{"id":92563,"date":"2023-02-13T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T15:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=92563"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:54:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T15:54:02","slug":"an-internal-locus-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/an-internal-locus-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"How an Internal Locus of Control Reduces Chronic Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is an internal locus of control<\/a>? How does a strong sense of control help to relieve chronic stress<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Why Zebras Don\u2019t Get Ulcers<\/em>, biologist and neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky examines the evolution and biology of stress. Among the many factors affecting chronic stress, he claims that having a strong internal locus of control makes you better equipped to cope with everyday stressors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn about the internal locus of control and how to make it stronger, according to Sapolsky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of\u00a0Shortform\u2019s guide to stress<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing an Internal Locus of Control<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Robert Sapolsky’s book, Why Zebras Don\u2019t Get Ulcers<\/em>, a sense of control reduces stress<\/strong> by letting you believe that your actions and decisions have meaning and that you can change a bad outcome or maintain a good one if you work hard enough. In general, people who believe their actions matter, also known as having a strong \u201cinternal locus of control,\u201d are better equipped to deal with the psychological stresses of everyday life. For instance, if you are struggling financially, the belief that through determination and effort you can get yourself out of that rut might help you achieve that goal and be less stressed because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sense of control can only help to a certain extent, however. In general, a sense of control only helps when you believe you can produce positive <\/em>outcomes.<\/strong> If something bad happens, and you think that outcome was completely within your control, you\u2019ll think about what more you could have done to prevent it, which creates stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How a Sense of Control Relieves Stress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Sapolsky, having a strong internal locus of control can alleviate stress. <\/strong>For example, he observes that people are generally more afraid of flying in a plane than driving a car, even though it\u2019s widely known the latter is much more dangerous. This is because when you fly, you cede complete control to the pilot of the plane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The stress of air travel doesn\u2019t just stem from a lack of control over steering. As psychologist Sally Augustin explains, when you fly, you\u2019re forced to give up control of your environment<\/em><\/a>. The decisions you have, such as what book to read or whether to open the window, are insignificant compared to the decisions you can no longer make for yourself\u2014you can\u2019t get away from the people sitting right next to you, go out for fresh air, or even use the bathroom at times. All of these lead to a perception that you have no control in your current situation, which is why flying can be so stressful for many people.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Maintain a Healthy Internal Locus of Control<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In The Happiness Advantage<\/em><\/a>, Shawn Achor argues that having an internal locus of control is instrumental to one\u2019s happiness and success<\/a>. If you have an external locus of control, you blame other people or circumstances for your failures and deny credit for your successes, which leads to an unfulfilling life. Achor also points out that feeling stressed or overwhelmed can disrupt<\/em> your internal locus of control, causing a vicious cycle of stress and poor decision-making\u2014stress causes you to feel overwhelmed, making it harder to complete the task and leading to even more stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sapolsky notes that an internal locus of control can be harmful when dealing with negative outcomes. Here are three tips to avoid feeling stressed by your perception of control over a situation<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n