The Stress Test: How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper

by Ian Robertson

Overview

From one of the world's most respected neuroscientists, an eye-opening study of why we react to pressure in the way we do and how to be energized rather than defeated by stress.

Why is it that some people react to seemingly trivial emotional upsets--like failing an unimportant exam or tackling a difficult project at work--with distress, while others power through life-changing tragedies showing barely any emotional upset whatsoever? How do some people shine brilliantly at public speaking while others stumble with their words and seem on the verge of an anxiety attack? Why do some people sink into all-consuming depression when life has dealt them a poor hand, while in others it merely increases their resilience?

The difference between too much pressure and too little can result in either debilitating stress or lack of motivation in extreme situations. However, the right level of challenge and stress can help people flourish and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

In THE STRESS TEST, clinical psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Ian Robertson, armed with over four decades of research, reveals how we can shape our brain's response to pressure and how stress actually can be a good thing. THE STRESS TEST is a revelatory study of how and why we react to pressure as we do, and how we can change our response to stress to our benefit.

Customer Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632867315
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	377 KB

About the Author

Ian Robertson, Ph.D., is an expert on neuropsychology and a trained clinical psychologist. He is the T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Scientist at the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas in Dallas, and holds a visiting professorship at the University of Toronto. Robertson is the author of three books for the general reader, most recently, THE WINNER EFFECT. He is a keynote speaker at conferences on brain function throughout the world. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
A neuroscientist and trained clinical psychologist, Ian Robertson is an international expert on neuropsychology. Currently Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, and formerly Fellow of Hughes Hall, Cambridge, he holds visiting professorships at the University of Toronto, University College London and the University of Wales. Ian is a member of the Royal Irish Academy and has published over 250 scientific articles in leading journals. He is also author and editor of ten scientific books, including the leading international textbook on cognitive rehabilitation, and three books for the general reader (see backlist below). He is a regular keynote speaker at conferences on brain function throughout the world.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Prologue 1

1 Why Do Engineers Build Bends in Roads? 21

2 What a New Zealand Earthquake Taught Me About Nietzsche 51

3 Rodin and the Goalkeeper 72

4 Sex and the Suspension Bridge 113

5 How Can Stress Make You Smarter? 150

6 Can Too Much Happiness Be Bad for You? 181

Epilogue 211

Notes 223

Index 237

Editorial Reviews

10/10/2016
Clinical psychologist and neuroscientist Robertson (The Winner Effect) explores why stress energizes some people and has devastating effects on others in this fascinating treatise on the human mind—something he describes as a malleable object, not hardwired. “If psychological stressors can physically change the brain... surely psychological therapies should be able to do the same,” he writes. Why do some people become energized through anxiety and stress, while other people—often those with a more fixed view of themselves—see difficult situation as indications they aren’t competent, and crumble? It’s how the “software of the mind” combines with the “hardware of the brain,” Robertson says. One key piece of that mix is noradrenaline, a chemical he calls a “natural alerting drug.” It is also a neuromodulator, which strengthens the brain’s ability to form connections and thereby its learning and memory functions. In fact, he believes noradrenaline can be a partial antidote to Alzheimer’s disease, making brain cells less susceptible to damaging amyloid proteins. The author emphasizes, however, that it’s necessary to find the balance between too little and too much stress. Robertson’s enlightening theories on brain chemistry make fascinating food for thought and will help readers see the upside of stress. Agent: Felicity Bryan, Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.) (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Robertson’s enlightening theories on brain chemistry make fascinating food for thought and will help readers see the upside of stress." - Publishers Weekly

"The author, who writes clearly for a popular audience, had identified the equivalent of a wonder drug that plays an important role in maintaining cognitive ability as we age. An intriguing overview of important developments in brain research, specifically as it relates to finding ‘the right mental balance we need for each challenge that faces us." - Kirkus Reviews

"Fascinating . . . Filled with case studies and thoughtful commentary, this eye-opening book is sure to inspire thoughts on the effects of stress and the importance of facing life head-on." - Booklist Online

"[T]here are good and bad types of stress, and Robertson provides suggestions regarding rethinking how individuals respond to life’s vagaries, thereby learning to positively cope with stress. A prologue, six chapters, and an epilogue do a fine job convincing readers that stress sometimes changes one for the better." - CHOICE

"You can change, and here’s the proof. This compelling examination of a scientific revolution helps us understand how we can learn to harness stress." - Oliver James

"A cutting edge neuroscientist whose important research is done in great depth . . . who also has the ability to step back and explore the big picture." - Norman Doidge, author of THE BRAIN THAT CHANGES ITSELF

"An engaging tour of psychology, brain science, and personal narrative that reveals how sometimes stress can make us stronger." - Elaine Fox, author of RAINY BRAIN, SUNNY BRAIN

"Being in great mental and physical health gets more and more important for me every day . . . The idea that stress, properly managed, can be helpful intrigues me. Dr. Robertson has the clinical expertise and research experience that helps point the way." - T. Boone Pickens

From the Publisher

11/15/2016
In 1888, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in Twilight of the Idols: "What does not kill me, makes me stronger." Neuroscientist and trained clinical psychologist Robertson (T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Scientist, Ctr. for BrainHealth, Univ. of Texas at Dallas; The Winner Effect) is a young graduate when he first comes across this line in 1974. Throughout his career, this maxim comes back to him while he studies attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, spatial neglect, and biofeedback. As a neuropsychologist, the author becomes interested in lateralization of brain functions. What he aims to determine is how the brain and mind interact and help us rise to life's stressful events and continue on stronger. He devotes half a chapter to anger, an emotion that it is taboo to express but can be key in surviving difficulties. Cognitive reserve, which stems from mental challenge and social interactions and protects the brain against dementia, brings the author closer to solving his Nietzschean puzzle. Robertson concludes positively by maintaining that Nietzsche is right, but also that a person's faith in emotional self-control is essential to resilience. VERDICT No easy read, this book is recommended for knowledgeable psychology and neuropsychology enthusiasts.—Maryse Breton, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Library Journal

2016-10-31
A veteran neuroscientist and clinical psychologist explores the changes that occur in our brains depending upon how we deal with challenging situations.For the past 40 years, Robertson (T. Boone Pickens Distinguished Scientist/Univ. of Texas, Dallas; The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain, 2012, etc.) has dedicated his research to answering one question: "How, when and why do some people rise to the challenge of bad experiences, while others fold under their weight?" In this review of benchmarks in his career, he begins with his days as a student in the 1970s when he was training to become a clinical psychologist. At the time, the prevailing wisdom held "that experience only molded the very young brain." After that, the brain's neural circuitry was hard-wired and could only be changed by electric-shock therapy or medication. "In 1984…the sky fell in," writes the author. Experiments showed that the brain is not hard-wired and is, in fact, changed by experience, and the left and right hemispheres of the brain play different roles in how individuals respond to stress. Furthermore, neural circuits in the brain's right hemisphere activated anxiety-ridden avoidance, while a positive response to challenge was associated with left-hemisphere activity. In 2012, another piece of the puzzle came together when Robertson helped to establish the role of one of the brain's key chemical messengers, noradrenaline, in helping the brain maintain attention. "Millions of mini-infusions of noradrenaline, triggered by millions of mental challenges," create a cognitive reserve in the brain by stimulating the growth of neural networks, provided the challenge does not create severe stress. The author, who writes clearly for a popular audience, had identified the equivalent of a wonder drug that plays an important role in maintaining cognitive ability as we age.An intriguing overview of important developments in brain research, specifically as it relates to finding "the right mental balance we need for each challenge that faces us."

Kirkus Reviews