The Stress Puzzle

Managing our emotions is a central task of being human, and the science of emotion regulation as we study it today is a relatively young field. It's an especially exciting area for research questions that can add nuance to our understanding of how the "best" emotion regulation strategy for a situation may depend on the type of psychological stressor. For today's episode, I spoke with Dr. Ajua Duker and Dr. Dorainne Green about how people manage their emotions when facing discrimination and why some of the field's assumptions around what is "helpful" or "good" or "adaptive" emotion regulation won't always fit in this context. Our conversation draws from an important paper they co-led (published in Emotion) to discuss discrimination as a unique stressor that threatens one's identity and humanity, and how this context may change what kind of emotion regulation is most helpful for an individual. For example, we talk about how common reappraisal instructions like being told to "look on the bright side" can be dehumanizing, and how redemption narratives (or focusing on lessons learned) may better support people through experiences of discrimination. Dr. Duker and Dr. Green discuss how their paper came together, and the importance of finding good mentors (like their shared PhD advisor, Dr. Jennifer Richeson!). We also talk about the implications of this research for educational contexts, resilience research, and how we think about connections between emotion regulation, health, and collective action.  Related episodes for further listening: Beyond Bouncing Back: Identity, stigma, and workplace resilience with Dr. Danielle King  Superwoman Schema: Nuances of stress, resilience, and the superwoman schema framework with Dr. Cheryl Woods Giscombé Interwoven Histories of Stress and Emotion Research with Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes Dr. Ajua Duker is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at New York University where she studies how discrimination affects how its targets think, feel, and behave, and how people (from both dominant and marginalized groups) reason about and respond to discrimination. Her work integrates the social psychological study of intergroup relations with affective science to investigate how people manage emotions when navigating discrimination and the potential health consequences of different strategies for managing emotions (i.e., emotion regulation). Her work has been published in top journals like Emotion, Health Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dr. Dorainne Green is an Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University and a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society (CRRES). Dr. Green leads the Navigating Intergroup Concepts and Emotions (NICE) Lab where she studies how threats to a person's social identity, such as group-based discrimination (e.g., racism, sexism), shape cognitive, psychological, behavioral, and physiological processes to better understand disparities that emerge across life domains. For example, some of her work considers how race-based threats to social identity affect stress-sensitive biological systems, cognitive-behavioral coping, and educational outcomes. Dr. Green's work has also been published in leading journals like American Psychologist, Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, and Emotion. Topics Discussed: Emotion Regulation Concentration & Reappraisal Cognitive Reappraisal  Self-Distanced Reappraisal Perspective Taking  Discrimination/Discrimination Experiences  Dehumanization Collective Action Intergroup Emotion Regulation Coping with Stressors/Coping Strategies Stress Interventions Redemption Narratives Papers and Resources Discussed: Duker, A., Green, D. J., Onyeador, I. N., & Richeson, J. A. (2022). Managing emotions in the face of discrimination: The differential effects of self-immersion, self-distanced reappraisal, and positive reappraisal. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 22(7), 1435–1449. [PDF] Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A., & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: cognitive appraisal, coping, and encounter outcomes. Journal of personality and social psychology, 50(5), 992–1003.  Goff, P. A., Steele, C. M., & Davies, P. G. (2008). The space between us: stereotype threat and distance in interracial contexts. Journal of personality and social psychology, 94(1), 91–107. Green, D. J., Barnes, T. A., & Klein, N. D. (2024). Emotion regulation in response to discrimination: Exploring the role of self-control and impression management emotion-regulation goals. Scientific reports, 14(1), 26632. Lilgendahl, J. P., & McAdams, D. P. (2011). Constructing stories of self-growth: how individual differences in patterns of autobiographical reasoning relate to well-being in midlife. Journal of personality, 79(2), 391–428. -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

