First, let's talk about the brain's ability to adapt to physiological… — Page 134, Lesson 210

I want to walk you through how the brain adapts to physiological stressors, then the different categories of cognitive and non-professional stress that affect pilots. First, let's talk about the brain's ability to adapt to physiological stressors. If you are repeatedly exposed to a moderate level of stress from your environment, your body will adapt to that stress in order to reduce its impact. For example, if someone lives close to a busy airport, after a while they may not even notice the sounds anymore, whereas a visitor to that same house would immediately comment on the noise levels. This is a form of adaptation. However, this ability is limited, and it varies from person to person. Not everyone adapts at the same rate or to the same degree. Now, let's move to cognitive stress factors, or cognitive stressors. These are different from physiological stressors because they depend on the operator's professional knowledge, experience, and skill. So, unlike a noise or a temperature that affects your body directly, cognitive stress comes from how you process a situation based on what you know and what you can do. These cognitive stressors can occur in the cockpit under three specific conditions. First, when the situation facing the pilot is unexpected and no procedure exists to resolve it. You have a problem, but there is no checklist or standard operating procedure for it. Second, when the solution to the unexpected problem is realized, but the pilot has insufficient time, or is unable to apply the solution. This can occur when the pilot is "overloaded" — meaning their mental capacity is maxed out. Third, when the solution is applied, but the results are not as expected and the problem remains unsolved. So you tried something, it didn't work, and you are still in trouble. The level of cognitive stress a pilot experiences will depend on two main things. First, the individual's inborn and learnt characteristics. A pilot may be easily stressed in such a situation either because of their personal character traits and sensitivity to stress, or because they realise they possess insufficient knowledge to solve the new problem. Second, the time available to solve the problem. In a dynamic situation, a lack of time is, in itself, an additional source of stress and will often lead to risk taking. So the clock ticking makes the stress worse, and that pressure can push a pilot toward risky decisions. Next, we have non-professional personal factors, or stressors. In our modern, complex lives, we are subjected to a plethora of life stresses, and we often find that we are unable to 'switch off'. Inevitably, we carry these stresses from home to the workplace and vice versa. It goes both ways. Let's look at bereavement. The loss of a spouse, partner, or child has been found to lead to higher levels of stress than any other event. Some airlines will ensure that a pilot suffering such a loss is removed from flying duties for a time. They do this because they are aware that the pilot's stress level will be so high that their performance and reactions could be severely degraded. This is a serious operational consideration. Finally, domestic stress. Stress at home can affect the pilot at work, and equally, stress at work can affect the pilot's home life. Pilots suffering from domestic stress should be aware that this can affect their concentration and performance when at the controls of an aircraft. The key takeaway here is that aircrew must try and use all available facilities to ensure that they are not being affected by this form of stress. That means seeking support, talking to someone, or using company resources — whatever is available to you.