Stress makes your heart pound, your breath quicken, and your forehead sweat.  Stress has been demonized a lot recently, but psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to look at the new research that shows how important our attitude towards stress really is for us. 

For years she told people that stress makes you sick but has since changed her mind about it.  She talks about an 8-year study that tracked 30 000 people, asking them how much stress they had suffered in the past year and whether they believed it was harmful.  Then mortality was analyzed.  People who suffered more stress died more frequently, but mostly those who believed stress was also harmful.  This made her wonder if changing what you believe about stress might change how your body reacts to it.

How you think about stress matters.  You can learn a healthier stress response, even akin to joy.  A surprising finding is that oxytocin, the “cuddle” hormone, is actually a stress hormone, as much as adrenaline.  It motivates you to seek support or offer support in times of stress while helping with inflammation and regenerating the heart.   

You can watch Kelly McGonigal’s TEDGlobal Talk from 2013 here.