Death, dying, and grief are topics we often avoid but are central to our experience of being human. Today's guest, Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor, studies the neurobiology behind how our brains grapple with the death of a loved one. Although grief isn't a light topic, Dr. O'Connor walks us through this research in a way that is absolutely captivating. Throughout this conversation, we talked about what her research can tell us about the process of learning to live with loss. We discussed the role of community, rituals, and tradition in grief across different cultures and religions. We also talked about the history and rationale behind prolonged grief disorder as a diagnosis, and how the death of a loved one is especially distinct from other kinds of stressors. Lastly, we touched on emerging ethical concerns around grief, loss, and AI chatbots. Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the physiological correlates of emotion, in particular the wide range of physical and emotional responses during bereavement, including yearning and isolation. In her research, she uses methods of psychoneuroimmunology, neuroimaging, autonomic physiology, and virtual reality. She takes a clinical science approach toward the experience and mechanisms of grieving to improve interventions for prolonged grief disorder. Dr. O'Connor also leads the Neurobiology of Grief International Network (NOGIN), which brings grief and loss researchers together to foster collaboration and translate research into clinical impact. If you're interested in learning more about the science of grief and loss, Dr. O'Connor has also written two books: "The Grieving Brain" and "The Grieving Body." Topics Discussed: Grief/Grief as a Form of Learning Grief Responses Neurobiology Attachment/Attachment Neurobiology Gone-but-Everlasting Theory Nucleus Accumbens Mental Striatum Loss-Related Stressors Restoration-Related Stressors Daily Diaries/Ecological Momentary Assessment  Dual Process Model Resilience Grief as a diagnosis Prolonged Grief Disorder Meaning, adaptation, integration Affective reactivity Kulber-Ross 5 Stages of Grief Model Stigma Cultural Differences in Grief and Mourning Papers and Resources Discussed: O'Connor MF, Seeley SH. Grieving as a form of learning: Insights from neuroscience applied to grief and loss. Curr Opin Psychol. 2022 Feb;43:317-322. [PDF] Hofer, M. A. (1984). Relationships as regulators: A psychobiologic perspective on bereavement. Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine (formerly Psychosomatic Medicine), 46(3), 183–197. Evstigneev SR, O'Connor MF, Wilhelm FH, Blum D, Slavich GM, Seiler A. Grief and bereavement: A pre-registered systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2026 Mar;182:106535 Stroebe M, Schut H. The dual process model of coping with bereavement: rationale and description. Death Stud. 1999 Apr-May;23(3):197-224. Mostofsky E, Maclure M, Sherwood JB, Tofler GH, Muller JE, Mittleman MA. Risk of acute myocardial infarction after the death of a significant person in one's life: the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study. Circulation. 2012 Jan 24;125(3):491-6. Bonanno GA, Wortman CB, Lehman DR, Tweed RG, Haring M, Sonnega J, Carr D, Nesse RM. Resilience to loss and chronic grief: a prospective study from preloss to 18-months postloss. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2002 Nov;83(5):1150-64. Moon JR, Kondo N, Glymour MM, Subramanian SV. Widowhood and mortality: a meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e23465. Bonanno GA, Papa A, Lalande K, Zhang N, Noll JG. Grief processing and deliberate grief avoidance: a prospective comparison of bereaved spouses and parents in the United States and the People's Republic of China. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2005 Feb;73(1):86-98.  Lewis TT, Van Dyke ME, Matthews KA, Barinas-Mitchell E. Race/Ethnicity, Cumulative Midlife Loss, and Carotid Atherosclerosis in Middle-Aged Women. Am J Epidemiol. 2021 Apr 6;190(4):576-587.  Garcini LM, Galvan T, Brown R, Chen M, Klonoff EA, Ziauddin K, Fagundes CP. Miles over mind: Transnational death and its association with psychological distress among undocumented Mexican immigrants. Death Stud. 2020;44(6):357-365. Yang Hsu B, Palitsky R, Maintaining, Relinquishing, and Adapting Bonds in Bereavement: A Qualitative Study of Grave Sweeping in China, SSM - Mental Health, Volume 3, 2023, 100219, ISSN 2666-5603.   -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

