Stressful Situations Are A Given. How We View Them Makes a Massive Difference

Life is full of ups and downs. When stressful situations arise, how we view those circumstances matters greatly, according to new research from the University of Bath in the U.K. The study found that people who view stressful situations as a threat are more likely to experience problems with physical and mental health than those who view them as a challenge, Science Daily reports.

The study, recently published in the journal Stress and Health, involved 395 people actively competing in sports, measuring their stress levels, health, and well-being through an online survey. The research team believes their study findings apply to non-athletes as well.

“We found a convincing link between mental and physical ill-health and the way a person typically views stressful situations,” said study co-author Dr. Lee Moore from the Department for Health at Bath.

“The more you’re able to appraise a stressful situation as a challenge, the more likely you are to report good health and wellbeing,” he said.

Viewing difficult situations as a threat increased the risk of mental health problems like depression, physical ailments like colds or the flu, and lower happiness or wellbeing levels, “probably as result of constantly feeling overwhelmed or from a suppressed immune system,” the article states.

Moore, who co-leads the Stress Anxiety Resilience and Thriving (StART) Research Group at the University of Bath, believes that people who tend to view stressful situations through a lens of fear and overwhelm can be taught coping strategies to help them view those same situations in a more favorable light – as a challenge – positively impacting their health and wellbeing.

The study, which was part of research conducted by Dr. Ella McLoughlin, a former Ph.D. student at the University of Bath, is believed to be groundbreaking in measuring the link between a person’s stress assessment of a situation and health.

“Researchers have speculated for the past 15 years that people who repeatedly believe they don’t have the resources to cope in stressful situations are putting their health at risk, but we believe this is the first time the theory has been properly tested, leading to us finding a link between stress appraisals and health,” said Moore.

When people view a difficult situation as a threat that overwhelms their ability to cope, the result is poorer performance in sports and decreased health. When they view those same circumstances as a challenge they can meet – an opportunity for growth – that view has a positive impact on both their performance and health.

Reframing – thinking differently about your circumstances – appears to be a powerful tool in approaching the inevitable ups and downs of life.

Read the full article here.

Read the study in its entirety here.

University of Bath. “When a stressful situation is viewed as a threat, health and well-being suffer.” ScienceDaily.com, 1 Feb 2024, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/02/240201121720.htm.