The Upside of Stress

dying by 43 percent. But and this is what got my attention that increased risk applied only to people who also believed that stress was harming their health. People who reported high levels of stress but who did not view their stress as harmful were not more likely to die. In fact, they had the lowest risk of death of anyone in the study, even lower than those who reported experiencing very little stress.

The researchers concluded that it wasn t stress alone that was killing people. It was the combination of stress and the belief that stress is harmful. The researchers estimated that over the eight years they conducted their study, 182,000 Americans may have died prematurely because they believed that stress was harming their health.

That number stopped me in my tracks. We re talking over twenty thousand deaths a year! According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that would make believing stress is bad for you the fifteenth-leading cause of death in the United States, killing more people than skin cancer, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.

As you can imagine, this finding unnerved me. Here I was, spending all this time and energy convincing people that stress was bad for their health. I had completely taken for granted that this message and my work was helping people. But what if it wasn t? Even if the techniques I was teaching for stress reduction such as physical exercise, meditation, and social connection were truly helpful, was I undermining their benefit by delivering them alongside the message that stress is toxic? Was it possible that in the name of stress management, I had been doing more harm than good?

I admit, I was tempted to pretend that I never saw that study. After all, it was just one study and a correlational study at that! The researchers had looked at a wide range of factors that might explain the finding, including gen

regrettable but necessary evil -- the heavy price we pay for achievement in a fast-forward, competitive, always on world. In this important and engaging book, Kelly McGonigal challenges us to discard that familiar, fear-based mindset and embrace stress as a path to realizing our most creative potential."
Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes
 
Kelly McGongial debunks decades of myths that have persisted around stress. The book is research based, immensely practical, compelling and insightful from the first page. This book will be a game changer for countless people.
Jim Loehr, EdD, Co-Founder of the Human Performance Institute and author of The New Toughness Training for Sports
 
The Upside of Stress delivers an important truth: it is better to chase meaning than try to avoid discomfort. Through the insights of this book, you'll find your courage to pursue what matters most and trust yourself to handle any stress that follows.
Nilofer Merchant, CEO, Silicon Valley strategist, and author of The New How
 
Kelly McGonigal has pulled back the curtain to reveal what allows exceptional people and organizations like my Navy SEAL brotherhood to thrive through adversity. True excellence is only achieved under great adversity, and by embracing those challenges with a positive mindset.
Scott Brauer, Co-Founder of Acumen Performance Group, and former Navy SEAL and U.S. Naval Officer
 
"The upside of Kelly McGonigal is that she not only shows how what we thought we knew about stress was backwards, but that getting it right will change your life for the better.  This book provides an accessible user s guide to leveraging the most cutting edge research in psychology and neuroscience to enhance your health and well-being."
Matthew D. Lieberman, PhD, Chair of Social Psychology at University of California Los Angeles
 
For those individuals and teams that discover that stress is life's secret ingredient, they will be rewarded with expanded self confidence and rapidly growing organizations.
Robert Daugherty, chairman of Knowledge Investment Partners, LLC

If you ve ever complained of being stressed out, you need to read this perceptive, thought-provoking book. Kelly McGonigal reveals the surprising truth about why we should embrace the many unsung benefits of stress. The Upside of Stress will change the way you think and it will change your experience of your life.
Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than Before and The Happiness Project
 
The message that stress can actually convey health benefits is important and needs to be heard. This thoughtful analysis on the role of mindset will prompt you to re-think your relationship with stress, and help you realize its benefits.
Andrew Weil, MD, author of Spontaneous Happiness
 



Praise for Kelly McGonigal and The Willpower Instinct:
 
"Tired of the endless debate about whether man possesses free will or is predestined to lounge about gobbling Krispy Kreme donuts while watching TV? If you want action, not theory, The Willpower Instinct is the solution for the chronically slothful." 
USA Today
 
A fun and readable survey of the field, bringing willpower wisdom out of the labs.
TIME magazine