Stress is good–we love it!

Finally, a researcher profile I have wanted to write for a while. Stanford scientist Firdaus Dhabhar has shown that short term burst of stress are actually good for us. Which is why we are programmed to love stress and embrace it. It helps us survive. It makes us feel alive and engaged. Like food, it’s essential to life. As Hans Selye said: “Stress is life and life is stress.” But also like food, it can be unhealthful if overdone. Chronic, unending stress, especially the kind over which we feel we have little or no control, is definitely harmful. So that’s what we want to combat, not stress in general. Once we have a more sophisticated discussion about stress, we will be a lot healthier, happier and more successful.

Stanford Magazine – Article.