Evening star., 1933-01-01
BY MARJORIE Van DE WATER.

BY MAhJOhfE y 14N DE W N En-
oES the distant roll of approaching
thunder send involuntary shivers Of
fright down your spine? Does an
'instinctive" fear make YOU avoad
the touch of metal objects during
an electric storm? Does it send
you flying about the house to shut out drafts,
disconnect electric appliances. perhaps even to
hide your head under feather pillow?
Such neurotic fear OF lightning Is a de-
cidedly feminine aff1iction and one which
particularly characterizes married women, 1t
was found by DR.. Raymond Royce Wiiloughoy
of Clark University, when he recently asked
a group of married persons and group OF
college students to fill out q questlonnaire
sometimes used by psychiatrists to test for
neurotic traits.
Married persons are more neurotic than
college students, he discovered.
Wives are more neurotic than husbands.
But husbands have their own ways Of dis
playing certain amount Of emotional insta-
bility, too.
II YOU are one who likes to laugh at the
Trailer sex for timidity in the face of an electric
storm, just ask yourself this question: AT o
reception, do you feel reluctant to meet the
most important person present."
AS many as "a per cent Of the husbands
are nervous in this sort of situation. They
would much rather dodge out the side door
without the punch and cake than be dragged
up to pump the hand of the lion Of the party.
Men and women. student groups and married
groups differed so decidedly and consistently
on the particular brand of nervousness affect
ing them, that DR. Willoughby found he could
single out certain questions student" items,
others as married" items, male" "fe-
male" items.
Are you interested in meeting lot of diff
ferent kinds of people?"
This is male and married" item. Hus-
bands are particularly difident in this respect.
But wives are less enthusiastic over getting
acquainted with strangers than are male
college students. 1t does not worry many
college girls
The Importance of this finding is evident
when you consider that it is the husbands who
most need to get out and meet people. The fact
that the typical social climber of fiction is
woman may be justified by this fact
Can you stand criticism without feeling
hurt?"
This Is married" item, but the difference
between husband and wife is not great. What
Of it there is is in the favor of the husband
this time. Girl students, however, show up
better than do the boys.
Other questions on which married couples
with other people great deal?" and Were
your parents happily married?"
But here is student" item:
Are you troubled with the idea that people
are watching you the street," Answers to
this question revealed a strong difference be-
tween married couples and the students, the
latter being by far the most likely to be
nervous.
DO you think people have made quite lot
OF fun of you?"
do you think you are usually unlucky?"
Such questions bring out typical worries OF
the college student.
And here are the things which trouble the
ladies-whether they be married or single
housewives or students:
Are you often frightened in the middle of
the night?"
Are you frightened by lghtning?'
Does it make you uneasy to have to cross
q wide street or open square?'
Some Of the questions included In the list
brought out an unusual number of 'neurotic'
answers from some of the groups, DIR. Will
loughby found and these tell story of the
particular emotional tensions faced by these
persons.
A S many as 68 per cent of the wives say
they are easily moved to tears And 81
per cent suffer from stage fright. Among the
man students go per cent have stage fright,
81 per cent daydream frequently and SIS per
cent worry and depressed because of poor
marks
OF the girl students. 67 per cent are troubled
by things they have said on the spur of the
moment and later regretted. Reports from 81
per cent show that they are kept awake tossing
on their pillows by persistent ideas which keep
running through their heads
This does not mean, OF course, that ali these
men and women would be classed as ''neurotics"
by any physician. Just as there is some good
in the worst of us and some bad In the best,
SO also there may be some tendency to nerves"
In even the most placid and tranquil of indi-
viduals
The QUESTIONABLE used by Dr. Willoughby