Mild Stress May Be Good for Children
I ran across an interesting entry at Scientific Blogging, explaining a study in Developmental Neuroscience. The study's authors compared images of the prefrontal cortex of spider monkeys, and concluded that those monkeys who had been through mildly stressful experiences showed an increase in certain brain cells, which cells in turn enabled them to deal successfully with stressful experiences later in life. The study's authors noted several limitations, such as that the study was skewed toward female subjects. And, of course, the findings would not hold true for major emotional trauma. Still, it is a very interesting study about the inoculative effect of new and mildly stressful experiences.
To quote the blogger, Andrea Kuszewski, who reviewed the study,
Even as children, being faced with challenging situations is a good thing. We learn to problem-solve, think for ourselves, and build resilience to protect us from harm in future unexpected events. As an added bonus, dealing with stress early on helps us to develop emotional stability as well.
This is one of those studies that reinforces what experienced youth service workers already know -- encouraging children to take on new challenges is good for them. Learning to master skills, whether it is speaking in front of a crowd or camping or sports, is a necessary part of becoming a well-adjusted adult.