In the midst of this season of gratitude, I feel especially grateful to be able to share this episode with you featuring Dr. Danielle King and focusing on the meaning and measurement of resilience. Our conversation focused primarily on resilience in the workplace and how stigma, chronic stress, and systemic factors shape the opportunity for resilience - drawing from her recent paper in American Psychologist outlining a stigma-conscious framework for resilience. Throughout this conversation, Dr. King also explained the limitations of trait-based definitions of resilience, emphasizing the importance of dynamic and context-sensitive measurement.  Dr. Danielle King is an Associate Professor of Organizational Psychology and the Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at Rice University. She is the founder and principal investigator of the WorKing Resilience Research Laboratory. Her research and teaching portfolios focus on promoting motivation, leadership, resilience, thriving, voice, and belonging. Her research is frequently published in top journals like American Psychologist and popular media outlets including Harvard Business Review. Dr. King's research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, including a prestigious 5-year NSF Career Award, which is designated for scholars who serve as role models and leaders in research and education by advancing science for the betterment of society. She has also received some of the top awards in the field from both APA and APS. Topics Discussed: Resilience Employee Resilience Identity Stigma Goal Pursuit Physiological Costs Microaggressions Papers and Resources Discussed: King, D. D., Lopiano, G., & Fattoracci, E. S. M. (2024). A stigma-conscious framework for resilience and posttraumatic change. American Psychologist, 79(8), 1155–1170. [PDF] King, D. D.,  Newman, A., and  Luthans, F. (2016)  Not if, but when we need resilience in the workplace. J. Organiz. Behav.,  37:  782–786. What Leaders Get Wrong About Resilience - Dr. King in the Harvard Business Review. Tugade MM, Fredrickson BL. Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2004 Feb;86(2):320-33. King, D. D., Fattoracci, E. S. M., Hollingsworth, D. W., Stahr, E., & Nelson, M. (2023). When thriving requires effortful surviving: Delineating manifestations and resource expenditure outcomes of microaggressions for Black employees. The Journal of applied psychology, 108(2), 183–207. King, D.D., Hall, A.V., Johnson, L. et al. Research on Anti-Black Racism in Organizations: Insights, Ideas, and Considerations. J Bus Psychol 38, 145–162 (2023). King, D. D., Lyons, B., & Phetmisy, C. N. (2021). Perceived resiliency: The influence of resilience narratives on attribution processes in selection. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 131, 103653. Wilkerson, I. (2020). Caste: The origins of our discontents. Random House.  Bennett, B. (2020) The Vanishing Half. Riverhead Books. King, D. D., DeShon, R. P., Phetmisy, C. N., & Burrows, D. (2022). What is resilience? Offering construct clarity to address "quicksand" and "shadow side" resilience concerns. In Examining the paradox of occupational stressors: Building resilience or creating depletion (Vol. 20, pp. 25-50). Emerald Publishing Limited. -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

For this episode, I spoke with Dr. Michael Kraus about the widening gap between the richest and the poorest in our society (aka rising economic inequality). We discussed how social class shapes every domain of our lives and how class segregation creates distinct cultural patterns and norms. Dr. Kraus also emphasized how quickly and acurately people can perceive social class, the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate inequality, and the profound ways economic inequality affects our social interactions and well-being on a daily basis. Dr. Michael Kraus is a Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University and Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. Dr. Kraus is a social psychologist who studies how inequality fundamentally shapes the dynamics of human social interactions. Much of his research focuses on the behavioral and emotional states that maintain and perpetuate economic and racial inequality in society. His research is consistently published in top journals and has been highlighted by numerous media outlets including ABC World News, National Public Radio, and the Wall Street Journal. Topics Discussed: Social Rank Social Hierarchies Social Class Relative Rank Socioeconomic (SES) Status Societal Health Economic Inequality Power/Agency Social Mobility  Perception/Status Signals Papers and Resources Discussed: Tan, J. J. X., Kraus, M. W., Carpenter, N. C., & Adler, N. E. (2020). The association between objective and subjective socioeconomic status and subjective well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 146(11), 970–1020.  