December 18, 2010

If you are feeling holiday stress, it may be comforting to know that not all stress is considered bad. Research suggests that depending on the task, stress can help raise the level of the body’s arousal to meet desired performance levels. Pay attention to yourself because the same research also indicates that too much stress can push the body to sub-optimal performance. Analogous to guitar strings that require tension to create musical sounds, a certain degree of arousal in the human body may help it perform optimally in meeting everyday challenges. Also similar to guitar strings, people can snap under too much tension. Optimal stress levels differ for each person, so knowing yourself and taking the time to relax when needed may help you to successfully manage your holiday responsibilities.

Psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson first published the results of their study suggesting the connection between arousal and performance in the Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology in 1908.* Today, after numerous subsequent studies, the correlation expressed between arousal and performance is still considered accurate. The Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that somewhere between super-relaxed and high-anxiety exists an optimal level of arousal for each task. Up to that point, stress can help improve performance, and after which, stress decreases performance. When charted, the shape of the performance/arousal curve looks like an upside-down U.

According to research, not all tasks require the same degree of arousal. Complex tasks, such as learning calculus, traditionally require a lower level of arousal for maximum concentration and therefore are negatively impacted by high stress. On the other hand, simple, well-understood tasks can typically tolerate and may benefit from added stress, sweeping the floor for example.

Problems arise when the stress level is too high for the task and the body is pushed past the peak performance level. For this reason, pay attention to yourself so that your holiday stress matches the tasks at hand. If you feel that your stress level is too high and thus decreasing your performance, take time to relax. Care for yourself. You deserve the attention, and according to research, it might make you more productive.

*Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908) The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit-formation. Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, 18, 459-482.

Dave Gorczynski is president of SPARK, a non-profit organization that has provided free energy work sessions and workshops across New York City since 2002. He writes a regular column about energy work and meditation for the Compact News in New York City's Chinatown. E-mail him at dave@sparkenergy.org.