure during the

math test with a 113.8 mmHg compared to the 103.9 mmHg average blood pressure for the

males. The results of headphone test #1 indicated that males were slightly more stressed with an

average diastolic blood pressure of 71.1 mmHg than the females that had an average of 69.3

mmHg. The results of the puzzle test suggested that males and females were equal in systolic

blood pressure with an average of 72.5 mmHg. The second headphone test suggested that

females were more stressed with an average of 105.9 mmHg of systolic blood pressure compared

to the males who had an average of 98.2 mmHg. The data indicates that the females tend to be

more stressed than the males.. The heart monitor used had multiple errors in recording the results

of the subjects due to the amount of movement requiring the subject to restart the test which

could have tampered with the results making the subject less stressed the second time around

because they knew what the test contained. The importance of the stress difference in gender is

imperative because the difference makes the genders more susceptible to certain types of

depression, anxiety, infectious diseases, and cancer (Verma, Bahara, Gupta, 2011).
 Methods

In January and February 2018, at the Galloway school in Atlanta, Georgia, ten females

and ten males between the ages of 14 and 15 were tested for their physiological responses to

stress, (measured by heart rate and blood pressure). The subjects' had a Bluestone heart rate

monitor placed on the left wrist and held it above their heart. The power button on the heart rate

monitor was hit and then squeezed the wrist of the subject to obtain the results. The subjects had

a paper test containing mathematics problems placed in front of them. The action of turning the

heart rate monitor was repeated at the start of every test by the experimenter. A four unit

multiplication math test (see the following) was then put in front of the subject with a mechanical

pencil and a timer on an iphone was set to one minute.

 The subject then completed as many problems as they could within a minute mark. The

heart rate monitor beeped when it was done and displayed the systolic, diastolic, and the pulse of

the subject. The results were then written in the results table on the computer.

The subject then took out a pair of Apple earbuds per the request of the experimenter.

The experimenter plugged the headphones into an Apple MacBook Air computer with volume

set to 9 bars and proceeded to listen with eyes closed to part of a Youtube video of people

panicking and gun shot sounds. The heart rate monitor was then put on the subject. The play

button of the video was then pressed and the subject sat listening to the video with their eyes

closed unless they accidentally opened them until the heart rate monitor finished. The results

were recorded. The subject then put away the headphones.

A wooden standing dragon piece puzzle was then put in front of the subject. The subject

put on a blindfold and put their right hand on the puzzle. The heart rate monitor was placed on

the left wrist and a timer was set for a minute. The subject then was instructed to put the pieces

together using their right hand within one minute. The heart rate monitor finished and the results

were recorded.

The subject then took out the pair of headphones and the headphones were plugged in the

computer. The experimenter went to a different video in Youtube that contained sounds from a

horror movie. The subject proceeded to close their eyes and the heart rate monitor was turned on.

The subject sat until the heart rate monitor finished and the results were recorded.
 Results

The average female systolic rate (averages: math test: 113.8, headphone test: 108.5, puzzle test:

112.4, headphone test #2: 105.9) were an average 6.54 mmHg higher than the average male

systolic rate (averages: math test: 103.9, headphone test: 104.1, puzzle test: 107.9, headphone #2:

98.2). It was observed that both genders believed that the content in the videos were noises from

a rock concert while the content were bomb and gun noises with a crowd panicking.

Average diastolic female heart rates: Baseline: average of 67.4 mmHg, Test #1: average of 74.2
mmHg, Test #2: average of 69.3 mmHg, Test #3: average of 72.5 mmHg, and Test #4: average
of 68.2 mmHg (standard deviation = 2.90981099). Average diastolic male heart rates: Baseline:
average of 67.5 mmHg, Test #1: average of 73 mmHg, Test #2: average of 71.1 mmHg, Test #3:
average of 72.5 mmHg, Test #4: average of 69.6 mmHg (standard deviation = 2.243434866).
Sample size for both groups: 20 people, 10 female, 10 male.
Average systolic female heart rates: Baseline: average 104.9 mmHg, Test #1: average of 113.8
mmHg, Test #2: average of 108.5 mmHg, Test #3: average of 112.4 mmHg, Test #4: average of
105.9 mmHg (standard deviation = 3.912160528). Average systolic male heart rates: Baseline:
average of 101.3 mmHg, Test #1: average of 103.9 mmHg, Test #2: average of 104.1 mmHg,
Test #3: average of 107.9 mmHg, Test #4: average of 98.2 mmHg (standard deviation =
3.60305426). Sample size for both groups: 20 people, 10 female, 10 male.
Average pulse female rate: Baseline: average of 83.6 bpm, Test #1: average of 90.1 bpm, Test
#2: average of 84.1 bpm, Test #3: average of 91.6 bpm, Test #4: average of 85.9 bpm (standard
deviation = 3.603193028). Average male pulse rate: Baseline: average of 80.1 bpm, Test #1:
average of 88.7 bpm, Test #2: average of 85 bpm, Test #3: average of 93.4 bpm, Test #4:
average of 81.4 bpm (standard deviation = 5.445824088). Sample size for both groups: 20
people, 10 female, 10 male.
 Evidence-based claims
The data indicates that the average female might be stressed more than the average male.

