Research shows that a higher ratio of DHEA to cortisol is linked to resilience, cognitive performance, and better health. The way individuals perceive and respond to stress significantly impacts its effects, with adaptive responses promoting growth and well-being. Understanding the roles of cortisol and DHEA in stress response is crucial for managing its impact.
A higher “growth index” is linked to resilience and cognitive performance. Experiencing stress depletes my health and vitality. These are four items on the Stress Mindset Measure, developed by Crum, Salovey, and Achor , to assess whether you see stress as enhancing or debilitating.
Crum and other researchers consistently demonstrate that your mindset about stress shapes how stress affects your body, your well-being, and even how you age. Stress is the experience or anticipation of adversity as we pursue our goals . Its impact on health and performance depends not just on how much stress we face, but also on its duration, intensity, and—crucially—how we respond.
Adaptive responses—like acknowledging stress, reframing it as enhancing, and utilizing stress to move you toward your values—can reduce harm and sometimes even lead to growth.. When you face a challenge, your adrenal glands release cortisol and DHEA. Cortisol is catabolic: It breaks down tissues to provide immediate energy. While helpful in the short term, chronically high cortisol can wear down your body and mind, suppress immunity, and contribute to long-term health problems.
DHEA, in contrast, is anabolic. It supports tissue repair, immune function, brain health, and learning. DHEA is also a precursor to. During stress, DHEA is released alongside cortisol to help your body recover and adapt.
Higher DHEA levels are linked to improved mood, cognitive function, and Cortisol mobilizes resources for survival, while DHEA buffers the body, promoting healing and adaptation. A higher DHEA/cortisol ratio is associated with resilience, learning, and better health; a lower ratio signals vulnerability to chronic stress, negative mood, and. DHEA peaks in early adulthood and declines with age.
The DHEA/cortisol ratio is even a predictor ofHow you interpret and respond to stress—your thoughts, behaviors, and coping strategies—directly influence this hormonal balance. Flexible thinking and adaptive actions help maintain a healthier ratio, supporting your body’s ability to recover and grow. When you’re under stress, what thoughts run through your mind? What actions do you take?
How do these choices affect you? Approaching stress with flexible thinking and adaptive actions helps your body produce more DHEA relative to cortisol. This supports recovery, persistence, and learning. Rigid orNow that we know our mindset about stress affects how we experience it, what now?
We can't just convince ourselves to be excited about stress. Luckily, we do not have to. In 2023, Crum’s team tested a “metacognitive” intervention in three randomized controlled trials, including 239 employees at a Fortune 500 company after layoffs.
The intervention had three elements: 1) teaching participants about the dual nature of stress ; 2) explaining the power of mindset on health and performance; and 3) training participants in a three-step strategy to adopt a stress-is-enhancing mindset—acknowledge stress and their responses, welcome stress as a sign of personal values and, and actively use the energy from stress to address challenges. To make this practical, participants identified everyday cues to remind themselves to practice a stress-as-enhancing mindset.
Across all three trials, this metacognitive approach proved more effective than traditional"three cheers for stress" methods. Employees who received the intervention—delivered in person or online—showed greater and more lasting increases in a stress-is-enhancing mindset, along with improvements in physical health and work performance.
These benefits persisted even after exposure to negative information about stress, and during periods of acute stress such as theCrum’s findings suggest that empowering people to understand and actively choose their mindset about stress can create more durable, adaptive responses—supporting both psychological and physical resilience. By cultivating a flexible stress-as-enhancing mindset and choosing adaptive behaviors, you support not just your mental health, but your biology.
You can influence your growth index—and your resilience—by intentionally shaping both your thoughts and your actions during stress. Here are practical steps, grounded in her research:Chronic, debilitating stress wears us out over time. And yet? Stress is necessary for growth.
Our muscles get bigger when we stress them, and they then repair. In the most challenging crises—effects, sham surgeries, and even reframing what counts as exercise all show the influence of mindset. In stress research, how we think about stress affects our biology—so how do you want to think about it?or excited? How do you know?
These feelings can look similar in the body, yet we behave differently depending on our interpretation. What's happening in your body? What are you thinking? How are you behaving, or what do you have the urge to do?
What unmet needs are involved? Just naming and exploring your stress lowers your stress response and activates your prefrontal cortex. You don’t have to convince yourself that stress is wonderful, but you can remember what’s beneficial about it. Avoiding or fighting stress drains energy, while working with it can enhance performance and remind you of what matters most.
Notice your beliefs about stress. When you catch yourself thinking “this is too much,” try shifting to “this is hard, and I can grow from it. ”Like an oyster making a pearl, you can grow from stress, using its energy to move toward your values. This isn’t about seeking unnecessary stress, but about learning from the stress that comes with a meaningful life.
Find an everyday anchor to remind you to practice the above three steps—for instance, example, “When I have my morning coffee.... ” Also, identify stress triggers: “When I feel my heart race, I will remember to acknowledge, welcome, and utilize my stress. ”)Choose constructive coping behaviors: Reaching out for support, using relaxation techniques, or problem-solving boosts DHEA .
Exercise also boosts DHEA and lowers cortisol, supporting resilience. Sleep, downtime, and restorative practices help restore DHEA levels . Which of these steps feels most accessible to you right now?
What’s one small action or thought shift you can try this week? You can’t always control the stressors in your life, but you can shape your thinking and your actions in response. By cultivating flexible, compassionate thoughts and choosing adaptive behaviors, you support not just your mental health, but your biology. What might change if you saw stress as an invitation to grow—and responded accordingly?
Crum, A. J., Santoro, E., Handley-Miner, I., Smith, E. N., Evans, K., Moraveji, N., Achor, S., & Salovey, P. . Evaluation of the"rethink stress" mindset intervention: A metacognitive approach to changing mindsets. Dutheil, F., de Saint Vincent, S., Pereira, B., Schmidt, J., Moustafa, F., Charkhabi, M., Bouillon‑Minois, J.-B., & Clinchamps, M. . DHEA as a biomarker of stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Heaney, J. L. J., Carroll, D., & Phillips, A. C. . Physical activity, life events stress, cortisol, and DHEA in older adults: Preliminary findings that physical activity may buffer against the negative effects of stress. Phillips, A. C., Carroll, D., Gale, C. R., Lord, J. M., Arlt, W., & Batty, G. D. . Cortisol, DHEA sulphate, their ratio, and all‑cause and cause‑specific mortality in the Vietnam Experience Study.
Rogerson, O., Wilding, S., Prudenzi, A., & O'Connor, D. B. . Effectiveness of stress management interventions to change cortisol levels: A systematic review and meta‑analysis. Takeshita, R. S. C., Auger, A. P., Chung, W. C. J., & Nguyen, A. T. . Cortisol, DHEAS, and the cortisol/DHEAS ratio as predictors of epigenetic age acceleration.is a psychologist who guides veterans, operators, leaders, trailblazers, and creatives to navigate difficulties post-trauma and loss with clarity and purpose.
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