Overworked and stressed out? Look on the bright side - some stress is good for you. While chronic stress can increase the risk of heart attack and compromise the immune system, researchers have found that short-lived stress primes the brain for improved performance - most notably boosting memory. In studies on rats, the researchers found that significant, but brief stressful events caused stem cells in the brains of rats to turn into new nerve cells that, when mature two weeks later, improved their mental performance.
