Creating Courage and Connection
When it comes to stress we either fight or flight, right? We have created this perception of stress over decades of research in understanding how we respond to stress. But, what if I was to tell you that there is another theory that could innovate the way we view stress?
Laura Cousino Klein, a postdoctoral researcher challenged this ideology, and for good reason. Her observations seemed to contradict past observations that stress causes aggressive behaviour, which was something she had yet to observe with women. She found women more likely to spend time, talk to, or channel stress into caring for loved ones. Thus, began the “tend-and-befriend” response to stress, which was also observed within samples of male populations.
“Tend-and-befriend” originates deep within our primal instincts, where given any circumstance we strive to protect our offspring. This state essentially aims to reduce fear and increase hope in stressful situations. The response has direct measureable effects on the brain and works collaboratively through 3 interconnected systems. The Social Caregiving System (regulated by oxytocin) elicits feelings of empathy, connection and trust. The Reward System (releasing dopamine) increases motivation and optimism during stressful situations. Finally, The Attunement System (driven by serotonin) enhances intuition and self-control helping to ensure your actions has the greatest positive impact. Essentially, anytime you care for another individual you activate this state triggering the release of these select neurotransmitters.
Now, this does not mean that we do not act aggressively in some stressful situations, but rather it suggests we have an alternative response that can be controlled and activated in appropriate situations. Kelly McGonigal wrote “The Upside of Stress”, which encourages people to choose how they view stress and use stress as a catalyst for courage and connection. Kelly McGonigal is recognized as one of the most innovative researchers in stress management and control.
If you would like to buy this book or view other publications by Kelly McGonigal, please visit http://kellymcgonigal.com/.
Original article link: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu
