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Kelly Mcgonigal Stress

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Viewing Stress as Helpful can Prolong Life Kelly McGonigal, a Stanford University psychologist, spoke about her recent study on stress and how viewing stress as a positive bodily action can increase one’s lifespan by altering the body’s reaction to stress at The TEDGlobal in 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland. In her study, she proved how oxytocin plays a significant role in coping with stress through simple ways, such as reaching out to close friends or family. “This one biological change could be the difference between a stress induced heart attack at fifty, and living well into your nineties,” Kelly McGonigal said. In her study, McGonigal explained how a person dealing with stress will look to others for comfort, and this instinct to support one another is instituted through oxytocin. The chemical she spoke about works inside the brain aids the heart and cardiovascular system from damaged caused by stress. …show more content…

Treating stress as an advantage not only increases one’s lifespan, but it can blossom relationships. The more a person spends in their own community helping others can create resilience. This technique found that a person can heal their heart cells and strengthen relationships, allowing for the body to react like it would when a person feels courageous of happy. “When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage,” Kelly McGonigal said. McGonigal elaborated on her mission to make the world happier and healthier place through various studies, all proving her first theory wrong about stress. For years, Kelly McGonigal spoke about stress negatively, but due to her recent students found that treating stress as a useful function of the body will increase one’s lifespan, and build stronger connections with

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