Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health

Study finds that long term stress and pessimism are linked

by Emily Shemanski
December 22, 2016
in Mental Health
Photo credit: Ben Raynal

Photo credit: Ben Raynal

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Stay on top of the latest psychology findings: Subscribe now!

Long term stress is linked to pessimistic personality traits, according to a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality.

Studies over the past few decades have found that a person’s personality can change across a person’s life. The current study examined the relationship between stress and personality changes. Stressors are understood to be circumstances or situations that are considered intimidating or taxing, or exceed a person’s ability to cope. When a person is exposed to a stressor, a person will display a stress response; this study focused on long term stress, rather than short term stress (think fight-or-flight). Long term stress involves the sympathetic nervous system, the innate immune system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (also known as the HPA),. The intensity of the response to stress is dependent upon how a person perceives the stressor; if the stressor is seen as highly threatening, then the response will be strong, and vice versa.

Stress has been connected to the development of anxiety disorders and depression, which in turn can encourage personality changes. Major life events can also prompt changes in personality. Therefore, it is also possible that more long term stress would be able to induce a personality change, for this study, specifically pessimism.

In this study, 332 participants completed different surveys for five weeks in a row, and were encouraged to consider the previous week in their responses. Researchers utilized the most widely used scales for both stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale) and pessimism (items taken from the Life Orientation Test-Revised). This research is the first to show that stress and pessimism are linked. Interestingly, researchers noticed decreases in levels of perceived stress as well as pessimism. This may be due to the unexpected benefits of participating the study, such as the possibility that expressing stress levels may be cathartic. The changes in pessimism in five weeks are supported by previous research showing that personality changes can occur in such a short timeframe.

It is essential to note certain limitations of the current study. The study was based on participants reporting their perceived stress and pessimism, which could lead to intentional or unintentional dishonesty from participants. Stress may also influence other personality traits, like conscientiousness and extraversion, which may in turn affect pessimism. Additionally, personal growth after a traumatic event may influence the development of positive personality traits, not just negative ones like pessimism. The last limitation the study addresses is the temporal relationship between stress and pessimism. As always, correlation does not imply causation; being pessimistic does not necessarily mean that a person perceives more stress, and more stress does not make a person more pessimistic according to the research presented in this study.

This study is the first to show the link between perceived stress and pessimism, but further research is necessary to determine the chronological ordering of these effects, as well as how stress affects other personality traits. Finally, it is imperative that these research efforts are able to make meaningful and relevant statements about human health. With an ever-increasing need for effective mental health treatment, future research should address the relevance of these stress-personality dynamics for human health.

TweetSendScanShareSendPinShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests
Hypersexuality

Frequent pornography use linked to altered brain connectivity and impaired cognitive performance

June 17, 2025

Researchers have found that individuals who frequently view internet pornography show distinct brain activity and diminished cognitive control. The study suggests that heavy use may impact emotional processing and executive function in ways that resemble patterns seen in substance addiction.

Read moreDetails
Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests
Mental Health

Psilocybin-assisted therapy linked to reduced depression in people with bipolar disorder, small study finds

June 17, 2025

A pilot study involving psilocybin-assisted therapy found possible antidepressant effects for people with bipolar II disorder. The treatment appeared well-tolerated, with no signs of mania or psychosis, offering cautious optimism for future bipolar depression research.

Read moreDetails
Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests
Dark Triad

Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests

June 17, 2025

Dark traits like narcissism and psychopathy are often associated with dysfunction, but new findings reveal that certain facets—especially Machiavellian agency—might help people manage stress and depression more effectively through adaptive coping strategies.

Read moreDetails
Adolescents with ADHD tend to eat more snacks than their peers
Dementia

Dementia risk begins in childhood, not old age, scientists warn

June 16, 2025

New research suggests that dementia prevention should begin much earlier than previously thought—possibly as early as childhood. Experts argue that addressing risk factors like obesity, smoking, and inactivity early in life could reduce the chances of developing dementia later on.

Read moreDetails
Can light exposure help teens sleep earlier? New study suggests yes
Mental Health

Sleep regularity might be protective of adolescents’ mental health, study suggests

June 16, 2025

A study of adolescents found that sleep regularity moderates the relationship between sleep difficulties and mental health symptoms. Adolescents who had trouble sleeping on one night tended to show more mental health symptoms the following day. However, the effects of these disturbances on somatic symptoms were somewhat reduced in adolescents...

Read moreDetails
How having conversations with children shapes their language and brain connectivity
Autism

This self-talk exercise may help reduce emotional dysregulation in autistic children

June 15, 2025

A recent study found that a therapy designed to develop inner speech led to reduced emotional dysphoria and some improvement in emotional reactivity in autistic children, suggesting it may help support emotional regulation.

Read moreDetails
Teen depression tied to balance of adaptive and maladaptive emotional strategies, study finds
Artificial Intelligence

Sleep problems top list of predictors for teen mental illness, AI-powered study finds

June 15, 2025

A new study using data from over 11,000 adolescents found that sleep disturbances were the most powerful predictor of future mental health problems—more so than trauma or family history. AI models based on questionnaires outperformed those using brain scans.

Read moreDetails
Psilocybin from “magic” mushrooms weakens the brain’s response to angry faces
Addiction

Single-dose psilocybin therapy shows promise for reducing alcohol consumption

June 15, 2025

Early results from a pilot study indicate that psilocybin-assisted therapy could be linked to lower alcohol consumption and improved psychological outcomes, though larger controlled trials are needed to determine whether the psilocybin itself is responsible for these changes.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Frequent pornography use linked to altered brain connectivity and impaired cognitive performance

Childhood trauma linked to changes in brain structure and connectivity, study finds

Psilocybin-assisted therapy linked to reduced depression in people with bipolar disorder, small study finds

COVID-19 coverage linked to rise in anti-Asian sentiment, especially among Trump supporters

Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests

Dementia risk begins in childhood, not old age, scientists warn

Millennials are abandoning organized religion. A new study provides insight into why

Sleep regularity might be protective of adolescents’ mental health, study suggests

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy