The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It

High levels of stress increased the risk of dying by 43 percent. But—and this is what got my attention—that increased risk applied only to people who also believed that stress was harming their health. People who reported high levels of stress but who did not view their stress as harmful were not more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study, even lower than those who reported experiencing very little stress.
Those who had a positive view of aging in midlife lived an average of 7.6 years longer than those who had a negative view
60 percent of adults over the age of fifty-five who viewed others as trustworthy were still alive at the end of the study. In contrast, 60 percent of those with a more cynical view on human nature had died
The ratio of DHEA to cortisol is called the growth index of a stress response. A higher growth index—meaning more DHEA—helps people thrive under stress. It predicts academic persistence and resilience in college students, as well as higher GPAs. During military survival training, a higher growth index is associated with greater focus, less dissociation, and superior problem-solving skills, as well as fewer post-traumatic stress symptoms afterward. The growth index even predicts resilience in extreme circumstances, such as recovering from child abuse.
For example, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which tracked adults ages eighteen to forty-nine for an impressive thirty-eight years, found that those with the most positive views of aging had an 80 percent lower risk of heart attack. Beliefs about aging also influence recovery from major illnesses and accidents. In one study, adults who associated growing older with positive stereotypes such as “wise” and “capable” recovered from a heart attack more quickly than those who endorsed negative stereotypes such as “useless” and “stuck in their ways.” In another study, a positive view of aging predicted faster and more complete physical recovery from a debilitating illness or accident. Importantly, both studies measured recovery in objective outcomes, such as walking speed, balance, and ability to perform daily activities
an intervention designed to increase positive views of aging also increased participants’ physical activity. When you have a positive view of growing older, you’re more apt to do things that will benefit your future self.
Those with a positive view of aging responded to the crisis by increasing their commitment to their health. They were more proactive and dedicated to their recovery. In contrast, older adults who had a more negative view of aging were less likely to take actions to improve their health. These choices, in turn, influenced recovery. Participants with a more positive view of aging ended up reporting greater life satisfaction, as well as better physical health and physical function, after their illness or accident
Older adults who had been primed with positive stereotypes were more likely to agree to a life-prolonging intervention for a potentially fatal illness. In contrast, those exposed to negative stereotypes were more likely to reject treatment
yes. Employees who received the mindset intervention were less anxious and depressed. They reported fewer health problems, like back pain and insomnia. They also reported greater focus, engagement, collaboration, and productivity at work. Crucially, these improvements took place in the midst of extreme stress. Employees who watched the negative videos, as well as those who received no training, showed no change in these outcomes
To do this, he had the students read a short article that introduced a few key ideas: Who you are now is not necessarily who you will be later in life; how people treat you or see you now is not necessarily a sign of who you really are or who you will be in the future; people’s personalities can change meaningfully over time. The students also read first-person accounts from upperclassmen describing experiences that reflected this message of change. Finally, the students were asked to write a story about their own experiences of how people—themselves included—could change over time. At the end of the school year, students who had received the intervention were more optimistic and less overwhelmed by the problems in their lives. They had fewer health problems and were less likely to become depressed than students who had been randomly assigned to a control group. A full 81 percent of the students who received the intervention passed their ninth-grade algebra class, compared with only 58 percent of students in the control group. The effect of the intervention on academic achievement was strongest for those whose mindset had changed the most. On average, these students began freshman year with a 1.6 GPA (equivalent to a C–) and ended with a 2.6 GPA (B–).
