ted talk about stress - is she right?

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supertaste
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03 Nov 2018, 6:23 am

i've seen this ted talk in the past and i wonder if she is right.
the talk is by kelly mcgonigal...
is it true that stress is harmful when you perceive as harmful?


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jimmy m
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03 Nov 2018, 9:19 am

Stress is a part of life and is not inherently bad. Since stress in life is unavoidable, we can never expect to develop conditions that will always keep one stress free. There is nothing inherently bad about stress, unless it results in distress. All life forms have evolved mechanisms to cope with the stresses of life. In fact some people even seek stress and relish its biological effects as being exhilarating even psychologically rewarding. This is why people ski, ride roller coasters, climb mountains, watch horror films. Yet no one denies that stress can have a damaging effect on the individual. Stress is a biological response elicited when an individual perceives a threat to its homeostasis. The threat is the "stressor". When the stress response truly threats an individual's well-being, then the individual experiences "distress".


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IstominFan
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04 Nov 2018, 9:46 am

Some stress is actually good. Anticipatory stress, such as when you are given a new opportunity and wonder if you are up to the task, is actually a good thing. Bad stresses associated with death and loss are devastating.