Kraus, M. W., Adler, N., & Chen, T. W. (2013). Is the association of subjective SES and self-rated health confounded by negative mood? An experimental approach. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 32(2), 138–145. Pew Research Center on Global Economic Inequality Kraus, M. W., Piff, P. K., & Keltner, D. (2011). Social Class as Culture: The Convergence of Resources and Rank in the Social Realm. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(4), 246–250. Kraus, M. W., Park, J. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2017). Signs of Social Class: The Experience of Economic Inequality in Everyday Life. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(3), 422–435. Kraus, M. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2015). Americans overestimate social class mobility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 101–111.  Carey, R. M., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social class shapes the form and function of relationships and selves. Current Opinion in Psychology, 18, 123–130.  Markus, H. R. (2017). In This Together: Doing and Undoing Inequality and Social Class Divides. Journal of Social Issues, 73(1), 211–221. Becker, J. C., Kraus, M. W., & Rheinschmidt-Same, M. (2017). Cultural Expressions of Social Class and Their Implications for Group-Related Beliefs and Behaviors. Journal of Social Issues, 73(1), 158–174. Work of Nancy Adler Work of Frantz Fanon Work of Jim Sidanius Stress Puzzle episode on Sir Michael Marmot's contributions -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

For this episode, I spoke with Dr. Jay Van Bavel about political polarization as a threat to individual and societal health, which is particularly salient as we're seeing more politically-motivated violence. Specifically, we discussed the dangers of rising political polarization, how social media incentives contribute to polarization, and why we should consider political polarization as a social determinant of health. Through this episode, listeners will learn more about the psychological mechanisms behind polarization, potential interventions to reduce social and political tensions, and how social media drives polarization.  Dr. Jay Van Bavel is a Professor of Psychology & Neural Science at New York University, an affiliate at the Stern School of Business in Management and Organizations, Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics, and Director of the Center for Conflict & Cooperation. His research examines how collective concerns—group identities, moral values, and political beliefs—shape the mind, brain, and behavior. He studies these issues using a combination of neuroimaging, lesion patients, social cognitive tasks, economic tasks, cross-cultural surveys, and computational social science. Dr. Van Bavel has published over 150 academic papers in top journals (including in Science, Nature, PNAS) and is a Clarivate highly cited researcher (meaning he's in the top 1% of researchers worldwide!). Beyond his research, I deeply admire his excellent science communication and the way he has translated his research for both the public and policymakers. For example, he co-authored The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony (which won the APA William James Book Award). His work has also been cited in the US Supreme Court and Senate and he has consulted with the White House, United Nations, European Union, and World Health Organization.  Topics Discussed: Social Identity Political Polarization Ideological Polarization Affective Polarization Partisanship/Partisan Animosity In-Group/Out-Group Megastudy Information Sharing Misinformation/Disinformation Social Inclusion Social Media Psychology of Virality Science Communication Trust in Science Papers and Resources Discussed: Van Bavel, J.J., Gadarian, S.K., Knowles, E., & Ruggeri K. (2024). Political polarization and health. Nature Medicine, 30(11), 3085–3093. World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024 Bavel, J.J.V., Baicker, K., Boggio, P.S. et al. Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nat Hum Behav 4, 460–471 (2020).  Rathje, S., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2025). The psychology of virality. Trends in cognitive sciences, S1364-6613(25)00173-1. Advance online publication.  