The truth about stress: from the benefits of the ‘good kind’ to the exercise that only makes it worse

The authors of a new book explain why understanding the science of stress can help us manage it better

True (up to a point)
The way stress manifests is very much bodily, centred around hormones such as cortisol and their effect on us. But this process is triggered by the brain (notably the amygdala and the hypothalamus) and the way our brains react to stress is often set in early childhood, even in the womb. Pregnant women who experience extreme stress can give birth to infants who react more strongly to stress hormones - with increasing evidence suggesting that this causes modifications to the baby's DNA. Self-actualising your way out of stress is difficult - not least because the causes might be serious and inescapable - but not always impossible. Some studies have shown that if you tell people they are the sort of person who doesn't feel stress, they experience fewer symptoms. One US study found that teenagers growing up with worries about violent crime in a deprived part of Chicago tended to fare better if they simply tried to not think about it.