{"id":1565,"date":"2021-03-28T14:00:33","date_gmt":"2021-03-28T20:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=1565"},"modified":"2021-03-28T09:27:41","modified_gmt":"2021-03-28T15:27:41","slug":"stress-may-have-some-important-cognitive-benefits-new-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/?p=1565","title":{"rendered":"Stress May Have Some Important Cognitive Benefits, New Study Suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Stress May Have Some Important Cognitive Benefits, New Study Suggests<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • In a new study, people who reported feeling no stress experienced better moods and were less likely to have chronic health conditions than people who did face stressors. <\/li>\n
  • \nHowever, the people who did not experience stress scored lower on cognition tests. They were also less likely to experience positive events and to give or receive emotional support than people who experienced stress.<\/li><\/b><\/i>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\tIf accurate, these findings could complicate the seemingly one-sided relationship between stress and health by suggesting that stress may play a positive role in some elements of health and well-being.<\/ul><\/li>

    \nMore than 75% of adults living in the United States report experiencing emotional or physical symptoms related to stress.

    \n\nIn addition, a recent survey that the American Psychological Association (APA) commissioned found that almost 78% of adults in the U.S. are experiencing significant stress associated with the current pandemic.

    \n\nThe body is equipped to handle small, occasional periods of stress, but researchers have linked excessive or chronic stress with a slew of negative health consequences, ranging from migraine headaches to cardiovascular problems.

    \n\nDespite this, there has been little research investigating the possible association between experiencing less stress and an increase in health or well-being.

    \n\nThat is why a team of researchers from Penn State set out to explore whether people who experience little to no stress are healthier than people who do become stressed.

    \n\n\u201cThe assumption has always been that stress is bad,\u201d says senior author David M. Almeida, a professor of human development and family studies at Penn State.

    \n\n\u201cI took a step back and thought: What about the people who report never having stress? My previous work has focused on people who have higher vs. lower levels of stress, but I\u2019d never questioned what it looks like if people experience no stress. Are they the healthiest of all?\u201d

    \n\n\nStress and Health<\/b>
    \n\nStress is a healthy human response that most people experience from time to time.

    \n\nIt can sometimes be helpful. Stress causes a release of epinephrine that makes it easier to do tasks and enhances performance and problem-solving skills.

    \n\nThis rush of epinephrine can also help prepare the body to handle a threat or flee for safety by increasing pulse, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Stress can also act as a source of motivation in everyday situations, such as completing a project or taking a test.

    \n\nHowever, research shows that when stress becomes long-term, it can negatively affect every system in the body.

    \n\nOver time, chronic stress can become debilitating. It can also increase the risk of serious health complications, such as obesity, depression, and heart disease.

    \n\nMany symptoms of stress are easy to ignore or mistake for symptoms of other common conditions. The symptoms of chronic stress include:

    • \n\nHeadaches <\/li>
    • \ndigestive problems<\/li>
    • \nskin problems<\/li>
    • \npain<\/li>
    • \nlack of energy, focus, and interest in previously enjoyed activities<\/li>
    • \nbeing irritable, easy to anger, and forgetful<\/li>
    • \neating too much or too little<\/li>
    • \nmisuse of alcohol or drugs<\/li>
    • \nfeeling overwhelmed, anxious, fearful, or out of control<\/li>
    • \nfeeling depressed<\/li>
    • \ninsomnia<\/li>
    • \nheart palpitations<\/li><\/ul>

      \n\nWhile there is substantial proof of the negative health impacts of stress, little research has assessed whether experiencing less stress actually improves health. According to the new study\u2019s findings, this connection may be more complicated than experts previously thought.

      \n \nStress May Have Cognitive Benefits<\/b>
      \n\nIn the study, the researchers tracked 2,804 participants for just over a week. Before the study began, all of the participants completed a cognition test.

      \n\nDuring the study, the researchers interviewed the participants nightly for 8 consecutive nights, asking questions about their chronic conditions, physical symptoms, mood, and the number of stressors they experienced during the day. They also asked the participants how many positive experiences they had had within the previous 24 hours.

      \n\nAbout 10% of the participants did not report experiencing stress during the study period. These individuals were more likely to experience positive moods and less likely to have chronic health conditions.

      \n\nOn the other hand, the participants who did not experience stress scored lower on the cognition test than those who did. The difference in scores equated to the cognitive decline that would occur in approximately 8 years of aging.

      \n\nParticipants who did not report any stress also experienced fewer positive events than those who did, and they were less likely to give or receive emotional support. These participants were also more likely to be older, unmarried men.

      \n\n\u201cI think there\u2019s an assumption that negative events and positive events are these polar opposites, but in reality, they\u2019re correlated,\u201d says Almeida.

      \n\n\u201cIt\u2019s possible that experiencing stressors creates opportunities for you to solve a problem \u2014 for example, maybe fixing your computer that has suddenly broken down before an important Zoom meeting,\u201d Almeida adds.

      \n\n\u201cExperiencing these stressors may not be pleasant, but they may force you to solve a problem, and this might actually be good for cognitive functioning, especially as we grow older.\u201d

      \n\nAlmedia notes that minor daily stressors might also be a marker of \u201ca busy and maybe full life.\u201d In this case, he says, \u201chaving some stress is just an indicator that you are engaged in life.\u201d

      \n\nMore Research Necessary<\/b>
      \n\nMore research is necessary to define the correlation between stress, health, and emotional well-being.

      \n\nHowever, the link is unlikely to be clear and easy to define, given how many factors influence how someone experiences, responds to, and manages stress.

      \n\nFor example, on average, females and males have different mental and physical reactions to stress.

      \n\nSome groups of people may also be more likely to have exposure to certain stressors. A 2020 study found that in the U.S., some Black and Hispanic people may experience higher rates of stress than white people, due primarily to socioeconomic factors.

      \n\nDespite the challenge, these new findings could encourage more researchers to explore and better understand whether reducing stress improves health.

      \n\nIt will probably require substantial supportive research, as well as a total shift in how society and researchers view stress, before people start to see stress as a positive event.

      \n\nHowever, Almeida says that the team\u2019s findings may offer new insight into how to interact with and process stress, which is a largely unavoidable event for most people. He notes that the findings suggest it may be better to change the response to stress than to try to avoid it outright.

      \n\n\u201cStressors are events that create challenges in our lives. And I think experiencing stressors is part of life,\u201d says Almeida.\n\n\u201cI think what\u2019s important is how people respond to stressors. Responding to a stressor by being upset and worried is more unhealthy than the number of stressors you encounter.\u201d


      \n\nContributor: Jennifer Huizen, Medical News Today<\/i\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Stress May Have Some Important Cognitive Benefits, New Study Suggests In a new study, people who reported feeling no stress experienced better moods and were less likely to have chronic health conditions than people who did face stressors. However, the people who did not experience stress scored lower on cognition tests. They were also less […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-lifestyle","category-news-and-information"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1565"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1568,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1565\/revisions\/1568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/claremontcoloniccenter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}