Stressed Out and Need a Break?

Tired? Stressed out? You may feel the only way to cope with stress is to "take a break".

A Palo Alto team of Stanford psychologists recently completed a study that challenged that old adage that you "need a break" when under severe stress. They claim that the willpower to stick to a difficult task is all a matter of mindset. They also argue that willpower is not something that drains away during stressful situations.

"Scientists have argued that when willpower is drained, the only way to restore it is by recharging our bodies with rest, food or some other physical distraction that takes you away from whatever is burning you out," according to the Stanford report.

The Stanford team argues this isn't so. The results came from a series of experiments with students. The study indicated that students who were manipulated to believe willpower is a limited resource felt a need to "take a break" during stressful mental exercises. The participants who were told they had control over their willpower fared much better. Mind over matter? Some would argue it doesn't matter if its in the mind or not-they may still want to take a break.

Source:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/october/willpower-resource-study-101410.html