Is it good to have tolerance? The nuanced health benefits and risks

September 28, 2025 •

4 min read

Research into the psychological concept of tolerance shows that it is a complex, often misunderstood virtue with both significant benefits for mental health and well-being, as well as distinct drawbacks. Determining whether it is good to have tolerance depends heavily on the context, what is being tolerated, and to what extent.

Quick Summary

The value of tolerance is highly dependent on the context and the nature of what is being tolerated. While social and psychological tolerance can foster empathy, reduce stress, and improve relationships, excessive or misplaced tolerance can compromise personal boundaries, encourage negative behaviors, and cause harm. In contrast, drug tolerance indicates a serious health issue that can increase the risk of addiction and overdose. Understanding these distinctions is key to a healthy perspective.

Key Points

Context is critical: The term "tolerance" can mean positive psychological acceptance or dangerous physiological dependency, depending on the context.
Positive tolerance builds health: Social tolerance and resilience (the "window of tolerance") improve mental health by reducing stress, fostering empathy, and strengthening relationships.
Negative tolerance harms: Physiological drug tolerance is a serious medical issue that indicates increased dependency and heightens the risk of addiction and overdose.
Excessive tolerance is not healthy: Misplaced social tolerance can lead to compromised boundaries, emotional distress, and enable harmful behaviors in others.
Boundaries are essential: Developing healthy tolerance means accepting others for who they are while also maintaining clear, non-negotiable boundaries to protect your own well-being.
Acceptance vs. tolerance: True acceptance goes beyond simply tolerating or putting up with someone; it involves genuine respect and valuing differences.

What does tolerance mean in different contexts?

Before exploring the positive and negative aspects, it is crucial to recognize that the term “tolerance” has multiple, distinct meanings. In general health, we can distinguish between psychological, social, and physiological tolerance.

Psychological and social tolerance: A tool for personal and social growth

Psychological and social tolerance refers to the capacity to accept, respect, and appreciate differences in others, including their beliefs, opinions, and backgrounds. This type of tolerance is essential for peaceful coexistence and strong relationships in a diverse world. For individuals, it promotes mental well-being by reducing conflict and stress, fostering empathy, and strengthening social connections.

Benefits of psychological and social tolerance:
- Reduces stress and anxiety: Being more accepting of different viewpoints reduces the likelihood of engaging in emotionally draining conflicts.
- Builds resilience: Exposure to diverse perspectives can strengthen your mental and emotional capacity to face challenges and recover from adversity.
- Fosters empathy: Tolerance encourages you to understand the world from another person's perspective, which cultivates compassion and deeper connections.
- Enhances social connections: By being open to different cultures and beliefs, you can expand your social network and build more supportive relationships.

Physiological (Drug) tolerance: A serious health risk

In the medical and pharmacological fields, tolerance takes on an entirely different and concerning meaning. Drug tolerance is a reduced reaction to a substance following repeated use. This means a person needs to increase the dose of a drug to achieve the same effect they once felt with a smaller amount.

The dangers of drug tolerance:
- Increases risk of addiction: Needing more of a substance to feel its effects is a classic sign of chemical dependency and can accelerate the path to addiction.
- Threatens health: A person can increase their dose to a dangerously high level, risking overdose and severe health complications as the body and brain lose sensitivity.
- Masks underlying issues: The increasing need for a substance may mask or worsen underlying physical or mental health problems that prompted its use in the first place.

Comparison: Psychological vs. physiological tolerance


Aspect	Psychological/Social Tolerance	Physiological/Drug Tolerance
Definition	Accepting and respecting differences in beliefs and behaviors.	Reduced reaction to a drug, requiring higher doses for the same effect.
Associated Health	Primarily mental and emotional well-being.	Primarily physical and neurological health, linked to addiction.
Nature	A conscious, deliberate choice and skill to develop.	An involuntary, biological response that happens over time with repeated substance use.
Effect on Boundaries	Requires healthy boundaries to be constructive.	Signifies a loss of control and can compromise a person's well-being.
Goal	To build stronger relationships and a more cohesive society.	Indicated to increase drug use to reach a desired state, often leading to dependency.

When is too much tolerance a bad thing?

