How Astronauts Get Along

Earlier studies have already uncovered some interesting behaviors.

For example: Like that test pilot, many of those who go into space are able to suppress their emotions when they need to. That's a valuable trait, not only for astronauts but also for, say, surgeons and fire fighters, because it helps get things done.

"The problem," says Kanas, "is if you suppress your emotions for months on end, it can wear you down." The trick is to be able to suppress your emotions when you're in crisis, but then to relax enough to experience your feelings when things aren't so stressful.

Astronauts in general tend to be skilled at knowing when to suppress their feelings and when to deal with them. "It's just that sometimes, [in space] they're under so much pressure they find it difficult to relax," he says.

more Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

When that happens, astronauts tend to socialize with each other less and less. After months of being together, they can grow tired of hearing one another's stories. Tension mounts. One way of relieving that tension is by blaming mission control.

This is called "displacement" and it's a very common way to deal with stress. People do it all the time, for example by yelling at their kids instead of their boss. Displacement provides the short-term benefit of relieving tension. But it hurts the family, and it doesn't deal with the problem.

"We found that when crew members reported being under stress, those were the times that they perceived a lack of support from the ground." Likewise, when mission control was under stress, they tended to perceive a lack of support from management. Displacement again. In the long run displacement is toxic because it lets the real problems fester.