Repeated stress can lead to changes in how we perceive the world. This was discovered by researchers in a study where they found that after one week of stress, mice exhibited changes in how their brains processed sound.

In the study, the mice were placed in a tube for 30 minutes to induce mild stress. After one week of stress, measurements were taken from the animals. According to the results, published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, their acoustic function remained normal. However, it was found that stressed animals had a diminished perception of sound intensity and reduced responses to noise. The effect of stress on sound processing increased with repeated exposure.

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Though the study involves mice, the researchers, led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, note that the results suggest that repeated stress can alter how animals perceive and respond to the world around them.

“Our research indicates that repeated stress not only affects complex tasks such as learning and memory, but it can also change how we respond to everyday stimuli,” the researchers point out.