The training started by letting employees know about research on both the harms and the benefits of stress. Then the employees learned about the power of mindset, including the results of Crum’s previous studies. The employees were explicitly told that the aim of the training was to help them choose a more positive stress mindset. To help them cultivate this new mindset, the employees were asked to reflect on their own experiences with stress, including times when stress had been helpful. They were also taught a three- step process for practicing the new mindset whenever they felt stressed. The first step is to acknowledge stress when you experience it. Simply allow yourself to notice the stress, including how it affects your body. The second step is to welcome the stress by recognizing that it’s a response to something you care about. Can you connect to the positive motivation behind the stress? What is at stake here, and why does it matter to you? The third step is to make use of the energy that stress gives you, instead of wasting that energy trying to manage your stress. What can you do right now that reflects your goals and values? The employees were encouraged to remember this three-step process when they experienced stress and to try to practice it at least once a day. Three weeks later, the researchers checked in with the participants. Those who had gone through the training showed a shift in stress mindset. Before the training, the employees had generally endorsed a stress-is-harmful mindset, but now they were more likely to recognize its upside. They were also better at dealing with stress. The employees reported less anxiety and depression and better physical health. At work, they felt more focused, creative, and engaged. The employees whose mindset changed the most—from most negative to more positive—showed the biggest improvements. At a final follow-up six weeks after the intervention, these benefits were maintained.
Yet forty-six patients were not suffering in the same way. These more resilient patients had a different post-accident pee profile than the patients who developed PTSD. They had higher levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline
one of the most promising new therapies to prevent or treat PTSD is administering doses of stress hormones. For example, a case report in the American Journal of Psychiatry describes how stress hormones reversed post-traumatic stress disorder in a fifty-year-old man who had survived a terrorist attack five years earlier. After taking ten milligrams of cortisol a day for three months, his PTSD symptoms decreased to the point that he no longer became extremely distressed when he thought about the attack. Physicians have also begun to administer stress hormones to patients about to undergo traumatic surgery. Among high-risk cardiac surgery patients, this approach has been shown to reduce the time in intensive care, minimize traumatic stress symptoms, and improve quality of life six months after surgery. Stress hormones have even become a supplement to traditional psychotherapy. Taking a dose of stress hormones right before a therapy session can improve the effectiveness of treatment for anxiety and phobias.
women who reported greater stress during pregnancy had babies born with superior brain development and higher heart rate variability, a biological measure of resilience to stress. The exposure to a mom’s stress hormones in the womb teaches a baby’s developing nervous system how to handle stress. So my friend needn’t have panicked. Yes, she might have been passing her stress on to her baby—but that stress might have been making her baby resilient… When Parker first started separating the young monkeys from their moms, she predicted that the early life stress would lead to emotional instability. But instead, the stress led to resilience. As they grew up, the monkeys who had experienced early life stress were less anxious than the more sheltered monkeys. They explored more in new environments and showed greater curiosity toward new objects —a young monkey’s version of courage. They were quicker to solve new mental challenges that the experimenters gave them. As juveniles—the equivalent of teenagers—the previously stressed monkeys even showed greater self-control. All of these effects lasted into adulthood. The early life stress had set the young monkeys on a different developmental trajectory, one characterized by greater curiosity and resilience. Parker ’s research team has even looked at how early life stress changes the developing brain. The monkeys who had been separated from their moms developed larger prefrontal cortexes. In particular, early life stress beefed up regions of the prefrontal cortex that dampen fear responses, improve impulse control, and increase positive motivation
The rate of trust and trustworthiness in a control group of men who hadn’t been stressed was quite similar to that of contestants on Golden Balls—around 50 percent. In contrast, the men who were stressed-out showed unusually high rates of trust and trustworthiness—around 75 percent. Stress made the men prosocial. Throughout the study, researchers tracked the men’s physical stress responses. Men who had the strongest cardiovascular reactivity to stress were also the most likely to trust and be trustworthy in the game that followed. In other words, the stronger their hearts’ response to stress, the more altruistic they became.
