Is Being Stressed Really that Bad? Mechanistic Pathways and Interventions for the Stress‐health Relationship

Abstract

There is now considerable evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies demonstrating the profound impact that extensive periods of psychological stress have on physical and mental health. The impact is so profound that analyses using the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) nationally representative longitudinal study have demonstrated that those in the highest quartile of a cumulative index of stress exposure across their lifetime compared to those in the lowest quartile have a 20% increased risk of dying over the next 12 years. More immediately, chronic stress exposure decreases engagement in core health behaviors like exercise and sleep, increases negative mood and conflicts with others, limits one’s ability to pay attention, and increases the risk of developing the common cold. All of these in turn negatively impact productivity and performance in school and work. The biological mechanisms linking psychological stress to these negative mental and physical health effects are now well documented and include the immune system, cellular aging, neuroendocrine system, and autonomic nervous system. In recent years, there has been important headway made on understanding how to combat the negative effects of stress – both through psychological interventions that increase psychological resilience to stress, and through targeting biological processes that are negatively impacted by stress. In particular, contemplative practices such as meditation and yoga have been shown to reduce stress and boost stress‐related biomarkers of disease, likely through the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. When the body feels safe, such as in relaxed states of focused attention and when one feels a sense of belonging in a group setting (both of which are often the case in contemplative practice), their parasympathetic system is activated, allowing the body to enter a state of relaxation. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system also puts the breaks on the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for putting the body in the ‘fight or flight’ highly activated response. It is in this space of relaxed, parasympathetic activation, that the body can heal itself from the damage done by chronic stress, thus pointing to a key aspect to target with stress‐reduction interventions. This talk will focus on the biological underpinnings of the stress‐health relationship and the cutting edge science showing what we can do to reduce the negative effects of chronic psychological stress.