There is a third type that does not respond at all to stress stimuli in the stress stimulus test. That would be the “over-adapted” type.
When they hear a loud sound like a horn, they may say, “Wow! That startled me!” and the person’s reaction changes to a surprised expression momentarily and properly. But when we check the stress hormone, it is the same as when the person is at rest. After 20 minutes, 40 minutes, and 1 hour after the stress stimulus, there is no change in stress hormones, and they do not rise or fall, just as they did at rest before hearing the stress stimulus.
When the stress stimulus is changed to a non-sound stress stimulus, the stress hormone still does not fluctuate at the time of the test. And while stress hormones do not rise outside, when they return home, stress hormones suddenly rise and fall wildly, causing inflammation. From the same low stress hormone state at rest, the sudden rise in stress hormones causes inflammation all at once, which leads to tremendous fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and regret.
Furthermore, in this over-adapted type, the inflammation of stress hormones activates peripheral immune cells and lowers cognitive function, so that what they were able to do outside becomes completely impossible at home, which is unimaginable from the way they are outside.
The over-adapted type is able to move briskly outside, but at home, the stress hormone is elevated and its inflammation makes them sluggish and unable to move at all, and they neglect cleaning, taking out the trash, etc.
The over-adapted type can check their appearance to make sure they look good when they go out. They can do so, but it can be difficult for them to adjust their eating habits, sleep, and money management, which are not exposed to the outside world, because of their cognitive decline.
That is, in situations where they are conscious of being seen by the outside world, they are concerned about their appearance, so they exercise and manage their diet to improve their appearance. However, in areas where they are not exposed to the outside world, they become extremely disorganized. The over-adapted type can act nonchalantly without a rise in stress hormones when they are concerned about their outside appearance, but when they are out of the public eye, they have difficulty controlling their thoughts and actions because their stress hormones are so wildly fluctuating.
It is because of over-adaptation that the over-adapted type gets the impression from those around them that “he/she might be brilliant” or “he/she would understand my feelings”. When the over-adapted type is given a stress stimulus, even if their stress hormones do not go up, they can react with “Surprise!” is because they are acting as the right person for the situation.
When a person is unreasonably blamed by others, for example, the over-adapted type can shed tears, but their stress hormones are not elevated and they are somehow aware that they are just acting out so that the other person’s anger will pass.
When someone asks, “What are you feeling right now?” the over-adapted type will answer, “I am nervous,” but there is also a sense that they are lying to the other person and are just playing a role to suit the other person.
The over-adapted type, whose stress hormones do not move even under stressful stimuli, can perform precisely in any situation, so they can perform better than normal people, whether at work or in their hobbies. So, even if they are disorganized in their diet, sleep, and finances, the over-adapted type will think that there is “no problem”.
Since they are not bothering anyone and are accepted by people on the outside, there is no problem, right? But that’s just not a problem for the people around them. They are just thankful and appreciated by the people around them.
Within the over-adapted type, there is a tremendous amount going on. The reason why stress hormones don’t go up in the over-adapted type is because they have “learned helplessness”. Learned helplessness is a 1960s experiment by psychologist Martin Seligman in which dogs placed under stress and oppression that is difficult to resist or avoid learn from the situation that there is “no point in doing anything” and make no effort to even escape (from Wikipedia’s “Learned Helplessness”).
Stress hormones have the power to freely choose “run or fight”. But, when placed in a state of stress and depression that is difficult to resist or avoid, “it makes no sense to do anything” means that stress hormones no longer function properly in response to stressful stimuli.
The over-adapted type has lost the free will to “run or fight” to protect themselves due to learned helplessness. So, they naturally lose their free will to adapt to the situation and just play along with their surroundings (all written in narrative).