Yale faculty, specifically Professor Amy Arnsten, shared insights into how stress impacts the brain and contributes to symptoms of burnout. Understanding these mechanisms can provide valuable insights into how individuals can mitigate burnout and improve overall well-being.

Key points

• Burnout can lead individuals to feel helpless, incompetent, emotionally exhausted, isolated, and cynical.

• Stress has a significant impact on the brain's functioning, particularly on the prefrontal cortex responsible for higher cognitive functions.

• A person's perceived ability to control stressors influences how they affect the brain, with a lack of perceived control leading to detrimental effects.