How Stress Affects Your Body

The advice, “Stop worrying! Stress is bad for you” is true, but as with a lot of health guidance, its vagueness makes it less effective.

It’s like when people say that getting lots of sleep is important, or that you should eat more fiber—it’s the kind of thing people might like to do, but will probably keep forgetting to do, because it’s not immediately clear how it will make them healthier.

This video from TED Ed, written by the Emory University professor of medicine Sharon Bergquist, clarifies how worrying actually affects the body, outlining what scientists know so far about the stress-sickness connection.