fight or flight

• What is the fight-or-flight response?

  A physiological reaction to perceived danger
• Why does the fight-or-flight response make sense from an evolutionary perspective?

  It prepares the body to survive threats
• What happens to the body during the fight-or-flight response?

  Heart rate and breathing rate increase
• How does modern stress differ from evolutionary stressors?

  Modern stressors are often non-physical threats
• What are the effects of acute stress during a job interview?

  Increased alertness and positive short-term rush
• What triggers chronic stress in modern life?

  Worries about bills, meetings, or exams
• What is the HPA axis?

  The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis
• What hormone is secreted by the adrenal cortex during stress?

  Cortisol
• What does the sympathetic adrenal medulla pathway release?

  Adrenaline and noradrenaline
• What are the effects of adrenaline and noradrenaline on the body?

  Increased blood flow and faster breathing
• How does chronic stress affect the immune system?

  It suppresses immune function
• What physical problems can chronic stress lead to?

  Heart disease, obesity, and IBS
• What alternative response do women have to stress according to Taylor (2000)?

  Tend-and-befriend response
• Why is the tend-and-befriend response beneficial?

  It improves social connections for survival
• What physiological changes occur during the fight-or-flight response?

  Increased heart rate, blood flow, and breathing