When your survival is on the line, these biological changes come on strong, and you may find yourself having a classic fight-or-flight response. But when the stressful situation is less threatening, the brain and body shift into a different state: the challenge response. Like a fight-or-flight response, a challenge response gives you energy and helps you perform under pressure. Your heart rate still rises, your adrenaline spikes, your muscles and brain get more fuel, and the feel-good chemicals surge. But it differs from a fight-or-flight response in a few important ways: You feel focused but not fearful. You also release a different ratio of stress hormones, including higher levels of DHEA, which helps you recover and learn from stress. This raises the growth index of your stress response, the beneficial ratio of stress hormones that can determine, in part, whether a stressful experience is strengthening or harmful
Oxytocin has one more surprise benefit: This so-called love hormone is actually good for cardiovascular health. Your heart has special receptors for oxytocin, which helps heart cells regenerate and repair from any micro-damage. When your stress response includes oxytocin, stress can literally strengthen your heart. This is quite different from the message we usually hear—that stress will give you a heart attack! There is such a thing as a stress-induced heart attack, typically triggered by a massive adrenaline surge, but not every stress response damages your heart. In fact, one of the most provocative studies I’ve seen found that stressing out rats before trying to chemically induce a heart attack actually protected them from heart damage. But when researchers gave the rats a drug that blocked oxytocin release, stress no longer protected their hearts.
These hormones are built into the stress response because they help you recover physically and mentally. People who release higher levels of these hormones during a stressful experience tend to bounce back faster, with less lingering distress
studies show that viewing a stressful situation as an opportunity to improve your skills, knowledge, or strengths makes it more likely that you will have a challenge response instead of a fight-or-flight response. This, in turn, increases the chance that you will learn from the experience
Your life history can also influence how you respond to stress. In particular, your early experiences with stress can have a strong effect on how your stress system functions as an adult. For example, adults who experienced a life-threatening illness in their youth tend to show a strong oxytocin response to stress. They learned early on to rely on others in times of stress, priming them to have a tend-and-befriend response. In contrast, adults who experienced abuse during childhood show a smaller oxytocin response to stress. They are more likely to have learned not to trust others in stressful times. As adults, they are primed to cope through the self-defense of a fight-or-flight response or the self-reliance of a challenge response
Over the next five decades, the men reported on two types of stress in their lives: major life events (like getting a divorce or being in a serious accident) and the number of daily hassles they faced. In 2014, a major report was released that looked at the effects of stress on mortality among these men. Of the two types of stress, daily hassles were by far the better predictor of mortality. Men who reported the most daily hassles between 1989 and 2005 were three times more likely to have died by 2010 than those who reported the fewest hassles
Writing about values helped the students see the meaning in their lives. Stressful experiences were no longer simply hassles to endure; they became an expression of the students’ values. Giving a younger sibling a ride reflected how much a student cared about his family. Working on an application for an internship was a way to take a step toward future goals. To the students asked to see their deepest values in daily activities, small things that might otherwise have seemed irritating became moments of meaning
the power of writing about values is in how it transforms how you think about stressful experiences and your ability to cope with them. When people are connected to their values, they are more likely to believe that they can improve their situation through effort and the support of others. That makes them more likely to take positive action and less likely to use avoidant coping strategies like procrastination or denial. They also are more likely to view the adversity they are going through as temporary, and less likely to think that the problem reveals something unalterably screwed up about themselves or their lives.
participants were given bracelets that said, “Remember the values.” In another version of this study, conducted at Stanford University, participants were given a keychain, instead of a bracelet, and wrote their personal values on a slip of paper that could be inserted into the keychain. The study participants were encouraged to look at the bracelet or keychain when they were feeling stressed and to think about their most important values in that moment. This added instruction helped people deal with adversity even better than a onetime writing exercise
At the end of the program, they reported significantly less burnout. They were less emotionally drained from their work and less likely to dread getting up in the morning to face another day on the job. They found more satisfaction in their work, and were less likely to say that they regretted going into medicine. The physicians also felt less isolated in their stress. As one reflected, “That feeling that we’re not alone, it validates what we’re feeling, and what we’re experiencing.” The improvement in the physicians’ mental health was dramatic. Before the intervention, the physicians completed a survey of depression and anxiety. In a typical adult population, the average score for men is 15, and the average score for women is 20. The physicians’ average score at the start of the study was 33. By the end of the first eight weeks, their score had dropped to 15. By the end of the one-year program, the average score was 11—a remarkable shift in psychological well-being, despite no change in the stressful nature of their work. The physicians also felt increased empathy for patients. They described feeling curious about, instead of resentful toward, patients with difficult cases. They were more likely to feel grateful rather than overwhelmed when spending time with patients who were suffering.
the goal to avoid stress predicted a drop, over time, in their sense of connection and belonging. Having such a goal can even exhaust you. For example, researchers at the University of Zurich asked students about their goals, then tracked them for one month. Across two typically stressful periods—end-of-semester exams and the winter holidays—those with the strongest desire to avoid stress were the most likely to report declines in concentration, physical energy, and self-control. One particularly impressive study conducted through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in Palo Alto, California, followed more than one thousand adults for ten years. At the beginning of the study, researchers asked the participants about how they dealt with stress. Those who reported trying to avoid stress were more likely to become depressed over the following decade. They also experienced increasing conflict at work and at home, and more negative outcomes, such as being fired or getting divorced. Importantly, avoiding stress predicted the increase in depression, conflict, and negative events above and beyond any symptoms or difficulties reported at the beginning of the study. Wherever a participant started in life, the tendency to avoid stress made things worse over the next decade.
middle school, high school, and college students who have greater increases in adrenaline during exams outperform their more chilled-out peers. Green Berets, Rangers, and Marines who have the highest increases in the stress hormone cortisol while undergoing hostile interrogation are less likely to provide the enemy with useful information. And in a training exercise, federal law enforcement officers who showed the greatest increases in heart rate during a hostage negotiation were the least likely to accidentally shoot the hostage. Despite most people’s belief that some adrenaline improves performance, but too much impairs performance, the evidence suggests otherwise. When it comes to performing under pressure, being stressed is better than being relaxed
The group that received the mindset message showed higher, not lower, levels of salivary alpha-amylase, a measure of sympathetic activation from stress. The message had not calmed the students down physically. In fact, they were more, not less, stressed. But most interesting was the relationship between stress and performance. A stronger physical stress response was associated with higher exam scores—but only for students who received the mindset intervention. The message had helped students take advantage of their stress and use it to fuel higher performance. In contrast, there was no relationship between stress hormones and performance in the control group. The stress response didn’t help or hurt in any predictable way
Students who viewed their anxiety as helpful, not harmful, reported less emotional exhaustion. They also did better on their exams and earned higher grades at the end of the term. Critically, the effects of mindset were strongest when anxiety levels were high. A positive mindset protected the most anxious students from emotional exhaustion and helped them succeed in their goals. The researchers went a step further to see whether they could change students’ experience of exhaustion after a stressful exam. They told some students who were about to take a hard test, “If you experience stress or anxiety, try to channel or use the energy those feelings may arouse in order to do your best.” Another group of students was advised, “If you experience stress or anxiety, try to focus on the task to do your best.” A final group of students was told simply, “Please try to do your best.” After the test, students completed a measure of how depleted they felt by the experience. Those who had been encouraged to view their stress and anxiety as energy were the least exhausted
the effect of mindset was strongest for those who reported the highest levels of anxiety. The doctors and teachers who experienced the most anxiety were protected against burnout if they viewed anxiety as helpful
When researchers at the University of New Orleans strapped heart rate monitors onto experienced skydivers and nervous novices, they found that the more seasoned jumpers weren’t calmer than those about to take their first leap. Instead, the experienced skydivers showed even higher heart rates before and during the jump. The more pumped they were to take the dive, the bigger their excite-and-delight response.
Studies show that when people are told, “You’re the kind of person whose performance improves under pressure,” their actual performance improves by 33 percent. It doesn’t matter whether the feedback is completely random. What matters is that the message changes the meaning of those first signs of anxiety
Middle-aged and older men who have a challenge response to stress are less likely to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome than those with a threat response
And in the Framingham Heart Study, one of the best-designed and longest-running epidemiological studies ever conducted in the United States, those with a challenge response physiology had a greater brain volume across their life spans. In other words, their brains shrunk less as they aged
During business negotiations, a challenge response leads to more effective sharing and withholding of information, as well as smarter decision-making. Students with a challenge response score higher on exams, and athletes perform better in competitions. Surgeons show better focus and fine motor skills. When faced with engine failure during a flight simulation, pilots make better use of plane data and have safer landings.
