Too little stress may be as harmful as too much stress, especially if you want to get a task done. Stress researchers and students of managerial effectiveness have long recognised that some stress or stimulation is needed for optimum performance. Although the relationship between stress and performance varies from person to person, the general pattern can be expressed in the curve shown above. Performance rises as stress increases, and boredom and frustration diminish. Once an optimum point is passed, increase in stress impairs judgement and alertness, and the performance falls off.