ADVERTISING: Freedom from Ulcers

How can a man be happy even though an adman? Last week famed Psychiatrist William C. Menninger posed this problem at the annual meeting of the American Association of Advertising Agencies after pondering that "some authorities indicate that the average age of advertising men who died in 1956 was 57.9 years—twelve years younger than men in other businesses at the time of their deaths."

"Advertising is a high-pressure business," said Dr. Menninger, "with the executive frequently in the middle between his clients' pressures on the one hand and his creative ideas on the other. As a result, I would guess that there might be among advertising men an especially high percentage of peptic ulcers or other physical symptoms related to these pressures."

Though the executive spends 80% of his time talking to people about their troubles, he seldom has anyone to talk to about his own problems. Since most of his time is spent working with people, his ability to handle them is "an even more essential attribute than his creative ability, however important that may be. It is always his problem to motivate people, care for them, understand them, to be a kind of father to them. This is especially true in a field where the principal commodity is ideas, where the raw material is nothing more than white space or vacant time." Moreover, the ad executive deals with "a fairly high percentage of eccentric, nonconformist geniuses."

What can admen do to beat their ulcers? Dr. Menninger suggested that "personal values that are gained in human relationships" contribute far more to job satisfaction—and freedom from ulcers—than any amount of push and prestige. His own adman's slogan: "Seek to make a rich life and not just a rich living."