The article cited above is pretty ridiculous or at a minimum inapplicable...

In general people enjoy playing poker with friends for stakes that don't matter. Having a few beers and getting it in with a open ender then laughing when it does or doesn't get there because there was $10 on the line is a certain thought process. This is a different way of thinking from players that are trying to maximize their positive expectation or really even have one at all. There is 0 doubt in my mind most professional players show increased levels of cortisol during play.

Repetitive stress decreases the body's ability to produce cortisol basically through wearing out the glands used to produce it. This leads to a lot of health issues, (difficulty waking up in the morning, type 2 diabetes, reduced functioning of the immune system)...seem common in poker players?

Increased cortisol = decreased BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor). This has a strong coorelation with depression and many other problems.

Basically if you feel stressed consistently by poker it IS WITHOUT DOUBT VERY BAD FOR YOU.

One interesting study exposed mice to extreme stress until their bodies were no longer able to produce much cortisol. At that point they no longer had much of a fight or flight response and did not react to stress. This possibly seems good for some peoples poker game but it is not since it significantly reduces activity in the hippocampus, cortex, and basal forebrain, which are vital to higher level thinking. It is pretty bad for one's physical and mental health. An illustrative example of this are the zombies in the casino that seem depressed, distant from the world, incapable of expression of more than simple thought but are still sitting at the slot machine or poker table at 6am.

Cortisol production can return to normal some time after removal from the stressful environment.

I wrote a report on this about a year ago for a biology class when I was deciding to get out of poker.

Well said!

Im still playing poker because of the money issue despite the negative side effects. I have been searching for some medicine that might would take out this cortisol and adrenaline production ****. Beta blockers seem to help a bit, but since the body still produces these stress hormones though im not "responding" to them i am not sure it´s the right way to go.

Any thoughts here? Are there any medicine or thinking that might help?

hahaha LOL

I truly am against this whole ban poker in the USA thing, but not for the reasons that OP stated.

I am a big poker fan and regular player of the game and I can say with 100% confidence that it is NOT good for your health, stress, or overall well-being.

This is really something I would ask a Doctor.. which I in back in school to become around age 32 and has made me feel much better than being a full time grinder. To my knowledge there is nothing that will help long term in terms of medication.

In terms of thinking I really liked Tommy Angelo's ideas.

True, but as someone who spent 12 years working with addicts (men's shelter supervisor at a rescue mission*), I believe that some addictions are physical (wanting a "fix" of alcohol or methamphetamines), and others are addictiive personalities who will seek a rush wherever they can find it (skydiving, running a con, shoving with the rent money).

Addictive personalities, if poker is not available, will find other ways to get a rush, such as racking up kills in an 8-hour video game session, or making large prop bets. I don't believe that poker is usually a singular addition in the same way that crystal meth is. (And alas, there is no way to legislate protection from prop bets).
____________________

*People wind up at a rescue mission or other type of homeless shelter for a variety of reasons, sometimes several reasons (alcoholism leads to losing a job leads to wife leaving which means no money coming in which leads to eviction for nonpayment of rent which leads to homelessness). But in the majority of cases, one or more substance addictions, and/or an addictive personality, are part of the pathology.

I don't dispute that there is stess in poker when the money matters. When my wife wants to know how much I'm going to contribute to the family finances, that's very different from playing for "fun"--even though it is fun for me in the sense that I enjoy it more than most of the jobs I've had. In fact, it's the second most intellectually stimulating job I've had.

But isn't there stress involved in performing at a high level in just about any endeavor? A clarinet player is under stress when she is one of 20 players auditioning for one open spot in an orchestra. A quarterback is under stress playing in a Super Bowl game that is tied in the 4th quarter with a 330-pound lineman about to drive him into the ground. A salesman working on commission is under stress when he is trying to land a million dollar account.

And you haven't seen stress until you've been involved in a political campaign and you're waiting for the results on election night--good days or bad days don't matter, and there is no variance. It's binary--you win, or you lose.

