How to make stress your friend

The TED Talk by Kelly McGonigal is about how our perception of stress can change its impact on our health. McGonigal argues that believing stress is harmful can actually be more detrimental to our health than the stress itself.

The talk begins with a confession from McGonigal, a health psychologist who has spent the last decade teaching people that stress makes us sick. However, recent studies have caused her to change her mind. McGonigal highlights a study of 30,000 adults which showed that people who experienced a lot of stress but did not view it as harmful were no more likely to die than those who experienced little stress. In fact, they had the lowest risk of death out of any group in the study. This lead McGonigal to believe that how we view stress can influence how it affects us.

McGonigal talks about another study conducted at Harvard University where participants were taught to reframe their stress response as helpful. The study involved a social stress test where participants were given a difficult public speaking task followed by a math test with interruptions designed to induce stress. Those who were taught to view their stress response as helpful (e.g., their heart rate increasing as a way to prepare them for the challenge) reported feeling less stressed and anxious than those who viewed their stress response as harmful. Interestingly, the biological effects of stress were also different between the two groups. The group who viewed stress as helpful had healthier blood vessel function during the stressful tasks.

McGonigal also explores the social aspects of stress and the role of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin, often referred to as the “cuddle hormone,” is released during moments of connection and social bonding. It is also released as part of the stress response. McGonigal explains that oxytocin motivates us to seek social support and strengthens our cardiovascular system. Studies have shown that spending time helping others buffers the negative effects of stress. This suggests that social connection can help us be more resilient in the face of stress.

In conclusion, McGonigal argues that viewing stress as a helpful response can make us healthier and more resilient. She encourages us to find meaning in our lives and to trust ourselves to handle the challenges that come with it.