This Article is From Mar 10, 2018

Your Stress Can Affect Your Partner's Brain Too, Says Study; Eat These Foods To Beat Stress

A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience has found that stress may be contagious and even its effects on the brain may be transferred to people around.

Your Stress Can Affect Your Partner's Brain Too, Says Study; Eat These Foods To Beat Stress

Highlights

  • New research shows how one person's stress can affect people around.
  • The study was conducted on pairs of male and female mice.
  • Adding coconut to your diet can help you fight stress.
It's often said that the stress of one person 'rubs off' on another. Well now there's scientific proof for the same belief, but it says that your stress can more than just 'rub off' on your company- it can mess with their brain as badly as it can mess with yours! A study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience has found that stress may be contagious and even its effects on the brain may be transferred to people around. The research was conducted by Jaideep Bains, PhD, and his team at the Cumming School of Medicine's Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), at the University of Calgary and his team.

The study that was conducted on mice, also showed that the effects of stress were reversed in female mice, following a social interaction, but the same was not true for male mice. "Brain changes associated with stress underpin many mental illnesses including PTSD, anxiety disorders and depression", said Dr. Bains in a press release on the study. He added, "Recent studies indicate that stress and emotions can be 'contagious'. Whether this has lasting consequences for the brain is not known."

The research team studied the effects of stress in pairs of male and female mice. They removed one mouse from each pair and exposed them to mild stress and then returned them to their respective partners to test the results. The researchers monitored the response of a specific group of cells that control the brain's response to stress. This showed that the cells of both the stressed mice and their partners were affected in the same way.

The most remarkable result of the experiment was that the neurons of the mice who were not themselves exposed to stress had been altered in a way that was identical to that of the exposed ones. The mirror effects were caused due to the release of a chemical from the activated neurons called the 'alarm pheromone'. This chemical alerts the partner mouse who can then transfer the same signals to others in the group.

Over the years a number of ways have been devised to deal with stress, some of which are related to making changes in lifestyle and diet.

Here are some foods to include in your diet to fight stress effectively:

1. Coconut

Coconut oil, milk and even flesh have special health benefits. The presence of medium chain fatty acids makes it a stress buster.

2. Banana

The vitamin C in bananas has been known to be a stress-fighting nutrient.

3. Lentils

Lentils are rich in vitamin B, which is known as nature's happiness pill. They have been known to fight tiredness and fatigue and also regulate blood sugar levels.

4. Yogurt

The calcium in yogurt is the superhero that can vanquish stress. It also has gut healthy bcateria that keep digestive troubles at bay and it also keeps the body cool.

These foods, combined with therapy and yoga can go a long way in helping you fight stress. It's even more important to stop this menace in the light of the above study that shows how communicable stress is.

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