Little stress a day is good for your brain

Some people report feeling stress-free, but there may be downsides to this feeling of always feeling overloaded, researchers say.

The study found that people who reported feeling no stress were more likely to experience better daily well-being and fewer chronic health problems. However, they were also more likely to have lower cognitive function.

According to Penn State researcher David M. Almeida, the study suggests that small everyday stressors could potentially benefit the brain, although they are a drawback.

“It is possible that the experience of stressors creates opportunities for you to resolve a problem, for example by fixing your computer that suddenly broke before an important Zoom meeting,” said Almeida.

“So experiencing these stressors may not be pleasant, but they can force you to solve a problem, and that could actually be good for cognitive functioning, especially as we get older,” Almeida added.