Psychological Flexibility Linked to Better Stress and Health Outcomes

Psychological flexibility, described as the willingness and ability to be agile in the ways people think, feel and respond to stress, is associated with better health outcomes. Daily demands such as meeting school and job assignments, buying and preparing food, paying bills and taxes, and planning for financial futures create predictable stress.

Additional pressures including rising gas prices, global pandemics and major climate incidents add further challenges.

Research on psychological flexibility dates to the 1960s. Scientific investigation increased with the third wave of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which emphasizes a mindful and accepting approach to thoughts and feelings rather than attempting to challenge or change them.

Decades of research indicate that psychological flexibility buffers the negative effects of stress and is linked to lower rates of mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Studies have shown beneficial effects across multiple groups including health care professionals, police officers, children with juvenile arthritis and their parents, and trauma-exposed veterans. In response to challenges both large and small, many people rely on familiar ways of seeing the world and reacting to stress.

Trauma survivors often exhibit hypervigilance, scanning environments for danger with physical signs of readiness such as clenched jaws and fists.

Such chronic states can cloud judgment with terror and lead to constricted attention and decision-making. Trauma specialists describe these as reactions rather than deliberate responses. Treatment focuses on becoming more receptive to experiences and developing a wider range of coping methods without suggesting that initial thoughts, feelings or actions are wrong.

Psychological flexibility involves remaining fluid, versatile and open to learning new approaches. One comparison likens it to physical flexibility. In moments of acute stress, maintaining a broader perspective and avoiding attachment to a single way of thinking, responding or feeling is considered essential.

A 2017 study examined psychological flexibility in a representative sample of the Swiss population. Researchers found that people who can flexibly respond to stress had better physical and mental health outcomes across the board. The study authors stated that because psychological flexibility can be taught, techniques should be more widely shared.

Techniques include mindfulness, accepting emotions without minimizing or denying them, problem-solving, considering greater purpose or meaning, and focusing on breath. One recommendation is to visualize a stop sign during stress as a reminder to pause before reacting.

Expanding one's repertoire of responses allows navigation of challenges as an explorer open to various perspectives and experiences.