Even what you learn from a stressful experience can differ depending on your stress response. A threat response is more likely to sensitize the brain to future threats. It will make you better able to detect threats and more reactive to similar stressful situations. The rewiring that takes place in the brain after a threat response tends to strengthen the connections between the areas of the brain that detect threats and trigger survival coping. In contrast, when you have a challenge response, the brain is more likely to learn resilience from a stressful experience. In part, this is because you release more resilience-boosting hormones, including DHEA and nerve growth factor. The rewiring that takes place in your brain following a challenge response strengthens the connections between the parts of the brain’s prefrontal cortex that suppress fear and enhance positive motivation during stress. In this way, a challenge response makes it more likely that you will experience stress inoculation as a result of your experience
There were no differences in how those who were told to ignore stress or play video games performed in the social stress test. All the interesting effects were found in participants who had received the mindset intervention. For these participants, rethinking stress shifted their stress responses from threat to challenge in every conceivable way, starting with their perception of resources. The mindset intervention had no effect on how difficult they expected the speech to be, or on how stressful they said they found the experience. However, compared with the two control groups, they felt more confident in their abilities to cope with the challenge. Participants who received the mindset intervention also reacted to the stress test with a classic challenge response. Their hearts pumped out more blood with each heartbeat, and they did not show the degree of blood vessel constriction you would expect in a threat response. They also had higher levels of salivary alpha-amylase, a biomarker for stress arousal. They were more stressed, but in a good way. In contrast, the control groups showed the physiology of a typical threat response
people with anxiety self-report higher physical reactivity than those without anxiety. They think their hearts are pounding precariously fast and their adrenaline is surging to dangerous levels. But objectively, their cardiovascular and autonomic responses look just like those of the non-anxious. Everyone experiences an increase in heart rate and adrenaline. People with anxiety disorders perceive those changes differently. They may be more aware of the sensations of their heart beating or the changes in their breathing. And they make more negative assumptions about those sensations, fearing a panic attack. But their physical response is not fundamentally different
The women who chose negative explanations for the physical sensations of anxiety perceived themselves to have fewer resources. They were more likely to blame themselves for the abuse, and they were at greater risk of developing both depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. They were also less confident about dealing with the legal system. The researchers’ analyses showed that the women’s tendency to interpret their physical sensations negatively was directly increasing these risks by making them doubt their coping resources
One of the first things they found is that when people are connected to bigger-than-self goals, they feel better: more hopeful, curious, caring, grateful, inspired, and excited. In contrast, when people are operating from self-focused goals, they are more likely to feel confused, anxious, angry, envious, and lonely…
Participants who had reflected on their bigger-thanself goals showed more signs of affiliation with the interviewers, such as smiling, making eye contact, and unconsciously mimicking the interviewers’ body language—all behaviors shown to increase rapport and strengthen social connection. Further, raters preferred what these participants had to say, rating their answers as more inspiring than the responses of participants who had not contemplated their values. The mindset shift also influenced participants’ physical stress responses. Those who had reflected on their bigger-than-self goals for the job showed less of a threat response, as measured by two stress hormones, cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone
helping students find their bigger-than-self goals improves academic motivation and performance…. The students who had completed the beyond-the-self reflection persisted longer and ended up finishing more problems correctly. The same brief mindset intervention in high school students not only boosted short-term motivation, but also led to higher end-of-semester GPAs. Yeager and his colleagues found that when students thought about their bigger-than-self goals, it changed the meaning of both boring work and academic struggles. The new meaning—that persevering at their studies would help them make a difference in the world—motivated them to engage with, rather than avoid, the stress of challenging themselves.
