Stress: Portrait of a Killer

PBS have just broadcast a documentary on stress presented by Robert Sapolsky. They have a website to accompany the documentary and you can watch video clips, take part in an on-line stress quiz and read about the research methods used by biological psychologists.

The intoduction to the documentary is also pretty useful:

"The stress response: in the beginning it saved our lives, making us run from predators and enabling us to take down prey. Today, human beings are turning on the same life-saving physical reaction to cope with 30-year mortgages, $4 a gallon gasoline, final exams, difficult bosses and even traffic jams — we can't seem to turn it off. So, we're constantly marinating in corrosive hormones triggered by the stress response.

Now, scientists are showing just how measurable — and dangerous — prolonged exposure to stress can be. Stanford University neurobiologist, MacArthur "genius" grant recipient, and renowned author Robert Sapolsky reveals new answers to why and how chronic stress is threatening our lives in Stress: Portrait of a Killer, a National Geographic Special. The hour-long co-production of National Geographic Television and Stanford University was produced exclusively for public television."

Stress: Portrait of a Killer