Combatting Toxic Stress with Science

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Issues arise when the body fails to control the on–off switch, says Wendy Berry Mendes, a psychologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Stress becomes problematic if the body overreacts to situations that are not life-threatening, anticipates a stressor too soon or dwells on negative feelings after the stressor has passed — or if a source of stress sticks around for too long. When cortisol and the sympathetic nervous system are dialled up for extended periods, good stress can turn bad. But how would someone know when the line is crossed?

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But eliminating stress entirely is not the answer, says Elissa Epel, a behavioural scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, and a pioneer in research on the mitochondria–ageing theory. Even though stress often causes damage at the cellular level, research by her team and others shows that brief bouts of well-regulated stress can bolster mental and physical health and strengthen resilience to future stress.

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Scientific American