Stress and Societal Pressure

In response to Katie Russell's question, "Why do humans put so much pressure on ourselves it makes us sick?"...

     It seems that since this week is midterms, this is quite an appropriate question to answer! This week, my friends and I have truly been feeling the pressure. Homework is piling up, people are getting frustrated and lashing out at each other, and when we finally collapse in bed at night, it is evident we need much more sleep than the few hours we are actually getting. Stress. This seems to be a part of everyones lives, and I will admit that I have never met a person who was not stressed whatsoever. But, as Katie said, why is it that people put so much pressure on themselves? It most certainly has to do with the ideals of the society people are a part of. The United States for instance, is a very individualistic nation. If you mess up, it is your fault and not the fault of any other. Time is money. A constant state of stress is necessary in order to perform efficiently. So, it is clear that when there is no one to blame except for oneself, the pressure can become overwhelming, often resulting in serious health issues. Eastern, or Asian cultures however, have an entirely different view as a nation. They are what one could call collectivist, and have much more group responsibility for the actions of every individual. This takes quite a bit of pressure off of individuals, and results in somewhat less stress.
     Still, these people do get stressed, and I do not quite understand why humans need to push themselves to such limits. Personally, I am what some would consider a hard-worker and an over-achiever. The past few years of my life especially, have been nothing but memories of stress from schooling. I push myself as hard as I can, but why is it that some people are incapable of this? What is it that makes some people work extremely hard and others be extremely lazy? Despite this, it even appears that the lazy ones in society still get stressed, often as a result of their laziness. This leads to the conclusion that it is truly within human nature to "stress out" about things. People worry, and there does not seem to be any method to stop this. What animals are capable of worrying? Does their stress and worry lead to illness, as it does in humans?