The Yerkes-Dodson Law says that performance follows a bell curve of stress.

That is, too little stress, or too much, harms performance, while the right amount creates effective action. Too much stress triggers the fight/flight response.rH2 Called “eustress” when it supports performance.rR1 Stress relates to performance because the limbic system tracks our emotional relationship to things and stress is an emotional response to interest. On the flipside, limbic over-arousal creates mental deficiencies.


  1. David Rock, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, 1st ed (New York: Harper Business, 2009). (See notes.)

  2. “Yerkes-Dodson Law: How It Correlates to Stress, Anxiety, Performance,” Healthline, October 22, 2020, https://www.healthline.com/health/yerkes-dodson-law. (See notes.)