Brady, W. J., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2025). Social identity shapes antecedents and functional outcomes of moral emotion expression. Journal of experimental psychology. General, 154(6), 1505–1522.  Voelkel, J. G., Stagnaro, M. N., Chu, J. Y., Pink, S. L., Mernyk, J. S., Redekopp, C., Ghezae, I., Cashman, M., Adjodah, D., Allen, L. G., Allis, L. V., Baleria, G., Ballantyne, N., Van Bavel, J. J., Blunden, H., Braley, A., Bryan, C. J., Celniker, J. B., Cikara, M., Clapper, M. V., … Willer, R. (2024). Megastudy testing 25 treatments to reduce antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity. Science (New York, N.Y.), 386(6719), eadh4764.  Further Readings and Resources: Van Bavel, J. J., & Pereira, A. (2018). The partisan brain: An identity-based model of political belief. Trends in cognitive sciences, 22(3), 213-224. Van Bavel, J. J., Robertson, C. E., Del Rosario, K., Rasmussen, J., & Rathje, S. (2024). Social media and morality. Annual review of psychology, 75(1), 311-340. Finkel, E. J., Bail, C. A., Cikara, M., Ditto, P. H., Iyengar, S., Klar, S., ... & Druckman, J. N. (2020). Political sectarianism in America. Science, 370(6516), 533-536. Rathje, S., Van Bavel, J. J., & Van Der Linden, S. (2021). Out-group animosity drives engagement on social media. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 118(26), e2024292118. Van Bavel, J. J., Harris, E. A., Pärnamets, P., Rathje, S., Doell, K. C., & Tucker, J. A. (2021). Political psychology in the digital (mis) information age: A model of news belief and sharing. Social Issues and Policy Review, 15(1), 84-113. Brady, W. J., Gantman, A. P., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2020). Attentional capture helps explain why moral and emotional content go viral. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(4), 746. Rathje, Steve, James K. He, Jon Roozenbeek, Jay J. Van Bavel, and Sander Van Der Linden. "Social media behavior is associated with vaccine hesitancy." PNAS nexus 1, no. 4 (2022): pgac207. Van Bavel, J. J., Harris, E. A., Pärnamets, P., Rathje, S., Doell, K. C., & Tucker, J. A. (2021). Political psychology in the digital (mis) information age: A model of news belief and sharing. Social Issues and Policy Review, 15(1), 84-113. -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

Season 2 is here and we're focused on stress in context! In this episode, I chatted with Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes about the evolution of stress and emotion research and how these fields have grown together. We also talk about distinctions between stress and emotions, and how their differences lead to meaningful differences in measurement. We wrap up with a discussion around the importance of contextual factors (like culture or social status) in stress and emotion research and give examples of how context can affect the experience and expression of emotions.  Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes is the Chris Argyris Professor of Psychology at Yale University, where she also leads the Emotion, Health and Psychophysiology lab. She's an international leader in social psychophysiology and has trained generations of students. She's a rigorous experimentalist, which has led to dozens of discoveries about the human social stress response. Her research on stress often goes beyond thinking about the individual to characterize how one person's stress impacts another person's emotions and physiology. Learn more about her research: https://www.wendyberrymendes.com/ Topics Discussed: Emotions, Emotion Regulation, Emotion Measurement Acute Stress, Chronic Stress, Good vs. Bad Stress Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System Responses Stress and Coping, Coping Styles, Coping Strategies Cognition and Emotion Papers and Resources Discussed: Shenhav, A., & Mendes, W. B. (2014). Aiming for the stomach and hitting the heart: dissociable triggers and sources for disgust reactions. Emotion, 14(2), 301–309.  Stress Measurement Network's Physiological Toolbox: https://www.stressmeasurement.org/physiological-measures  Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6(3–4), 169–200.  Ekman, P. (1989). The argument and evidence about universals in facial expressions of emotion. In H. Wagner & A. Manstead (Eds.), Handbook of social psychophysiology (pp. 143–164). John Wiley & Sons.  -- The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