What I'm saying comes down to this: Where stress is concerned, what makes poker so special?

All the situations you have said are stressful but they don't occur multiple times and hour or even every day for those professions. I am talking about the effects of repetitive stress, not single or occasional stressful situations.

I'm not sure I like where this could go. If you need a drug to cope with a job on a day-to-day basis, you probably need either medical/psychological care, or a different job.

Full disclosure: I have Attention Deficit Disorder, and I have a perscription for Adderall. But I had that perscription before I ever played a hand of poker, it has nothing to do with my poker playing, and I don't depend on it to play. My daily Adderall pill is good for about 8 hours, which may or may not correspond with when I play that day. My playing hours vary, but most common is that I have two sessions, morning and evening, of 3-5 hours.

yea im also sure that playing 35 sngs at a time for 12 hours every day makes me have a non stressful life.
So many different factors that will come into "play" there. Nr. of tables, stakes, playing aggro or tight BRM, playing LAG or TAG, success, overall life situation.
BS making a study about something u can't messure.

I feel like it helps make the rest of your life less stressful. drop a few grand playing poker and get over it and then makes minor daily stresses feel like nothing

doubt this is true for pros

This study is true only for people who don`t care about money when they play ,when the play is very important for u afcourse there is stress involved

+1

Or for those on vacation who always seem to not care if they win or lose (they are "just having fun") always beat you with a 4 8 o/s.

I look at it like this when im on a good run. I tend to make time to get more things done in my daily life and im generally happy. when im on a bad run I tend to get really depressed that particular night (sometimes going into the next day). Usually after I sleep and wake up the next day im over it. By that point the focus and intensity level I play at the next couple of days usually ensures the bad run doesnt last too long. Only time I was truly depressed was when I went through a stretch where I lost 5 k over a week playing live action. Ever since then I set limits whenever I play live and I dont go over the limit regardless.

+1

What makes a pro? That would be profiting right? so if you're making profit then youre a pro but if you're a pro then you're not losing so you're not that stressed.

But what happens when you are playing exactly right? You've tracked all your hands and holdem manager tells you're doing everything right. Your EV shows big profit but you keep losing and losing. Rent stills come, you have to eat, to pay for things. That's when poker breaks your mind.

Being a pro is more than having perfect stats. You HAVE TO HAVE SOME LUCK.

the difference between poker and a normal job with a few exceptions if you have a bad day at work you can actually lose money.

link of the article please?


this would be a nice finding if the article is valid

I would assume by making a lot of money? as suppose to another job where you wouldn't make as much? Specifically everyone has stress in their lives? poker can be a beneficial stress by the reward of significant amount of money earned. IE: winning more then you would earn anywhere else. That's how it can be special... do we seriously need to do a study about this? You are trying to over exaggerate a simple fact. If you don't make a lot of money playing poker and you make a lot somewhere else that stress will be more valuable and healthier then what your poker stress would amount to? It's only special when you are making more money then anything else that you could possible attain to be satisfied with.

hi to every body

Uh huh! That's why poker players are so happy.

Ever heard of tilting? May be that's the sign of extreme stress relief or happiness.

It would only reduce stress if you win a lot and win all the time. Or that those people in the study lives are so bad that poker actually isn't as bad. And, did they play for real money? Their money? etc.

There is no way this study could be true. Sample size? Control environment? Repeated experiments? Who paid for the study?

When you lose you obviously get stressed, but when you're deep in a tourney or in a big pot in a cash game you're kind of stressed too.

Stress = Not good
Poker = Not healthy

IMO ofc

No to mention how terrible sitting in one place without barely moving for hours on end is bad for your body. (While most likely eating terrible food if anything).

Has anyone stated who the subjects were? Must have been recreational players. What stakes? Likely pennies or 5 dollar tournies.

It's in the state of Stress off and stress in....

stress off when you have it played for stressing out....

stress in when the times you are in addiction :0