Eustress

Eustress is a term coined by endocrinologist Hans Selye which is defined in the model of Richard Lazarus (1974) as stress that is healthy, or gives one a feeling of fulfillment or other positive feelings. Eustress is a process of exploring potential gains.

Etymology

Eustress is a word consisting of two parts. The prefix derives from the Greek eu meaning either "well" or "good". When attached to the word "stress", it literally means "good stress".

Origins

The term eustress was first used by endocrinologist Hans Selye in 1975, when he published a model dividing stress into two major categories: eustress and distress.^[1] This article was an expansion on an earlier article he wrote, where he discussed the idea of a General Adaptation Syndrome, or a system of how the body responds to stress.^[2]

In his 1975 article, Selye talked about how persistent stress that is not resolved through coping or adaptation, deemed distress, may lead to anxiety or withdrawal (depression) behavior. In contrast, if the stress involved enhances function (physical or mental, such as through strength training or challenging work) it may be considered eustress.

Compared with distress

Distress is the most commonly-referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive form of stress, usually related to desirable events in a person's life. Both can be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in nature, depending on a person's way of adapting to a change that has caused it. The body itself cannot physically discern between distress or eustress. ^[3]

Examples

Winning an athletic competition is an example of eustress.

• Meeting or engaging in a challenge.^[4]
• Coming in first place in a race.^[4]
• Getting a promotion at your job.
• Watching a suspenseful or horror movie.^[4]
• Love, marriage, or childbirth.^[4]
• Riding a roller-coaster.
• The holidays.
• Purchasing something, such as a new car.^[4]

References

Further reading

See also

• Distress, the opposite of eustress.
• Hans Selye, who founded the theory of stress.
• Timothy Ferriss, author of "The 4-Hour Workweek" uses this phrase quite often in reference to being "new rich".

External links

Look up eustress in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Eustress at Whole Health Stress Management Lecture