Everyone knows that «all diseases are from the nerves», because prolonged stress is associated with many chronic diseases. And what does a carefree life look like for you, almost devoid of constant experiences? There are such people, and a new study has shown that they are not to be envied either. /wp-content/uploads/29616e15ba35fc58e686291d6444aa03.jpg» />
According to Russian cardiologists, before the pandemic, at least 70% of Russians experienced constant stress. One can only guess how many additional experiences COVID-19 has brought to our country, however, according to the latest global data, today every third adult in the world is experiencing chronic stress. This condition is characterized by many life-threatening symptoms: insomnia, headaches, digestive problems, tachycardia, irritability and fatigue.
A group of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania decided to find out how much better people feel who live with little or no stress. The study involved 2.8 thousand people. For eight days, they answered questions each evening about their mood, physical symptoms, and stress during the day. They also talked about how many positive emotions and events they managed to experience over the past 24 hours.
About 10% of the volunteers experienced no stress during the observation period. These people were more likely to be in a good mood and less likely to suffer from chronic diseases. However, scientists also found another side of the carefree life: testing for cognition, which, among other things, determines the risk of cognitive decline after eight years of aging, in this group showed lower scores compared to other participants. This means that they are more likely to experience such a problem in the future.
In addition, the researchers noted fewer positive events among volunteers living without stress, they were less likely to provide emotional support to others and did not receive it themselves. It is noteworthy that the “crackers” most often turned out to be single elderly men.
According to scientists, minor stress during the day is not only an experience, but also an indicator that a person lives a full life filled with communication with people and a variety of emotions. Also, a little stress can actually be helpful.
«Stress can be frustrating, but they can force us to solve some problem, which is very important for cognitive functions, especially at an older age,” the authors of the study say.