From Chris Allen, Stoke Mandeville Hospital
While keeping a stiff upper lip may be bad for your memory and bad for your long-term mental health, in the short term it might have some advantages (17 September, p 13).
Ethological psychology would suggest that not exhibiting a dramatic response prevented our ancestors from being spotted and eaten by predators. Even today, a stiff upper lip may have advantages when dealing with a trauma, and not remembering the exact details might help to deal with an event as it unfolds.
However, keeping a stiff upper lip in the long term is not a good idea and does appear to result in post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK
