Induction of a stress-is-enhancing mindset and the moderating effects of age

Without a doubt, stress can influence health negatively. Yet, individuals’ “stress mindset” (beliefs about the nature of stress) can yield beneficial consequences for their health, well-being, and performance, if they approach stress through a “stress-is-enhancing (SIE) mindset” (belief that stress has enhancing consequences) rather than a “stress-is-debilitating (SID) mindset” (belief that stress has debilitating consequences). The present study examines the short-term effectiveness of a novel manipulation to induce a SIE mindset, and whether the manipulation’s effects are moderated by age. A randomized controlled trial was conducted within a convenience sample of 99 German-speaking respondents.