Chronic stress has a negative impact on our brains
Summary
- Chronic stress can result in reduction of brain volume and a negative impact on physical health
Details
- People who are chronically stressed become hypervigilant to stress
- Primates can remember bad things or be anxious about potential future occurences, and the brain will create a response similar to if the actual bad thing is happening
References
Quotes
There is now clear evidence linking stress and the development of both physical and mental health conditions. In addition to this, recent evidence has shown that chronic workplace stress has a negative impact on the structure and function of employees’ brains, with reduction in volume in areas of the prefrontal cortex and an increase
in the size of the amygdala (the part of the brain that senses and responds to stress or threat, remember). These changes mean that the brains of chronically stressed people become hypervigilant to stress – they are constantly scanning the environment for potential stress and threats. We see similar brain changes in anxious or depressed patients.
We all know that psychological stress alone can do pretty bad things. Interestingly, primates are the only species whose thoughts can activate the fight-or-flight response. This means that you can sit and ruminate about some bullshit that happened 20 years ago or an argument that you had last week, or catastrophise about something bad that might happen in the future or what someone could be thinking about you, and your brain will create a stress response as if you’re being chased by a lion.
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