The Cancer-Prone Personality
A One of the reasons scientists think that there is a link between stress and cancer is the idea that there may be a cancer-prone personality. The cancer-prone personality consists of a set of personality traits that are found more frequently in people who have cancer than in those who do not.
B What personality traits make up the cancer-prone personality? Most often, people who are polite, unaggressive, and agreeable are said to have this type of personality. They seem to have trouble showing when they are angry. Even in situations in which they should be angry, they appear to be calm and happy.
C When faced with a stressful event, people with the cancer-prone personality do not show stress outwardly. Instead, they keep their emotions bottled inside. They repress, or hide, their emotions, even from themselves.
D The cancer-prone personality is linked to the likelihood of getting cancer, and the same personality traits seem to help affect a cancer victim's recovery. For example, some studies have looked at cancer patients who accept the cancer without getting angry. These patients get sick faster and they die sooner than people who became angry at their cancer and fight the disease.
E However, it is important to keep in mind that some scientists interpret these research findings differently. First of all, not everyone who has a cancer-prone personality gets cancer. And not everyone who has cancer has a cancer-prone personality. Even more important, there is no proof that having a cancer-prone personality causes cancer. In fact, it may be the other way around: getting cancer may cause people to develop a cancer-prone personality.