Any human being can suffer from the daily life stress: viewing bad national or/and international news, having responsibilities in work, Caring about family and friends, being worried, anxious... due to covid 19....
What about occupying one's mind with research, having a human goal to enrich science, whatever would be the field of research, could science and research occupation be considered as a psychological treatment from daily stress, in stead of being itself (the research), stressing?
Dear Michael Uebel , according to my experience, I confirm that the consciousness and the concentration are necessary for the research and then they push the human brain to make more effort
thank you
The anti-stress nature of scientific studies is situational. Engaging in scientific research can act as prevention of stress if a person is engaged in researching a problem that interests him and if engaging in scientific activity itself is his favorite pastime. However, the opposite situation is also possible.
It is unpredictable and can go either way. Sometimes scholarly work can prevent or relieve stress, other times it can cause stress. Even scholarly work that one enjoys can at times be stressful. I would even say must at times be stressful; humdrum or routine scholarly research that flatlines is hardly enjoyable.
Yes! for some people and depending on the nature or source of stress
To relieve stress, we should do something we have a passion for. Those who have a passion for research, like me, will find a refuge from stress in doing it. On the contrary, others who don't, may find research as another source of stress.
Dear Faten Ridene,
This is entirely possible only in one case: if scientific work coincides with a hobby. In other words, if you are doing what you love and enjoy this activity. Thus, any activity that brings pleasure (not to be confused with drugs) is a good psychotherapy for the brain and this, in turn, is a good medicine for any stress.
For example, Beethoven became completely deaf already in his thirty-odd years and wanted to commit suicide, he already wrote his famous Heiligenstadt Testament https://www.all-about-beethoven.com/heiligenstadt_test.html in 1802.
Here's the final phrase:
"With joy I hasten to meed death. - If it comes before I have had the chance to develop all my artistic capacities, it will still be coming too soon despite my harsh fate, and I should probably wish it later - yet even so I should be happy, for would it not free me from a state of endless suffering? - Come when wilt thou, I shall meed thee bravely."
After that, he simply created, created, created his masterpieces, which he created with great pleasure, and this is what extended his life for 25 years until his death on March 26, 1827.
Dear @Gennady Fedulov
as if your answer was drawn on my case, I am keen on the field of Cinema since my young age, but did not take it as a choice given that this field was considered as time loosing, but insisting in my hobby, and although i was graduated in New ict field, and thanks to the support of my nearest family (husband and mum), I started cinema studies since 2014, and now i'm making research in this field as an escaping mean from the daily stress, sthg that I Just summarise by enjoyable 👌
My thanks and recognition for your valueable answer
Bests 😇
Dear @Anastas Ivanov Ivanov
Although the sport is not my field of study, I agree about it's positive effects on the human's Body, given that the brain of a sport practicing Body, is also sportive, as if it is training in parallel with Body,
Thanks and regards to your collaboration
Bests
In the words of American Psychologist Arthur P. Ciaramicoli, "Authenticity reduces stress and produces faith in oneself and in the potential to grow and learn."
It depends, If you take it as a hobby so it will be a refuge from stress. But if you are a student or researcher so you can't avoid stress.
Faten Ridene la investigación puede ser considerada un refugio anti estrés cuando produce experiencias placenteras para el investigador y no se realiza por el deber de la investigación. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi plantea el concepto de fluir como esa experiencia óptima de alegría, creatividad que podría tener el proceso de investigación con involucración total en ese objetivo. En este sentido podría funcionar como antiestrés cuando se logran los objetivos que permiten ordenar la conciencia y los pensamientos.
Thanks for Dr. Faten Ridene asking a very interesting question here.
I personally agree to answer "YES" to this query, while reading the topic.
If I understood it correctly, the question could be also expressed in other words of "Is research work the one of possible approaches to an evasion of daily stresses like covid-19 pandemics?" (If my understanding/wording towards that issue is not suitable for the original text, please message and correct me).
In brief, the research works should be divided into two main types: interesting and uninteresting works.
As for interesting one, I completely agree with Dr. Andrey Skorobogatov 's comments and discussions. I think most of researchers have similar experiences to the question asker. Namely, interesting research works can help mitigate psychological stresses.
On the other side, however, it may be skeptical that uninteresting works then alleviate the stressful experiences. I think answer could also be "YES" still to some degree. My discussions would fall on the following 3 points.
1, No matter interesting or uninteresting, research work is an individual work or has individual part, although the modern research works are generally done by teamwork. The individual activity may give you a particular time and space to meditate the cognizant of your research concerns, thus you may forget your stressful issue temporarily.
2, Facing uninteresting works may aggravate your work pressure. But that may differ from the daily stresses, thereby distracting your attention to the stresses. It benefits us from a neutralized result of a negative influence on those unpleasant stresses.