For some of the participants, the advisors took a straightforward approach to the meeting, diving into the usual discussion about students’ work and any problems they faced. With other participants, the advisor asked about the student’s vision for his or her future, prompting a reflection on their values and ideals. All the while, the neuroscientists tracked the activity in each student’s brain. When the advisor asked about students’ bigger-than-self purpose, the students felt more inspired, cared for, and hopeful. It also increased activity in all three brain systems associated with a tend-and-befriend response to stress. Reflecting on your bigger-thanself goals seems to have the same effect as helping others; it harnesses the positive motivation that comes with a tend-and-befriend response
When the researchers compared the companies that thrived with those that suffered the most, one key difference jumped out: The most successful companies had taken what the researchers called a collectivistic approach to dealing with hardship. In other words, they used the crisis as an opportunity to support something bigger than themselves. For example, several companies had struggled with local crime. Most responded by installing extra security and trying to strengthen the barriers between their company and the immediate neighborhood environment. One business, however, tried an unusual tend-and-befriend strategy: It invested in and restored nearby abandoned buildings, then rented them out to the community.
Difficult circumstances give rise to great acts of kindness because suffering provokes a basic need to help others. Studies show that after any sort of traumatic event, most people become more altruistic. They spend more time caring for friends and family, as well as volunteering for nonprofit organizations and church groups. Importantly, this altruism helps them cope. The more time trauma survivors spend helping others, the happier they are and the more meaning they see in their lives
Staub has documented an increase in altruism in the aftermath of community-wide traumas such as natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and war, and one thing stands out about altruism after such tragedies: People who have suffered the most also help the most. After Hurricane Hugo struck the southeast United States in 1989, people who were hit the worst provided more help to other victims than locals who were less affected by the storm. After 9/11, Americans who reported the most distress also donated the most time and money to support victims of the attacks. More broadly, Staub has found that people who have suffered a high number of traumatic events in their lives are more likely to volunteer or donate money after natural disasters
People who volunteer after a natural disaster report feeling more optimistic and energized, and less anxious, angry, and overwhelmed, by the stress in their lives. After the death of a spouse, taking care of others reduces depression. Survivors of a natural disaster are less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder if they help others in the immediate aftermath. Among people living with chronic pain, becoming a peer counselor relieves pain, disability, and depression and increases sense of purpose. Victims of a terrorist attack feel less survivor guilt and find more meaning in life when they find a way to help others. After enduring a life-threatening health crisis, people who volunteer experience more hope, less depression, and a greater sense of purpose.
Among people who did not serve their communities in some way, every stressful life event, like a divorce or job loss, increased the risk of developing a new health problem. But there was no such risk for people who regularly spent time giving back. For them, there was zero association between stressful life events and health.
Among those who did not routinely help others, every significant stressful life event increased the risk of dying by 30 percent. But participants who went out of their way to help others showed absolutely no stress-related increased risk of death. In fact, even when they had experienced several traumatic events, they had the same risk of dying as people who experienced no major stressful life events. They seemed to be completely protected from the harmful effects of stress.
After ten weeks, the teens who had volunteered showed improvements in cardiovascular health, including lower cholesterol and reduced levels of two markers of inflammation, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein. The control group showed no changes. The researchers also looked at whether any psychological changes could explain the biological ones. The students who reported the greatest increase in empathy and desire to help others showed the greatest reduction in cholesterol and inflammation. Volunteering also improved the teens’ selfesteem, but greater increases in self-esteem were not associated with greater health improvement.
