Cowardly or brave are caused by hormones

Scientists believe that some people are born to be heroes, because their bodies have fewer hormones that make them feel more stressed than most of us.

US soldiers in a raid on Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in 2007. Photo: silicon.com.

'Obviously there are individuals who are always calm in stressful or dead situations. The levels of stress hormones in their bodies are much lower than most of us , 'commented Deane Aikins, Yale University psychologist.

Deane and his colleagues invited the group of soldiers who had just undergone training in survival skills in the simulated environment to participate in a study. These soldiers face many scary circumstances, such as war and prison. The team listed the best people based on their training results and took blood samples from all volunteers for analysis.

The results showed that cortisol levels - also known as stress hormones - were much lower among the best soldiers than the rest. Meanwhile, the concentration of neuropeptide Y - a compound capable of reducing the body's response to stress - is higher in the excellent body. In fact, neuropeptide Y loses the effect of cortisol.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dr. Deane confirmed that his findings help explain why pilot Chesley Sullenberger could maintain a calm mood to control the aircraft. Passengers landed in the Hudson River in New York after it hit the bird last month.

Deane states that if we examine an individual's cortisol and neuropeptide Y levels, we can predict whether that person can stay calm when faced with stressful situations. Military officials are very interested in Deane's research because it can help them create brave soldiers.

The team said that by combining certain chemicals in the body with neurological exercise methods, they could turn a coward into a hero. One of the chemicals that helps control fear is dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) - the hormone produced by the adrenal glands in both men and women.

"When recruiting recruits, the Ministry of Defense cannot eliminate anyone if they meet health and physical standards. So the problem is that we have to find a way to turn shy guys into Deane has a solution to do that now, " Deane said.