Even in a psychological or social context, tolerance can have a negative side, often described as excessive or misplaced tolerance. Knowing the limits is crucial for maintaining your own well-being and personal boundaries.

It can create a sense of being a 'doormat': Excessively tolerating unacceptable behavior from others can lead to a lack of respect for your own boundaries and needs. What you allow will continue.
It may enable harmful behavior: Quietly tolerating bad behavior, such as a colleague's off-color comments or a family member's destructive habits, risks implicitly supporting and encouraging those behaviors.
It can be emotionally taxing: If you are constantly putting up with circumstances that you find displeasing or hurtful without addressing them, it can lead to stress, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.
It differs from true acceptance and respect: Simply 'putting up with' someone's existence implies disapproval and can make the tolerated person feel vulnerable and undervalued. True acceptance goes beyond tolerance to value and appreciate differences.

How to build healthy tolerance and set boundaries

Developing a healthy form of tolerance is about finding a balance. It involves practicing acceptance and empathy for differences that don't cause harm, while also maintaining firm boundaries against destructive or inappropriate behavior.

Cultivate self-awareness: Understand your own triggers and emotional responses. This helps you determine when you are genuinely accepting a difference versus unhealthily putting up with something that is harming you.
Practice empathy: Instead of simply tolerating someone, try to understand their perspective and experiences. This shift can transform the dynamic from passive forbearance to genuine connection.
Establish clear boundaries: It's not tolerant to allow people to disrespect you. Communicate your boundaries clearly and assertively. This is a sign of self-respect, not intolerance.
Educate yourself and others: A lack of tolerance often comes from a lack of understanding. Educating yourself on different cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles can foster a more genuine sense of acceptance.
Challenge your biases: Consciously work to identify and challenge your own preconceived notions or prejudices. This moves you from a state of mere tolerance towards authentic acceptance.

Conclusion: The double-edged sword of tolerance

Ultimately, the question of whether it is good to have tolerance depends on what kind of tolerance is being discussed and the context in which it is applied. As a social and psychological trait, a balanced, healthy form of tolerance is essential for personal well-being, building resilient relationships, and fostering a cohesive society. It empowers individuals to navigate a diverse world with empathy and reduce unnecessary stress. However, this tolerance must be paired with strong personal boundaries to avoid enabling harmful behavior or becoming a source of emotional pain.

Conversely, physiological tolerance to substances is a negative and dangerous health indicator. It signifies a deepening dependency that can lead to addiction and other serious health consequences. Differentiating between these two distinct meanings is critical for understanding the role tolerance plays in our lives. By mindfully cultivating healthy tolerance for human diversity while refusing to tolerate behavior that harms ourselves or others, we can harness its power for genuine growth and well-being.

For more information on the complexities of toleration and its psychological impacts, refer to this authoritative article from PubMed Central.

Frequently Asked Questions

In psychology, tolerance refers to the capacity to accept and respect people with different beliefs, cultures, or lifestyles. It is a positive trait that contributes to empathy, stress reduction, and healthy social relationships.

Drug tolerance is a negative physiological response where the body requires increasingly larger doses of a substance to achieve the same effect. Social tolerance is a positive, conscious mindset of accepting and coexisting with others' differences.

Yes, excessive or misplaced tolerance can be harmful. It can lead to a lack of personal boundaries, emotional exhaustion, and implicitly condone inappropriate or abusive behavior from others.

Signs of healthy tolerance include the ability to engage in civil discourse with those you disagree with, feeling a sense of empathy for diverse groups, and maintaining respect for others without compromising your personal values or boundaries.

Healthy tolerance is a deliberate choice, while codependency often involves habitually sacrificing your own needs to please others or maintain peace. If you tolerate harmful behavior out of fear, guilt, or a desire for validation, it may be a sign of codependency rather than healthy tolerance.

In trauma-informed therapy, the 'Window of Tolerance' is a concept describing the optimal zone of nervous system arousal where a person can function most effectively. Staying within this window allows one to respond to stress calmly, while moving outside it can lead to hyperarousal (anxiety, panic) or hypoarousal (numbness, shutdown).

Setting boundaries is a crucial part of healthy tolerance. It requires clearly and respectfully communicating your limits. This is not intolerance but a necessary act of self-respect that prevents others from taking advantage of your accepting nature.