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Stress can cause acute and chronic changes in certain brain areas which can cause long-term damage. [4] Over-secretion of stress hormones most frequently impairs long-term delayed recall memory, but can enhance short-term, immediate recall memory. This enhancement is particularly relative in emotional memory.
Theories of a proposed stress–illness link suggest that both acute and chronic stress can cause illness, and studies have found such a link. [58] According to these theories, both kinds of stress can lead to changes in behavior and in physiology. Behavioral changes can involve smoking and eating habits and physical activity.
While studies suggest stress and anxiety can impact appetite over time, unintentional weight loss is uncommon. Still, you’ll want to be mindful if your anxiety causes significant appetite changes.
Prolonged stress can disturb the immune, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive systems. [17] For example, it was found that: Chronic stress reduces resistance of infection and inflammation, and might even cause the immune system to attack itself. [27] Stress responses can cause atrophy of muscles and increases in blood pressure. [28]
Motivated forgetting is a theorized psychological behavior in which people may forget unwanted memories, either consciously or unconsciously. [1] It is an example of a defence mechanism, since these are unconscious or conscious coping techniques used to reduce anxiety arising from unacceptable or potentially harmful impulses thus it can be a defence mechanism in some ways. [2]
Brain injuries can also be the result of a stroke as the resulting lack of oxygen can cause damage to the location of the cerebrovascular accident (CVA). The effects of a CVA in the left and right hemispheres of the brain include short-term memory impairment, and difficulty acquiring and retaining new information.
Absent-mindedness seemingly consists of lapses of concentration or "zoning out". This can result in lapses of short or long-term memory, depending on when the person in question was in a state of absent-mindedness. [2] Absent-mindedness also relates directly to lapses in attention. Schachter and Dodsen of the Harvard Psychology department say ...
Intense psychological stress caused by unwanted, troublesome memories can cause brain structures such as the amygdala, hippocampus and frontal cortex to become activated, as they process the memory. Related to this, there is some neuroimaging ( fMRI ) evidence that those who are susceptible to PTSD have a hippocampus with a reduced size. [ 4 ]