Biology of Stress

Stress is a concept that permeates many aspects of our daily lives, yet most people know surprisingly little about the underlying biological causes of the body’s stress response. In this course we will explore the physiological, behavioral, and cognitive consequences of chronic and acute exposure to stressors. What are the evolutionary benefits of the stress response? How are various diseases linked to stress? Why are some people better at coping with stress than others? We will use Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky as our primary text, and this will be supplemented with readings from scientific journals. 3 hrs sem.