Insights from ‘The Upside of Stress’ by Kelly McGonigal Flashcards
What is the impact of one’s mind-set on stress?
How you think about stress affects your health, happiness, and success, influencing your emotions and coping abilities during stressful events.
What experiment did Greg Walton conduct with African American freshmen at Stanford?
He had them read a message on social belonging struggles, write an essay on it, and develop a supportive message for future freshmen, which led to improved academic performance and health.
True or False: Mind-sets are just intellectual opinions.
False
Fill in the blank: Adopting a mind-set of ‘stress is enhancing’ can release more _____ and _____, which improve performance.
DHEA and oxytocin
How can a new mind-set be adopted effectively?
Make it simple and concrete, try it for 1-2 weeks, and share your experience with others.
List one benefit of DHEA related to learning.
Accelerates learning
Fill in the blank: Oxytocin increases _____ and _____, improving our connection with others.
empathy and compassion
True or False: The best way to manage stress is to avoid it.
False
Explain one effect of the ‘stress is enhancing’ mind-set on the body.
It can increase levels of DHEA and oxytocin, enhancing focus, courage, empathy, and counteracting cortisol effects.
What was the outcome for African American students who received Walton’s intervention by graduation?
Their GPAs significantly improved, closing the typical gap between minority and non-minority students.
What is one way oxytocin benefits physical health?
It widens blood vessels and increases blood flow to the brain.
Fill in the blank: Thinking ‘stress enhances performance’ releases _____ and _____, which counteract cortisol and adrenaline effects.
DHEA and oxytocin
How does a ‘stress is enhancing’ mind-set impact performance?
It boosts performance by releasing chemicals like DHEA and oxytocin, which support focus, learning, and emotional connection.
Describe a key finding from Kelly McGonigal’s work on stress mind-sets.
Changing your mind about stress can lead to better health and happiness, rather than reducing or avoiding stress.
