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Dr. Crum's studies reveal that mindsets about stress—whether viewing it as debilitating or empowering—affect health outcomes and performance. Participants who adopted a stress-is-enhancing perspective experienced less physical discomfort, better emotional well-being, and improved performance under pressure.
For example, during a 2008 financial crisis, employees who believed stress could boost their performance showed fewer physical symptoms and higher productivity after watching empowering videos about stress’s benefits. This highlights how mindset shifts can translate into real physiological and behavioral benefits.
How to Manage and Leverage Stress
Dr. Crum advocates a three-step approach to harness stress effectively:
- Acknowledge that you're stressed.