Motivational consequences of environmental stress

Abstract

Exposure to uncontrollable stimuli produces deficits in task performance linked to learned helplessness. It is not widely appreciated, however, that many of these stimuli are environmental stressors. Both acute and chronic exposure to noise, crowding, traffic congestion, and pollution are capable of causing learned helplessness in adults and children. Pre-exposure to brief, acute environmental stressors that are uncontrollable produces learned helplessness wherein participants manifest difficulties in learning a new task because of their mistaken belief that they are incapable of influencing their environment. Another index of learned helplessness, less persistence in the face of challenge also follows acute exposure to uncontrollable environmental stressors. Finally depressed affect may co-occur with learned helplessness under certain circumstances. Field studies of chronic environmental stressors reveal parallel trends. Chronic environmental stressors also heighten vulnerability to the induction of learned helplessness by acute, uncontrollable stimuli. The potential pathway linking chronic environmental stressor exposure to helplessness and then, in turn, to mental health is an important area for future research. Furthermore, the generalizability of environmental stressor-induced motivational deficits, as well as their longevity, particularly among children, remains to be investigated.