Stress can impair prefrontal functions involved in working memory and top-down cognitive control.
Strong human evidence
State System · Output System
Last reviewed: August 11, 2026
EVIDENCE BY TOPIC
Performance and compensation
Maintaining visible performance under stress or workload by increasing compensatory effort and hidden cost.
The entries below are connected by subject, not arranged as a protocol or a complete literature review.
Open an individual claim to see what the evidence supports, what it does not establish, which sources are carrying the interpretation, and where the claim appears in The Human OS Manual.
2 claims
Performance can sometimes be maintained under stress or high workload through compensatory effort and performance–cost trade-offs.
Emerging or mechanistic evidence
Output System · State System · Recovery System
Last reviewed: August 11, 2026