Too much stress can wear us out, deplete our inner reserves, can cause anxiety, and impact our health. But low to moderate levels of stress can be good for the brain.
New research by the University of Georgia’s Youth Development Institute has uncovered exactly how acute stress – short-lived, not chronic helps improve mental health and improve flexibility.
A certain amount of stress can be beneficial to our development
A ‘good’ stress level helps reduce the risk of developing mental health disorders such as depression or antisocial behavior. Some examples of these beneficial stress levels include last-minute preparation for a work meeting, rushing to meet deadlines, or studying for an exam.
While a certain amount of stress can be beneficial, the trick is not to overdo it
As per the study, if you are in an environment where you have some level of stress, you can develop coping mechanisms. It helps you to be more efficient and organize yourself in a way that helps you perform better. It also helps you to deal with future stressful encounters more efficiently.
The researchers obtained data from the National Institutes of Health-funded Human Connectome Project for their study. More than 1200 young adults participated in the project and answered a questionnaire to gauge their stress levels, attention span and assess their neurocognitive abilities.
