Polar expeditions drive the mind to extremes: study

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Intense stress but ultimately a massive boost to self-esteem await the individual who joins an expedition to the North or South Pole, according to a psychological investigation released by The Lancet.

Intense cold, a physically tough life, and isolated existence within a small group breed a long list of mental negatives, say Lawrence Palinkas of the University of Southern California at Los Angeles and Peter Suedfeld of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Problems include depression, anxiety, irritability, impaired cognition, intellectual inertia and a spaced-out condition called "Antarctic stare," formally known as a spontaneous fugue state.

"About five percent of people on expeditions meet... criteria for psychiatric...