HOW STRESS AFFECTS HUMAN HEALTH

This article comprehensively analyzes the phenomenon of stress, which is one of the most pressing problems of modern psychology and physiology. In the research, along with the traditional classification of stress — acute, episodic, and chronic types — the negative consequences of hypostress (lack of stress), a condition that has been little studied but is dangerous for human life, are thoroughly explained. Based on the Yerkes–Dodson law, the importance of the “golden mean” necessary for human efficiency and the concept of beneficial stress (eustress) are revealed. In the central part of the article, the biochemical mechanisms of stress are analyzed, in particular the activity of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis) and the effects of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline on the organism. Additionally, age-related characteristics of stress — toxic stress in childhood, emotional instability in adolescence, and occupational “burnout” in adults — are compared, and strategies for activating natural antidotes such as oxytocin, endorphin, and serotonin hormones are recommended.