Rahul, 42, manages a bank branch in Pune. For eight months he has faced heavy targets, late hours and little help at home. His heart races and his blood pressure has gone up. He keeps forgetting figures he read a few minutes earlier, and he has made two wrong loan decisions that cost the bank money. At home he swings from anger to sadness and has begun avoiding his friends, which makes him feel less sure of himself. His doctor finds stomach ulcers and frequent headaches, and notes that Rahul now catches colds and infections far more often than before.
Rahul's forgetting of figures and his wrong loan decisions show which effect of stress?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Cognitive effect
Option (1) Emotional effect — Incorrect. Emotional effects are mood swings, anxiety and depression. Rahul's swings from anger to sadness fit here, but forgetting and bad decisions do not.
Option (2) Cognitive effect — Correct. Long pressure causes mental overload. This harms the ability to make sound decisions and cuts short-term memory, which is what happened with the loans and the figures.
Option (3) Physiological effect — Incorrect. Physiological effects are bodily changes caused by stress hormones, like his racing heart. Memory and judgement are mental functions.
Option (4) Behavioural effect — Incorrect. Behavioural effects are changes in what a person does, such as habits and conduct. Rahul's lapses here are in thinking and memory.
NCERT (2026-27): “EFFECTS OF STRESS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND HEALTH “Cognitive Effects : If pressures due to stress continue, one may suffer from mental overload. This suffering from high level of stress can rapidly cause individuals to lose their ability to make sound decisions. Faulty decisions made at home, in career, or at workplace may lead to arguments, failure, financial loss or even loss of job. Cognitive effects of stress are poor concentration, and reduced short-term memory capacity.” |