What if everything you thought was a given when it comes to stress—that it's negative, caused by an overload of work and unhealthy in the long run—is wrong? It sounds impossible, but new research suggests that stress might not be as toxic as we think. One study, first reported by the New York Times, looked at the psychophysiological signs of boredom and found that having too little to do actually tends to manifest itself in all the physical ways we link to stress, such as headaches, stomachaches and muscle tension; another found that when employees were shown videos showing the positive effects of stress (Lebron James making a free throw was one example), they perfomed better in high-pressure situations. All the negativity surrounding stress tends to be more damaging than the stress itself, researchers have found, so it's about reshaping our perspective and viewing stress as helpful rather than disabling. Here's an exercise to try: The next time someone asks how your week is going, smile and say, "Great, so stressful!"
Study Says Stress Can Be Good for You
Recent research presents a new and more positive way to look at stress.
Alexandra Tunell
Senior Beauty Editor
Alexandra Tunell is the Senior Digital Beauty Editor at Harper's BAZAAR, where she writes beauty features and covers industry news, health, fitness and wellness trends. She began her career in the Lucky beauty closet, then went on to work at Allure. When she's not testing the latest skin care treatments, the Los Angeles native is searching the city for the best Mexican food, binge-watching Bravo and escaping to the beach as often as possible.
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