New neurological research shows that there may be a biological factor in how prone people are to experiencing negative effects from stress. Turns out that certain areas of the brain (the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens) have different levels of chemicals and rates of neurons firing for people that are more vulnerable to stress.

The thing I have begun wondering about more with neuropsych research is whether the evolutionary advantage of something like this is also considered. In most commonly thought of ways, being vulnerable to stress is quite a disadvantage. However, there can also be some advantages of this (e.g. a person vulnerability to strong stress reaction may avoid dangerous situations thus preserving their being). Any other ideas?

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 20 Oct 2007
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.