The ability to cope with stress may improve one's health more than giving up cigarettes and alcohol or losing weight, according to an article published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine by a Harvard Psychology professor.

Dr. George E. Vaillant, professor of Psychology and director of the study of Adult Development, has conducted a 40-year study of 188 Harvard graduates.

Coping

Vaillant, who teaches Social Sciences 169, "Adaptation to life," found that men who cannot cope with stress often have poor physical health, while men in good physical health often handle stress well.

Through periodic surveys examining the physical and mental status of the men, Vaillant showed that poor mental health preceded the onset of illness.

Stay Healthy

Vaillant said yesterday his work, begun in 1938 by Arlie Bock, then director of University Health Services (UHS), tended to "confirm a lot of old wives' tales which maintain that good mental health preserves one's physical health."

Dr. Lee D. Macht, professor of Psychiatry and a colleague of Vaillant's, said yesterday Vaillant's study is "the most significant work in the country today on longitudinal health and life."

Adaptation

"The issue of adaptation to life is unique," Macht added, noting that some recent studies have shown that stress-coping mechanisms such as laughter are related to the production of endorphine hormones, linked to improved health.