Early references to chumrot are found in the Talmud, and the understanding and application of them has changed over time.
One form of chumra is a precaution to help avoid transgressing the Halakha, or else a way of keeping those who have taken on the stringency separate from those who have not.
Nevertheless, such stringency may be seen as adding to halacha by someone who believes the lenient interpretation (qulla) is correct.
This approach is associated with Nahmanides, who argued that one should behave this way as a matter of course, avoiding excessive physicality even when apparently within the bounds of the law, as a means of achieving holiness.
Adopting an unnecessary chumrah can lead to the following negative consequences:[6] For these reasons, the Talmud and other sources discouraged many types of chumra.