EMBRACE THE
PRESSURE
Stress isn’t all bad. Sometimes a
threatening situation can be transformed
into an opportunity for success
BY KELLY MCGONIGAL
n the late 1990s, an un-
usual experiment took place in
the trauma center of an Akron,
Ohio, hospital. Patients who
had just survived a major car
or motorcycle accident were
asked to pee into a cup. These
urine samples were part of a study on post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). The researchers wanted to
know: Can you predict who develops PTSD based
on their level of stress hormones immediately after
the trauma?
One month after their accidents, nine of the 55
patients were diagnosed with PTSD. They had flash-
backs and nightmares. They tried to avoid remind-
ers of the accident by not driving, staying off high-
ways or refusing to talk about what happened. Yet 46
patients were not suffering in the same way. These
more resilient patients had a different post-accident
pee profile than the patients who developed PTSD.
They had higher levels of the stress hormones cor-
tisol and adrenaline.
Cortisol and adrenaline are part of what scientists
call the stress response, a set of biological changes
that helps you cope with stressful situations. Stress
affects many systems of your body, from your cardio-
vascular system to your nervous system. Although
the purpose of these changes is to help you, the stress
response—like stress in general—is more feared than
appreciated. Most people view the stress response as
a toxic state to be minimized, but the reality is not so
bleak. In many ways, the stress response is your best
ally during difficult moments—a resource to rely on
rather than an enemy to vanquish.