Blog Veraenderung
05.05.21

Resilience: Not all stress is the same

by Gaëlle Piernikarch

We are used to see stress as a negative factor in our lives that damages our health. Nevertheless, some of the latest research on stress and health show very interesting results: while most scientists confirm that a lot of chronic stress should be avoided, they shed a differentiated light on stress. The consequences of stress on our health are directly liked to the meaning we give to the stressful situation: this is what determines the intensity of the stress we feel, and its possible effects on our health.

According to a recent survey, it seems to be indeed our perception of stress that has the strongest impact on our health and well-being, not the level of stress itself.1 In this study, people reporting a lot of stress but with the perception that it had no impact on their health happened to have the lowest health problems rate, even lower than the group that reported almost no stress. In contrast, people who had said they perceived stress as affecting their health, reporting a large amount of stress, showed to have an increased risk of premature death.

The positive effects of stress

Moreover, other studies even find some positive effects of stress on our brain and health, provided it is only in short-term and intermittent situations. In this case, stress appears to be boosting our immune system, building up our neuron production, and increasing our perception and learning abilities.2

So, adopting a positive attitude towards stress and seeing it as a source of energy while keeping it occasional can drastically help our mind and body not only cope better, but also channel our energy to regenerate.

 

1 Keller, A., Litzelman, K., Wisk, L. E., Maddox, T., Cheng, E. R., Creswell, P. D., & Witt, W. P. (2012): “Does the perception that stress affects health matter? The association with health and mortality.” Health Psychology, 677-684.
2 Kelly McGonigal: “The Upside of Stress”, Avery (2015).

 

Gaëlle Piernikarch
Gaëlle Piernikarch
Founder & CEO
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