In honor of a new academic year, we wanted to share some advice and reflections from our Season 1 guests. This is a mix of clips with some that have been included in prior episodes and some that we've saved just for this episode. We wanted to have these reflections consolidated so it would be easy for you to share with trainees and early-career researchers, as well as anyone who may be thinking about pursuing interdisciplinary research. Check back tomorrow for our new season of the podcast focused on stress in context. Outline of Episode: 1:09: How have you handled mistakes in your career? 8:50: Non-traditional experiences and hobbies 12:03: Advice for current trainees 22:29: Reflections on collaborating 30:20: What do you see as the future of stress science? --   The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

For our final episode of Season 1, I spoke with Dr. Andrew Steptoe about social relationships as we age, the need for interdisciplinary research, and emerging biomarkers of interest to stress scientists. Dr. Steptoe is both a prolific and brilliant scientist whose work has identified psychobiological pathways linking low socioeconomic status with cardiovascular disease progression. I especially enjoyed hearing Dr. Steptoe reflect on research surrounding positive well-being and health, as well as the next steps for intervention science that we need to move forward as a field. Stay tuned for Season 2 of the Stress Puzzle this Fall! Dr. Andrew Steptoe is a Professor of Psychology and Epidemiology at University College London. He was a founding editor of the British Journal of Health Psychology. He also directs the Psychobiology Research Group and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). He is one of the most impactful researchers in the field of health psychology as his work has identified crucial mechanisms through which social and psychological circumstances influence cardiovascular disease and aging. He was recently honored with the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine. Outside of the lab, Dr. Steptoe has written on the cultural background of Mozart operas and has contributed to research on Renaissance and 18th century history. Dr. Steptoe also coedited the second edition of A Matter of Life, which is a book about how his father (Patrick Steptoe) and Robert Edwards developed the procedure for in vitro fertilisation (IVF).  Topics Discussed: Psychobiology Social Status/Socioeconomic Status Population Studies/Cohort Studies Biomarkers Biological Processes/Biological Aging Psychoneuroimmunology Stress Measurement Social Connection Papers Mentioned: ELSA (English Longitudinal Study of Aging): https://www.elsa-project.ac.uk/  Whitehall II: Marmot MG, Smith GD, Stansfeld S, Patel C, North F, Head J, White I, Brunner E, Feeney A. Health inequalities among British civil servants: the Whitehall II study. Lancet. 1991 Jun 8;337(8754):1387-93. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)93068-k. PMID: 1674771.  Hamilton, O. S., Iob, E., Ajnakina, O., Kirkbride, J. B., & Steptoe, A. (2024). Immune-neuroendocrine patterning and response to stress. A latent profile analysis in the English longitudinal study of ageing. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 115, 600–608. --   The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!

In today's episode of the Stress Puzzle, I chatted with Dr. David Almeida all about how we experience and respond (emotionally and physiologically) to daily stressors. We talked a fascinating finding of his that ~10% of people report no daily stressors and what he's learned about these folks. We also discussed how everyday stress and emotion processes shift as we age, and what we gain from experiencing minor stressors in our daily lives. Finally, Dr. Almeida shared what he is looking forward to for the future of stress science and offered advice to anyone who may a current trainee or may be interested in stress science in their future. Dr. David Almeida is a Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. He is a lifespan developmental psychologist who has focused his research on how daily stress experiences and processes relate to healthy aging. Dr. Almeida developed the Daily Instrument of Stressful Experiences to support this research, which has now been used in numerous large scale epidemiologic and intervention studies on stress and health. Dr. Almeida is the Principal Investigator of the National Study of Daily Experiences, which is an in-depth daily study embedded in the MacArthur Foundation National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) and the largest longitudinal diary study of daily experiences and health in the US.  Topics Discussed: Lifespan Psychology Daily Stressors Stress Exposure Stress Responses/Stress Reactivity/Stress Recovery Social Support Stress Physiology/Measurement/Biomarkers (Cortisol/Salivary Amylase) Passive Measurement Just-In-Time Interventions Mistakes and Lessons Learned Future Directions in Stress Science Papers Mentioned: Charles, S. T., Mogle, J., Chai, H. W., & Almeida, D. M. (2021). The mixed benefits of a stressor-free life. Emotion (Washington, D.C.), 21(5), 962–971.  