The Warrior Canine Connection in Brookeville, Maryland, for example, enlists soldiers with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries to train service dogs for other veterans. The soldiers bond with the dogs, while also serving the bigger mission of helping their fellow wounded warriors. The veterans who participate in the program report a decrease in depression, intrusive memories, and self-medication—and a greater sense of purpose and belonging
A sympathetic stress response to another person’s suffering can spark empathy and motivate helping, which in turn enhance our own well-being
when people are asked how they are coping with the biggest sources of stress in their lives, 82 percent say they are drawing on strength developed from past stressful experiences
Seery found a U-shape curve, with those people in the middle the best off. People who had experienced a moderate level of adversity had the lowest risk of depression, the fewest physical health problems, and the greatest satisfaction with life. People at the extremes—either the lowest or highest levels of adversity—were more depressed, had more health problems, and were less satisfied with their lives. Although many people idealize a life without adversity, those who actually have one are less happy and healthy than those who have faced some hardship. In fact, people with no trauma in their past are significantly less satisfied with their lives than people who have experienced the average number of traumatic events. In follow-up surveys over the years, participants were also asked how they were coping with more recent stress. Had they experienced any new serious adversities since the last survey? If so, how had those events influenced their well-being? The consequences of a new traumatic event depended on a person’s past. Participants with a history of adversity were less likely to become depressed or develop new health problems than those with a limited experience of adversity.
among adults with chronic back pain, those with a history of moderate adversity report less physical impairment, rely less on prescription pain medication, have fewer doctor visits, and are less likely to be unemployed due to disability. They are handling the physical pain better and are less likely to have their lives disrupted by it. Police officers who have experienced at least one traumatic event before joining the police service show greater resilience following a traumatic event on the job, such as witnessing a fatal car accident or the death of a fellow officer. They report fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress and are more likely to report positive outcomes from the trauma, such as an increased appreciation for life. When life has tested your strength, you are more likely to know that you can handle the next challenge, and your past experience can become a resource for coping
Shifting is a combination of accepting stress and changing the way you think about its source. It’s often measured by asking people how much they agree with statements like “I think about the things I can learn from a situation, or about something good that can come from it.” Persisting is about maintaining the optimism needed to pursue meaning, even in the face of adversity. It is measured with statements like “I think that things will get better in the future” and “I feel my life has a sense of purpose.” People who cope with adversity by shifting and persisting seem immune to the toxicity of a difficult or disadvantaged childhood. Chen has studied children, adolescents, young adults, middleaged adults, and older adults throughout the United States who grew up in what psychologists call risky environments. In every age group, those who report a shift-and-persist approach to stress are healthier. Chen uses a range of biological measures that are considered to reflect a toxic buildup of stress in the body, like blood pressure, cholesterol levels, obesity, and inflammation. Although a difficult childhood sometimes predicts unhealthier levels of all these factors, that is not the case for people who choose to see the meaning in stress and believe in their ability to learn and grow from it. They look as healthy as, or healthier than, people who had much less difficult childhoods
74 percent of Israeli youths exposed to terrorist attacks report post-traumatic growth; 83 percent of women with HIV/AIDS report growth related to their diagnosis and illness; 99 percent of emergency ambulance workers report growth as a result of the trauma they are exposed to during work. As one 2013 review of research on post-traumatic growth declared, “Growth is not a rare phenomenon reported only by exceptional people.”
for life, a better relationship with their family—are less likely to have another heart attack and more likely to be alive eight years later. HIV-positive women who recognize a positive outcome of their diagnosis—such as deciding to take better care of their health or to quit using drugs—have better immune function and are less likely to die of AIDS over a five-year follow-up. Among men and women with chronic pain or illness, seeing something positive in their suffering predicts improvements in physical function over time. In all these studies, researchers carefully controlled for participants’ health status at the beginning of the study; seeing the upside in their health challenges was not a consequence of being healthier in the first place. Instead, seeing the upside first seemed to lead to these positive outcomes. Finding the good in stress doesn’t improve just physical health. It can also protect against depression and strengthen relationships. For instance, those who find a benefit in taking care of a spouse with Parkinson’s disease—such as saying that they now have greater patience and acceptance or that they feel a stronger sense of purpose—are happier with their marriages, and so are their spouses. In teens with diabetes, benefit-finding reduces the risk of depression and also makes them more likely to comply with blood sugar monitoring and dietary restrictions. U.S. Army soldiers who see benefits in their deployment, agreeing with statements such as “This deployment has made me more confident in my abilities” or “I was able to demonstrate my courage,” are less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. The protective effect is strongest for soldiers exposed to the most combat and trauma. Why does seeing a benefit in these circumstances help? The biggest reason is that seeing the upside of adversity changes the way people cope. It’s a classic mindset effect. People who find benefit in their difficulties report more purpose in life, hope for the future, and confidence in their ability to cope with the current stress in their lives
