The Yerkes-Dodson Law

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We do not make the best decisions when stressed; the amygdala inhibits the prefrontal cortex from productive cognitive thoughts (Mills, Reiss, & Dombeck, 2008). During high stress, the body seeks immediate pleasure. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system acts as a reward pathway and extends to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which is in the limbic system and prefrontal cortex. The mesocorticolimbic dopamine system craves for an increase in dopamine, so it influences behaviors to get such pleasure. Unfortunately, many individuals become drug addicted to fulfill this “need.” Many increase alcohol consumption; inevitably they aggravate their biological reaction to stress. Alcohol and other psychostimulants disrupt the HPA axis and increase further …show more content…
The Yerkes-Dodson Law discusses the relationship between the amount of stress and arousal; the inverted U-shaped graph indicates that stress is beneficial at small amounts, and harmful when there is too much (Kirby et al. 2013). Although the Yerkes-Dodson Law may seem like a simplified response to the stress effect, it is not. Stress is an allostatic load, so the “wear-and-tear” of the body is a built up response from untreated stress (Mcewen & Tucker, 2011). Small stressors quickly add onto one another, which eliminates the extra “arousal” that it could have brought. In addition, the model has been met with fierce critics. Landers (as cited in Staal, 2004) report that similar experiments with animals fail to have similar results; Neiss (as citied in Staal, 2004) critique that the whole relationship is trivial for arousal cannot be accurately measured. Instead, Neiss suggests more research concerning the effect of stress on specific “psychobiological states” such as cognition, motor performance, and heart rate rather than testing arousal. After this research was conducted, Broadbent concluded that the effects of stress is too disperse and individualized to be simplified in a simple inverse U-shaped graph (Staal, 2004). It is time to abandon the belief that stress is beneficial. Regardless if the Yerkes-Dodson Law held truth, there is a fine line between stress and …show more content…
Simple enough, the answer is to avoid all stress. However, as the cliché goes, it is easier said than done. When we cannot avoid it, stress should be managed so that it is reduced to little in our lives. Robert Spalosky (2004) recommends hobbies that will increase dopamine levels in a good way; exercise, yoga, and walks are calming after a stressful day because mesocorticolimbic dopamine system satisfied their dopamine craving (Wand, 2008). In recent studies, it has also been discovered that physical activity is also favorable to our bodies because it relieves the muscle tension generated by stress (Stress Effects). Nevertheless, every individual is different and has a different mechanism to manage stress effectively. About forty-nine percent of American adults in 2010 report that just listening to music and ease anxiety and pressure (Anderson et al. 2010). Regardless if it is sweating away or increasing the volume on the music to quiet stress, any activity that safely decreases cortisol levels by raising dopamine levels are acceptable methods of managing stress. Those who cannot self-treat their stress should seek medical
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