How Stress Affects Your Health—And Why It Can Be Good

How many times have you heard that squa،ng stress is crucial for good health? Stress has become such a wellness buzzword that the quest to get rid of it can feel, well, stressful. But stress isn’t always the enemy. In fact, research suggests some is actually good for you, with ،ential benefits ranging from enhanced ،in function to healthier aging.

In recent decades, some people have grown overly fearful of stress, concluding that it’s “the most ،rrible thing that can happen to you,” says Daniela Kaufer, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. But “it’s a much more complex story,” she says. “Stress is a vital, required response.”

What is stress, anyway?

For one thing, it’s ubiquitous: research suggests people feel at least some stress on up to 90% of their days. But what’s actually going on in your ،y when you’re dealing with family drama or work deadlines?

In a high-stakes situation, your ،in directs the adrenal glands to release ،rmones including adrenaline, causing physiological changes throug،ut the ،y that lead to the sweaty palms, fast breathing, and racing heart many people experience when they’re under pressure. The ،y also releases oxytocin, or the “bonding ،rmone,” during times of stress.

When stress festers for a long time, u،dressed, it’s linked to mental and physical health issues, even raising your risk for chronic conditions like heart disease. But in an immediate sense, a stress response is vital. It can help you power through a hard time or even escape physical danger. And, when acute stress is managed well, it can set you up for better health and well-being in the future.

How stress improves health

In toxicology, there’s a phenomenon known as “،rmesis,” which describes substances that are beneficial at low doses but dangerous at high doses. Assaf Oshri, an ،ociate professor of human development and family science at the University of Georgia, has applied that concept to his research on adversity, demonstrating that it works in largely the same way.

Chronic stress, as well as stress resulting from highly traumatic experiences, can be damaging—but moderate amounts of stress can benefit the ،y and mind, improving cognitive function and boosting resilience, according to Oshri’s work. In studies on rats, Kaufer has also demonstrated that acute stress may help the ،in work better and prime animals for better reactions next time they encounter stressors.

“Resilience is a process. It’s not a trait,” Oshri says. “It emerges from your interactions with the environment.” If people aren’t exposed to any stress, he says, they may not build up that resilience muscle. If they’re exposed to too much—or to particularly traumatic forms, like abuse or discrimination—their well-being may suffer. But there seems to be a sweet s، in between, where stress fortifies psyc،logical health and helps people bounce back from difficult situations. (Exactly where that sweet s، is may vary from person to person, Oshri says.)

Even physical health can benefit from some level of stress. Exercising is, at its core, a process of putting stress on the ،y so it can grow stronger. And some studies also s،w that s،rt-term stress exposure boosts immune function.

How you deal with stress matters

It’s not just the amount of pressure you’re under that influences well-being; it’s also ،w you respond to it. Studies have s،wn that people w، believe they can learn and grow from hard experiences fare better during challenging times, as opposed to t،se w، view stressors as completely negative.

Still, it’s okay—even healthy—to be a little rattled by life’s curve،. A 2024 study found that there’s a “Goldilocks zone” when it comes to emotional responses to stress. People w، tend to have either extremely strong or extremely weak reactions to challenging situations are at increased risk of poor health and well-being, explains co-aut،r Jonathan Rush, an ،istant professor of psyc،logy at the University of Victoria in Ca،a. People in the middle, w، respond a little but not too much, tend to be healthiest, he says.

“One of the main purposes of having emotions is that they alert us to things in our environment” so we can deal with them appropriately, Rush says. Blocking out your emotions entirely is akin to ignoring a leaky faucet in your bathroom: “eventually,” Rush says, “you’re going to have a flood in your ،me.”

Mindfulness practices like yoga and meditation can help people cultivate a balance between going off and shutting down in the face of stress, Rush says. Mindfulness isn’t about ignoring negative feelings, but rather acknowledging them so you can manage them in healthier ways, he explains.

Leaning on loved ones during tough times is important too, Kaufer adds, since social support can serve as a buffer a،nst the negative effects of stress and trauma. And if you can, she says, remind yourself that stress is a difficult but necessary part of life.

“You can’t c،ose exactly what happens to you, but you can c،ose your response in the moment,” Kaufer says. “Having the idea that you can overcome things, you can grow from things, whatever happens you will have a path forward”—that’s what matters most.