Stress among executives keeps rising, data tells us. That’s a consequence of things like the rate of churn among CEOs—which rose again in 2025, the Wall Street Journal reports. A survey of 1,000 executives found that sources of C-suite stress range from supply-chain uncertainties and labor shortages to economic turmoil, none of which are likely to improve anytime soon.
Scientists studying stress have deepened our understanding of how negative moods impact our bodies—and the news for those in the C-suite is not good. One recent wave of biological data focuses on how stress ravages our mitochondria, the biochemical engine inside every cell in our bodies that determines how well that cell can operate—and thus dictates our energy levels.
Stress makes our mitochondria suffer and underpowers our cells, according to research by Martin Picard, a professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. Earlier research showed downstream consequences from stress ranging from poorer brain function to increased dementia risk. Picard’s work pinpoints our mitochondria as playing a key role in the damage stress does to our brain.
Much work has been done on the negative impact of stress on the brain—and it supports a booming business in expensive and supposedly stress-busting supplements. But supporting brain health using supplements, whose sales have skyrocketed, seems a dubious business at best.
Now for the good news: Picard, reporting in the prestigious journal PNAS, found that positive moods boost brain-cell function—the opposite of the effect stress has. This has implications for the daily decisions C-suite executives make. Better brain function means bringing more clarity to data, choosing the better course of action, and thinking strategically.
The indicators of stress Picard assessed included upsetting life events like divorce, social isolation, and depression. The positive factors combating stress include having a large and active social network, feeling you have a meaningful purpose, seeing a long-term horizon for your life, and feeling a general sense of well-being.
People with less stressful lives—even if they experience upsets from time to time—live longer on average and have a lower risk of dementia. While those relationships have long been known, Picard’s research group was able to examine reports of well-being while people were alive, as well as their brain tissue after they had died.
Picard found what he calls a “substantial” relationship between positive feelings and robust mitochondria. He believes there’s an “exciting possibility” that boosting mitochondrial operations could reduce damage to the brain and upgrade our cognitive abilities.
Here’s where emotional intelligence offers some help: Being able to regulate our own emotions is considered a basic skill. Research by Richard Boyatzis at Case Western Reserve University shows that setting aside time for a daily “renewal” can counter the stress in our lives. This might mean a daily jog or long walk, spending time in nature, doing yoga, meditating, or playing with a child or pet. The specifics matter less than whether doing this puts you in a good mood.
These activities may look to you like a waste of time. But think of each one as a beneficial workout for your mitochondria.
The only thing preventing you from scheduling a daily dose of renewal is prioritization—the hierarchy of what’s important to you. Look at your schedule for a typical day: Can you find time in your routine when you might take a leave of absence from your to-do list and insert some renewal you’d enjoy?
If you do, your mitochondria will thank you.