Research shows that heart rate and blood pressure increase under stress due to the different

chemicals that are released in the bloodstream, such as epinephrine which makes the heart

pound, (Peek, 2015). The average male diastolic heart rate was slightly higher (Test #1: average

of 73 mmHg, Test #2: average of 71.1 mmHg, Test #3: average of 72.5, Test #4: average of 69.6

mmHg, standard deviation = 2.243434866 than the average female heart rate (Test #1: average of

74.2 mmHg, Test #2: average of 69.3 mmHg, Test #3: average of 72.5 mmHg, Test #4: average

of 68.2 mmHg). The average female systolic heart rate was higher by a 6.54 average difference

(Test #1: average of 113.8 mmHg, Test #2: average of 108.5 mmHg, Test #3: average of 112.4

mmHg, Test #4: average of 105.9 mmHg, standard deviation = 3.912160528) than men (Test #1:

average of 103.9 mmHg, Test #2: average of 104.9 mmHg, Test #3: average of 107.9 mmHg,

Test #4: average of 98.2 mmHg, standard deviation = 3.60305426). The average female pulse

(Test #1: average of 90.1 bpm, Test #2: average of 84.1 bpm, Test #3: average of 91.6 bpm, Test

#4: average of 85.9 bpm, standard deviation = 3.603193028) was higher than the average male

pulse (Test #1: 88.7 bpm, Test #2: average of 85 bpm, Test #3: average of 93.4 bpm, Test #4:

average of 81.4 bpm, standard deviation = 5.445824088). This does support the hypothesis that

females would be more stressed than males.

Females seemed to have a greater response to math tests than males. The average female

systolic heart rate was higher with an average of 113.8 mmHg (standard deviation =

3.912160528) than the average male heart rate of 103.9 mmHg (standard deviation =

3.60305426). The average diastolic female heart rate was slightly higher with an average of 74.2

mmHg (standard deviation = 2.90981099) compared to the average male heart rate of 73 mmHg
(standard deviation = 2.243434866). The average female pulse was higher with a 90.1 mmHg

average (standard deviation = 3.603193028) than the average male pulse of 88.7 mmHg

(standard deviation = 5.445824088).

 Discussion
Recent studies show that women are more stressed than men due to the fluctuation in the

hormonal levels and report higher amount of stress, (Peek, 2015). A reason for this could be

women are more pressured to look good and work harder to achieve goals compared to men

(Gender and Stress, 2010). The hypothesis of this project predicted that women would be more

stressed than men. The results showed a small difference between the results of men and women.

While the data supported the hypothesis, the closeness of the averages, especially considering the

variation as reported in standard deviations, makes confidence in this finding very tentative.

The design of the experiment could have been improved by having the test subjects

participate in a silent room away from everyone. The effect could have tampered with headphone

test #1 and headphone test #2 due to the loudness of the room that it was taken in seemed to calm

them down by reassuring them that they were not the only people in the room. The design also

could have been improved by testing genders of the ages 20 or 30 which would be easier for the

experimenter to find people to test and also be able to study the differences of stress between two

age groups.

The implementation of the project could have been improved by choosing a different

heart rate monitor for the project, and choosing different or turning up the volume of the noises.

Occasionally the heart rate monitor would record an error during a test and the subject would

have to restart the test for the monitor to record the results. It may have impacted the results in a

negative way by letting the subject get used to the test and overall lowering their heart rates. The

bomb and crowd panicking noises in headphone test #1 were mistaken for noises from a rock
concert which may have affected the results received for headphone test #1 and headphone test

#2 which made the results from each closer to the baselines.

Many studies show that men are more susceptible to aggressive behavior, drug abuse,

infectious diseases, and hypertension and autoimmune diseases, depression, chronic pain, and

anxiety disorders are more widespread in women due to the differences in stress reactions,

(Balhara, Gupta,Verma, 2011). A follow up experiment might include people of different ages

and have more tests that include life or death situations, such as putting the test subjects under

the impression of being mugged which could test the “flight or fight” mode and “tend and

befriend” mode that studies show the “tend and befriend” mode is stronger in women (Balhara,

Gupta,Verma, 2011).
 References

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gender-stress.aspx

Borel, B., & Peek, K. (2015, March). The science of stress. ​Popular Science​.

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