3, The uninteresting work may exhaust you so much. But the exhaustion of your energy could be an outlet for your emotion. It is not good to run yourself as such frequently, but short time and low-frequent outlet could help reinvigorate your spirit.
So, my experience ever taught me that the uninteresting work can also help you equilibrate/re-equilibrate your mental system to defense previous stresses.
Regards,
X. CAI
According to the situation, the subject and the type of stress: To carry out a good investigation, one must have a certain level of tension and activation (arousal) and, from this perspective, such stress would be adequate -eustress-; but, on the other hand, this is also a stressor and, in some, this would lead to blocking them, paralyzing them and not moving forward -distress-; In short, as in so many other cases, and following the YERKES-DODSON UNIVERSAL LAW, a process and relationship of "INVERTED U" would follow, such as the one that follows Motivation and Performance.
The Yerkes-Dodson law is a psychological law originally enunciated by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson in 1908.1 The law dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point. When arousal levels become too high, performance decreases. The process is often graphically illustrated as a bell-shaped curve that increases and then decreases with higher levels of excitation.
Grafiek van de Yerkes-Dodson wet. Laurens van Lieshout februari 2006:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yerkes-Dodson_wet.png#/media/Archivo:Yerkes-Dodson_wet.png
Fascinating question .... tend to agree with Grafiek van de Yerkes-Dodson et al.... Initially for many of us..... fascination with the whole process of finding an interesting question and then pursuing it via scientific research is engaging and perhaps decreases stress..... but frequently along the long process of this investigation there are moments of stress....but then depending on the findings there is also the decrease of stress yet again...... Yes... fascinating question!
Indeeed Faten Ridene , goals that make you live larger than life and adds to the purpose of serving to improve the lives of fellow being is a rewarding experience and if managed well can turn help to relieve the other stresses on factors uncontrollable by one'self. I woould quote here:
" lives of great men all remind us , that we can make ourlives sublime. Departing leave behind us foot prints on the sands of time"
If the person's homeostasis (Chrousos G. P., Gold P. W., 1992) is not threatened by doing research, it can be a refuge from stress. I knew of colleagues who lives and enjoys doing research, which I perceived as a calming sonata to their souls.
The things you really love to do are destressing. I love research so for me it is something that is called eustress.
Everyone has different methods of stress relief. If someone uses research then so be it.
Yes
If you are researching because you want to do so rather than being pressurized by the need to satisfy Research Bodies etc.
Definitely agree with this. Research can be time consuming but very rewarding and whilst doing this your mind is distracted from more negative thoughts. The psychological benefit can be huge.
It helped me a lot to overcome Multiple Sclerosis, both studying the disease or whatever else. More, I am almost sure I would not have invested so much time in research if I was still valid and athletic as in my past life. But in France, I felt death-threaten by my mad cow disease research, so I abandoned science for literature, swearing I would never spend more time in such a dangerous priceless activity. So, I must recognize in 2021, I am delighted with the Multiple Sclerosis stress. At age 60, I reconnected with mathematical equations after 50 years of disdain, with no problem. This is a great adventure that fills me with proudness.
Absolutely! As a someone who has worked in gender based violence, family abuse and violence, making meaning of how these experiences are embedded in our sociopolitical, economic, and cultural structures, understanding what causes us stress makes us look for "answers" to the root causes of all forms of violence. Does our need to understand via research make us removed from the realities around us? Does doing research make us feel better when we don't have all the answers? Does research help us to compartmentalize and cope with all the BS that exists and to think about how to "fix" ourselves, our clients, our world, make it more easy for us to not think to much or take social justice action? Hmmm....
In some cases yes, a good research in good conditions could alleviate stress ; but sometimes (lack of money, incorrect results, etc.) stress can be a major source of stress
Occupied mind is always better. Research would be a great idea to divert our mind from mental, emotional as well as psychological stress. But, there arises questions like can we really concentrate in research in such situation? Can research be carried out with limited resources we have access with?
Yes, it works for me. It helps me to switch off from the outside world and focus on the topic. If the topic is the object of my stress, then researching it provides me with some relief as I bring about a better understanding. If it isn't the object of my stress, then the relief comes from stepping away from the stress and having some respite from it for a while. Emotionally, I always feel much better after I have been doing research, even if I intend to spend just ten minutes doing it and end up spending all day doing it. Time tends to have this habit of disappearing on me, but definitely good for my wellbeing.
Thinking back, when I was doing my PhD research and I was not working as a nurse practitioner, I didn't have my workload of appointments to see people etc. And I was really interested in my topic, so I was happy as long as nothing came along that give me a time limit.
Then I was stressed but usually it was up to me to deal with whatever it was. So, it was good that I was not affected by anyone else's schedule.
Research can be a refuge from stress if the person’s homeostasis is not threatened by doing research. In other words, if the person is not overwhelmed by the research process and can manage their stress levels effectively, then research can be a way to escape from stress1.
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