Paul Lyons* says research shows that mentally tough people are generally more positive, perform to a higher standard and experience a greater sense of wellbeing.
New research has found that coping well under stress and pressure is a sign of a healthy brain.
The research also indicated that older adults who experience less negative emotions in response to stressful events tend to be in better cognitive health.
Those with worse brain health though, often react with greater negative emotions and are in a worse mood in response to stress.
Robert Stawski, from Oregon State University, who led the study, said the results confirmed that people’s daily emotions and how they responded to their stressors played an important role in cognitive health.
“It’s not the stressor itself that contributes to mental declines but how a person responds that affects the brain,” Dr Stawski said.
The study followed 111 people aged 65 to 95 for 2.5 years.
They did periodic tests of their mental ability and reported how they dealt with stressful events.
The results showed that among the oldest people in the study, the more reactive they were to stress, the worse their cognitive performance.
Those who were slightly younger (late 60s to early 70s) responded to stress better.
“These relatively younger participants may have a more active lifestyle to begin with, more social and professional engagement, which could sharpen their mental functioning,” Dr Stawski said.
As a mental toughness practitioner I am excited to read of this research because extensive research elsewhere has shown that mentally tough people are generally more positive, perform to a higher standard and experience a greater sense of wellbeing.
They are able to better manage their emotions and are more able to withstand stress and pressure.
Dr Stawski concluded his research by saying it was impossible to get rid of daily stressors completely.
“But endowing people with the skills to weather stressors when they happen could pay dividends in cognitive health,” he said.
This suggests that mental toughness has definite health benefits especially with regards to cognitive health and achieving a healthy brain.
*Paul Lyons is a business leader, adviser and coach enjoying a diverse career across Australia and Asia. He can be contacted at [email protected].
This article first appeared on the Mental Toughness blogsite.
