Lars Schwabe's team finds stress disrupts memory integration and decision-making
Ever freeze up in stressful moments, like exams or interviews?
A new study says it's not just nerves: stress actually disrupts how your brain connects memories and new information.
That makes reasoning and decision-making tougher when you're under pressure.
The research comes from Lars Schwabe's team at the University of Hamburg.
Stressed participants showed lower hippocampal activity
Researchers had 121 people memorize image pairs, and then put one-half through stressful tasks (think mock job interviews and tricky math).
Those who felt stressed struggled more to link old and new images, with less activity in their hippocampus (the part of the brain that helps organize memories).
Stress doesn't erase your memories; it just makes them harder to use together, which could even tie into anxiety issues.