How to Make Stress Your Friend

Introduction

• Confession about stress and health psychology.
• Goal: Change your perception of stress to improve happiness and health.

The Study That Changed Everything

• 30,000 adults tracked over 8 years.
  • Questions asked: How much stress? Do you believe stress is harmful?
  • Mortality data obtained from public records.
• Key Findings:
  • High stress increased death risk by 43%, but only if stress was perceived as harmful.
  • High stress & non-harmful perception: lowest death risk.
  • Estimated 182,000 premature deaths over 8 years due to the belief that stress is bad (about 20,000 per year).

New Perspective on Stress

• Goal: Change your mind about stress to change your body's response.
• Stress response can be seen as helpful.

Social Stress Test

• Simulated stressful scenarios: impromptu speech and math test.
  • Typical symptoms: pounding heart, rapid breathing, sweating.
  • Common interpretation: anxiety, poor coping.
• Reframing stress response as helpful:
  • Prepares the body for action (e.g., heart pumping more blood, rapid breathing for more oxygen).
  • Harvard study: Participants who viewed stress as helpful had a healthier stress response.

Biological Changes

• Reframed stress response: blood vessels stayed relaxed.
  • Resembling states of joy and courage.
  • Long-term health benefits.
• Stress reappraisal can mean the difference between a heart attack at 50 and longevity.
  • How you think about stress matters.

Stress Makes You Social

• Hormone: Oxytocin (known as the 'cuddle hormone').
  • Released during stress, promotes social connection.
  • Enhances empathy, encourages support-seeking and giving.
  • Acts on the brain and body, protecting cardiovascular system.
  • Heals heart cells, anti-inflammatory.
• Social support enhances oxytocin effects and speeds up recovery from stress.
  • Human connection as a built-in stress resilience mechanism.

Caring for Others and Stress Resilience

• Study: 1,000 adults, aged 34-93, over five years.
  • Questions: Amount of stress? Time spent helping others?
  • Findings: High stress increased death risk by 30%, but not for those helping others.
  • Conclusion: Caring creates resilience.

Conclusions

• Beliefs and actions influence stress effects.
  • Viewing stress as helpful encourages courage and resilience.
  • Stress responses can be transformed through connection and meaning.
• Go for meaning rather than avoiding discomfort.
• Trust yourself to handle the stress that follows meaningful pursuits.

Q&A: Lifestyle Choices

• Question about choosing between stressful and non-stressful jobs.
  • Answer: Chasing meaning is healthier than avoiding discomfort.
• Encouragement to pursue meaningful life choices and trust in one's ability to handle stress.

Final Thoughts

• Stress allows access to compassionate and strong-hearted states.
• View stress in a positive light and connect with others to manage stress.

Thank you!