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The idea that stress is in the mind of the beholder is an important one for understanding how best to cope.

A new study tests the role of neuroticism in affecting the way that people perceive their daily events.

Recognizing whether you see the worst instead of the best is an important step toward greater fulfillment.

The idea that an event in daily life is stressful, in and of itself, has fallen out of favor in psychology. Even an experience as positive as a job promotion or marriage can lead some people to recover emotionally from the toll of change—for weeks. Classic theories of stress regard any event as stressful if it involves a change from the status quo. Cognitive theories take this one step further and define a stressful experience as one that individuals perceive as beyond their capacity to cope.

Consider a mundane example, such as the situation Teri now faces. She has the chance to go on vacation with a friend to a new and exotic destination. For years, she has dreamed of visiting this exact spot. But now faced with the prospect of actually going there, she’s filled with an inexplicable sense of dread. The cognitive approach would regard this situation as understandable if Teri believes the trip will take her too far out of her comfort zone. As desirable as it is “objectively,” Teri construes it as full of possible pitfalls, from wearing the wrong clothes to feeling guilty about leaving her family behind. As a result of her hemming and hawing, the friend withdraws the invitation; Teri is left feeling regret and self-recrimination.

The Neurotic’s Approach to Life........

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