THE WASHINGTON POST
The brain: Acute forms of stress — when you’re facing a work deadline or having an argument with a loved one, for example — can actually be beneficial in the short term, briefly bathing the brain with hormones (such as cortisol) that help improve your motivation, ability to focus and performance, according to Wendy Suzuki, a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University and author of “Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion.”