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The brain has a balance between "gray matter" and "white matter." People suffering from chronic stress tend to have more white matter, which is white tissue with a  myelin coating. Studies have shown that the stem cells in people with chronic stress mature into oligodendrocytes, which produce myelin. As a result, their learning and memory skills are affected because more oligodendrocytes are being produced instead of neurons. It is also believed that stress causes the hippocampus to become strongly connected to the amygdala, weakening the connection to the prefrontal cortex. This means that people with stress disorders have faster fear responses and have bigger responses to stressful situations than they normally would. 

Although physical commitment is required to be successful at a given sport or activity, mental preparation is the key to victory. When individuals are competing at the Olympic level, those competitors have very small physical differences. What separates the winners from the losers is the mental preparation. Practice builds mental strength through memory and confidence; with this strong mentality, competitors are most successful when they let loose and "go with the flow." Letting oneself go in stressful situations or important competitions is crucial because thinking too much can lead to making foolish mistakes from the overwhelming stress a person can put on them self. Once a person starts to focus on one single adjustment, their performance deteriorates. Entering the "flow" state allows a person to perform easily and comfortably without stress. Practice actually betters the brain through the memorization of muscle movements. In order to achieve success, it is essential for one to maintain an alert state of mind. In this, a person is always prepared for what comes next. Keeping calm in important competitions is equally important; practice betters one's ability to do this through hormone and brain chemistry changes. Motivation also affects performance. Only those who have positive mindsets and strong minds are going to win competitions. Sports affect people for the rest of their lives through the mental changes they experience. 

A very depressed zebrafish normalized by antidepressants. Chronic stress can lead to depression and anxiety in humans. The fish lack the receptor cortisol this means they exhibited a consistent high level of stress. When antidepressants where added to the water the fishes behavior returned to normal. Finding this new drug treatment has opened a door for new research to be done on treating psychiatric disorders.

As a pharmacist, Catherine Ulbricht studied different types of music and its therapeutic effects. There are scientific evidences that support that music influences mood and helps with stress. 5 conditions for which music therapy has good evidence for are autism, dementia, depression, infant development, and sleep quality. However, music shouldn't be listened to at high volumes nor should be a sole treatment for dangerous medical/psychiatric conditions; therefore, safety should be taken into account.

Children who are abused are more likely to develop serious health problems later down the line. New research has shown that maltreated children have certain changes to their glucocorticoid receptor gene which controls social functioning. The changes in this gene also impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing difficulties controlling emotional behavior and stress levels. The immune system is also affected by this gene. This explains why abused children are more likely to develop certain illnesses as well as emotional problems.