New study has some strange claims about stress

Most of our lives we have been told to avoid stress. Stress has been the source of a number of ailments and problems for as long as humans have been on this planet. Even before the word “stress” existed. Now, one expert is saying that he believes that stress might actually be good for you. Or at least good for some things.

Irish psychologist Ian Robertson has studied people and the effects of stress for a number of years. He believes that stress helps you become more self-confident, improve your brain function, and even can help with your back pain.

The idea behind the study is that when your brain is mildly stress is caused the body to try to come up with solutions to problems. This caused the brain to function at a higher level which can cause you to be more confident. If the choices you make while stressed are choices that you wouldn’t usually make it will also add to your confidence and remove you from your comfort zone.

As for the back pain? The results of Dr Robertson’s study shows “Those with moderate stress have lower doses of painkillers, are less likely to off work long-term and are less likely to be disabled by back pain.” When asked how this can be that the brain can affect us in this way he offers a simple test while speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, “I tell people to take five long, low breaths in and out”. He then adds, “Then I ask, ‘Do you feel any different?’ Ninety percent of the time they say yes. I say you’ve just changed the chemistry of your brain.”

Dr Robertson also believes that it’s people who live sedentary lives that could benefit the most from a bit of stress. If life has become too routine, your brain can lower in function because it’s not required for complex tasks. Injected a bit of stress can shock the system into running at full steam again.

Though prolonged exposure to this type of stress surely can’t be great for the heart.

What do you think of the study? Do you think a bit of stress is good for you?