How do you act with a cold?
Some will hide away in a protective bubble of blankets. Others will battle on, sneezing as loud as a fog horn or as quiet as a mouse. We all have our very different ways of managing the common cold and its symptoms. But what, exactly, determines how we react to minor illnesses and what does it say about our personality?
A specialist in personality and non-verbal communication, Dr Harry Witchel, has teamed up with natural cold remedy Kaloba to identify six key personality types, based upon a person’s reaction to a bout of the sniffles: Broadcasters, Suppressors, Apologisers, Planners, Defeatists and Warriors.
Dr. Witchel, a Senior Lecturer in Physiology says: “A cold is quite revealing about an individual’s personality because you are most likely to see a person’s true colours when they are facing difficulty, or when they have to tap into their inner strength. In our society the sick role has some advantages, such as being taken care of, and many disadvantages, such as being isolated.
"Some people may down play their minor illnesses and their symptoms, while others may bask in the attention. For example, in a study at the University of Virginia, coughing in a classroom was shown to be influenced by subconscious social motives. Likewise, the suppression behaviours of sneezing are socially motivated as well. How people cope depends to a large extent on their personality traits.”
The contagious viral infection known as the common cold is the most common infectious disease in the United Kingdom, affecting a large percentage of the population at least once every year. A survey by Kaloba found that almost a third of all sick days taken in the UK are attributed to the dreaded cold viruses, yet also found that 37 per cent of workers do not think it is acceptable to take a day off work due to a common cold. British school children will also skip 16 million days of school each year as a result of the common viral infection.
So which personality type are you?
BROADCASTER
These extroverted people make no attempt to hide the fact they are suffering with a cold, their symptoms are very easy to spot and they discuss their illness with those around them. Extroverts, when weak, gain their energy from social situations; a minor illness is when they might feel drained, so social interaction is what they crave. In a study of 500 people in the USA, 76 per cent of ‘big sneezers’ were outgoing, leader type personalities.
SUPPRESSOR
Despite suffering visible symptoms, these agreeable individuals make every attempt to hide the fact they are ill, taking themselves away to blow their nose or holding in sneezes when in public. The personality trait of agreeableness is associated with compassion, concern for others, and a positive social orientation. 42 per cent of sneeze suppressors have high levels of friendliness; not surprisingly, more women than men suppress their sneezes (32% vs. 26%).
APOLOGISER
These anxious people will profusely apologise for their illness or symptoms and avoid close contact with anyone they encounter. According to the Kaloba survey, 63 per cent of people will avoid kissing their partner when suffering from a cold, a further 42 per cent would avoid sex and some would not even sit on the same sofa as their significant other.
PLANNERS
Armed with the facts and a treatment plan, these organised people will be prepared for cough and cold season and are never without a box of tissues. They will also be informed about remedies to help reduce their symptoms and even to boost their immunity. These people can catch and overcome a cold infection without anyone even knowing it!
DEFEATIST
Confined to the comfort of their homes and putting life on hold, these introverted people feel that their cold has got the best of them and cannot consider returning to normal life until the illness has subsided. Highly introverted individuals seek solitude in order to recharge their batteries; 50.3 per cent of English-speaking populations are at least moderately introverted.
The concept of ‘Man Flu’ is closely associated with the Defeatist category, referring to the idea that when many men have a cold, their symptoms can be exaggerated to those more telling of flu.
WARRIOR
Despite visibly suffering with cold symptoms, the even-tempered warrior will not admit defeat and attempt to carry on with everyday life. Often the words “I’m fine” or “It’s only a cold” are synonymous with this character. According to the Kaloba® survey, 30 per cent of people believe the best way to recover from a cold is to “ignore it and power on through”.
Curb a cold
Your cold personality can even help determine how contagious you are. When it comes to a cold or the flu, we're at our most contagious before the first sneeze. However, at this stage the damage to the people around us has often already been done – the incubation period for the virus can be up to two days before symptoms occur. You can help prevent the spread of infection by employing the NHS ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’ policy.
We now live in an age in which anyone can learn about their illness and what is needed to overcome it, where information is readily available for those who choose to access it. However, when it comes to minor infections, like the common cold, it is only certain personality types who choose to access this information and proactively treat their symptoms. Kaloba is a fully licensed natural remedy and is also the best researched medicine worldwide in the area of upper respiratory tract infections, including the common cold, with over 4,000 patients participating in placebo-controlled, clinical trials; over 40 per cent of which were children one year and above.
Dr Michael Dixon, GP and Chairman of the NHS Alliance said: “If you’re suffering from cold and flu symptoms, you should stay at home, rest, drink plenty of fluids to help increase your recovery time and prevent the spread of infection. It is also worth considering the use of an over-the-counter remedy to help lessen symptoms; these are available on the high street. In numerous studies, natural remedies containing Pelargonium have found to be a safe and efficacious alternative to antibiotics, which do not work in treating viral infections.”
Tagged in Health cold and flu