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- In a new study, people who reported not feeling stress had better moods and were less likely to have chronic health problems than people who faced stressors.
- However, 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 those under stress.
- If correct, these results could complicate the seemingly one-sided relationship between stress and health by suggesting that stress may play a positive role in certain elements of health and well-being.
Over 75% of adults living in the United States report experiencing emotional or physical symptoms related to stress.
Additionally, a recent survey commissioned by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that nearly 78% of adults in the United States are experiencing significant stress associated with the current pandemic.
The body is equipped to handle occasional small periods of stress, but researchers have linked excessive or chronic stress to a range of negative health consequences, ranging from migraines to cardiovascular problems.
Despite this, there has been little research on the possible association between less stress and improved health or well-being.
That’s why a team of researchers at Penn State investigated whether people who experience little or no stress are healthier than people who are stressed.
“The assumption has always been that stress is bad,” says lead author David M. Almeida, professor of human development and family studies at Penn State.
“I took a step back and thought: what about people who say they never have stress? My previous work focused on people who have higher than lower stress levels, but I’ve never wondered what it looks like if people don’t feel stress. Are they the healthiest of all? “
The study appears in the journal of the APA Emotion.
Stress is a healthy human response that most people experience from time to time.
This can sometimes be helpful. Stress causes a release of epinephrine which makes it easier to perform tasks and improves performance and problem-solving skills.
This epinephrine surge can also help prepare the body to handle a threat or to flee for safety by increasing pulse, respiratory rate, and muscle tension. Stress can also be a source of motivation in everyday situations, such as completing a project or taking a test.
However, research shows that when stress becomes long term, it can negatively affect all systems in the body.
Over time, chronic stress can become debilitating. It can also increase the risk of serious health complications, such as obesity, depression, and heart disease.
Many symptoms of stress are easy to ignore or confuse with symptoms of other common conditions. Symptoms of chronic stress include:
- headache
- digestive problems
- skin problems
- pain
- lack of energy, focus, and interest in previously enjoyed activities
- be irritable, easily angered and forgetful
- eat too much or not enough
- alcohol or drug abuse
- feeling overwhelmed, anxious, fearful or out of control
- feel depressed
- insomnia
- Heart palpitations
While there is substantial evidence for the negative effects of stress on health, little research has assessed whether less stress actually improves health. According to the results of the new study, this link may be more complicated than experts previously thought.
In the study, researchers followed 2,804 participants for just over a week. Before the start of the study, all participants took a cognition test.
During the study, researchers interviewed participants every evening for 8 consecutive nights, asking about their chronic health conditions, physical symptoms, mood, and the number of stressors they experienced during the course of the study. the day. They also asked the participants how many positive experiences they had had in the previous 24 hours.
About 10% of participants did not report experiencing stress during the study period. These people were more likely to have a positive mood and less likely to have chronic health problems.
On the other hand, participants who did not experience stress scored lower on the cognition test than those who did. The difference in scores corresponded to the cognitive decline that would occur in about 8 years of aging.
Participants who reported no stress also experienced fewer positive events than those who did, and were less likely to give or receive emotional support. These participants were also more likely to be older, single men.
“I think we assume that negative events and positive events are these polar opposites, but in reality they are correlated,” says Almeida.
“It is possible that the experience of stressors creates opportunities for you to resolve a problem – for example, fixing your computer that suddenly broke before an important Zoom meeting,” Almeida adds.
“Experiencing these stressors may not be pleasant, but they can force you to solve a problem, and it can actually be good for cognitive functioning, especially as we get older.”
Almedia notes that minor daily stressors could also be a sign of a “busy and maybe busy life.” In that case, he said, “[h]Having a little stress is just an indicator that you are engaged in life. “
More research is needed to define the correlation between stress, health and emotional well-being.
However, the connection is unlikely to be clear and easy to define, given the number of factors that influence the way a person experiences, reacts and manages stress.
For example, on average, women and men have
Certain groups of people may also be more likely to be exposed to certain stressors. A
Despite the challenge, these new findings could encourage more researchers to explore and better understand whether reducing stress improves health.
It will likely require substantial supportive research, as well as a total change in the way society and researchers view stress, before people start to see stress as a positive event.
However, Almeida says the team’s findings may offer new insights into how to interact with and deal with stress, which is a largely unavoidable event for most people. He notes that the results suggest that it may be better to change the stress response than to try to avoid it altogether.
“Stressors are events that create challenges in our lives. And I think experiencing stressors is part of life, ”says Almeida.
“I think what’s important is how people react to stressors. Responding to a stressor while being upset and worried is more unhealthy than the number of stressors you encounter. “
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