People who find benefit in their difficulties report more purpose in life, hope for the future, and confidence in their ability to cope with the current stress in their lives. They then are more likely to take proactive steps to deal with the stress and to make better use of social support
In the laboratory, people who can find a benefit in their struggles show a healthier physical response to stress and a faster recovery
asked people to think about a time when another person had hurt them in some way. The participants came up with juicy— and still painful—tales of infidelity, rejection, dishonesty, criticism, and disappointment. Then the researchers asked the participants to write for twenty minutes about how their lives were better as a result of the experience, or how the experience had helped them become a better person. After writing from this point of view, the participants were less upset about the experience. They felt more forgiving and less desire for revenge. They also reported less desire to avoid the person or any reminders of the experience
During this two-minute reflection, participants were hooked up to an electromyography machine that measured the activity of individual facial muscles. Compared with participants who were asked to think about the hurtful experience without finding an upside, participants who thought about the benefits showed less tension in their brows and had greater activation of the zygomaticus major, the muscle in your cheek that lifts your mouth into a smile. In other words, their faces were happy. Even their cardiovascular responses were different. Without finding an upside, thinking about the experience resulted in a typical threat response—elevated heart rate and blood pressure. When participants contemplated the benefits, however, their hearts showed a tend-and-befriend response, one consistent with the physiology of gratitude and connection. The mindset reset also transformed their mood. After the two-minute reflection, participants reported feeling less anger and greater joy, gratitude, and forgiveness. Importantly, they also felt a greater sense of control, which is likely one of the main ways benefit-finding leads to better coping
Benefit-finding is associated with greater activity in the left frontal cortex, a part of the brain that has a major role in positive motivation and active coping
Other mindset interventions take a long-term approach, like asking people to write or reflect on the benefits of a difficult situation every day for several weeks. After one such intervention on adults with autoimmune disorders such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the participants reported reduced fatigue and pain. Those who struggled the most with anxiety before the intervention showed the biggest improvements in physical well-being
Women who wrote about the benefits of their cancer experience ended up reporting less distress and had fewer subsequent medical appointments for cancer-related problems. Tellingly, women who had been relying primarily on avoidance coping strategies, like denial and distraction, had the biggest reduction in distress
Another intervention asked those caring for a relative with Alzheimer ’s disease to keep an audio diary of any positive caregiving experiences. Each night, they were to take a minute to record themselves talking about at least one uplifting caregiving experience of the day. At the beginning of the study, all the caregivers were mildly to moderately depressed. After several weeks of recording their audio diaries, they were significantly less depressed. The practice of seeing the daily uplifts in caregiving was more effective at reducing depression than a comparison intervention that focused on stress management.
people who watched six or more hours of news about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing were more likely to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms than people who were actually at the bombing and personally affected by it. It’s not just traditional news programs that instill fear and hopelessness; stories of tragedy, trauma, and threats dominate many forms of media
research shows that people can find meaning in, and experience personal growth from, the traumatic experiences of others.
246 police recruits were randomly assigned to a special program called Promoting Resilient Officers, which introduced recruits to the idea that adversity can lead to growth. As part of the program, recruits watched a video of a senior officer discussing his twenty years of experience on the force. He shared what it was like to work on the sexual assault team and how his life had changed as a result of the traumatic experiences he had endured over the years. The stories were carefully chosen to demonstrate different aspects of posttraumatic growth, including a greater appreciation for life, a sense of personal strength, and spiritual growth…. The researchers hoped that hearing these stories of post-traumatic growth would help the new police recruits when they encountered traumatic events in the line of duty. Early results suggest it is working. Six months after they had participated in the program, new officers who had experienced a trauma on the job or in their personal lives reported significantly higher post-traumatic growth than officers in a control group who did not go through the program

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