Rush, J., Ong, A. D., Piazza, J. R., Charles, S. T., & Almeida, D. M. (2024). Too little, too much, and "just right": Exploring the "goldilocks zone" of daily stress reactivity. Emotion, 24(5), 1249–1258.  Toledo, M. J. L., Zawadzki, M. J., Scott, S. B., Johnson, J. A., Marcusson-Clavertz, D., Kim, J., Lanza, S., Almeida, D. M., Sliwinski, M. J., & Smyth, J. M. (2024). Exploring the Utility of a Real-Time Approach to Characterising Within-Person Fluctuations in Everyday Stress Responses. Stress and health, 40(6), e3501.  Jenkins, A. I. C., Le, Y., Surachman, A., Almeida, D. M., & Fredman, S. J. (2023). Associations among Financial Well-Being, Daily Relationship Tension, and Daily Affect in Two Adult Cohorts Separated by the Great Recession. Journal of social and personal relationships, 40(4), 1103–1125.  Almeida, D. M., Rush, J., Mogle, J., Piazza, J. R., Cerino, E., & Charles, S. T. (2023). Longitudinal change in daily stress across 20 years of adulthood: Results from the national study of daily experiences. Developmental psychology, 59(3), 515–523.  Vodovotz, Y., Arciero, J., Verschure, P. F. M. J., & Katz, D. L. (2024). A multiscale inflammatory map: Linking individual stress to societal dysfunction. Frontiers in Science, 1.  Additional Resources Referenced: Stress Measurement Network's Toolkit: https://www.stressmeasurement.org/measurement-toolbox  --   The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!  

In today's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Cheryl Woods Giscombé, a health scientist who discusses her research on Superwoman Schema, which is a conceptual framework highlighting stress and coping mechanisms among African American women. The framework identifies five characteristics: obligation to present strength, obligation to suppress emotions, motivation to succeed despite limited resources, resisting feelings of vulnerability and dependence, and prioritization of caregiving over self-care. Dr. Giscombé's research shows that while some characteristics are protective, others can lead to negative health outcomes - we dig into those nuances in this episode! Her critical work aims to develop interventions that balance strength with self-care to improve health disparities among Black women.  Dr. Cheryl Woods Giscombé is the Melissa and Harry LeVine Family Distinguished Term Professor, Senior Associate Dean, and Chief Wellness Officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing with a secondary faculty appointment as a Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. Dr. Woods-Giscombé's research focuses on biopsychosocial factors that influence health and health disparities through psychological stress and coping pathways. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the National Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and the Mind & Life Institute. She recently authored The Black Woman's Guide to Coping with Stress: Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Skills to Create a Life of Joy and Well-Being. Learn more about Dr. Giscombé's research and writing: https://www.drcherylwoodsgiscombe.com/ Topics Discussed: Stressors, Gender-Related Stressors, Race-Related Stressors Resilience Self-Care Superwoman Schema Cost of Caring Emotional Suppression Health Disparities Maternal Health Disparities Adverse Birth Outcomes Coping Strategies: Mindfulness, Present Moment Awareness, Self-Compassion Interventions Papers Mentioned: Woods-Giscombé CL, Lobel M, Zimmer C, Wiley Cené C, Corbie-Smith G. Whose stress is making me sick? Network-stress and emotional distress in African-American women. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2015;36(9):710-7. doi: 10.3109/01612840.2015.1011759. Giscombé, C. L., & Lobel, M. (2005). Explaining Disproportionately High Rates of Adverse Birth Outcomes Among African Americans: The Impact of Stress, Racism, and Related Factors in Pregnancy. Psychological Bulletin, 131(5), 662–683. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.5.662 Woods-Giscombé C. L. (2010). Superwoman schema: African American women's views on stress, strength, and health. Qualitative health research, 20(5), 668–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732310361892 Allen, A. M., Wang, Y., Chae, D. H., Price, M. M., Powell, W., Steed, T. C., Rose Black, A., Dhabhar, F. S., Marquez-Magaña, L., & Woods-Giscombe, C. L. (2019). Racial discrimination, the superwoman schema, and allostatic load: exploring an integrative stress-coping model among African American women. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1457(1), 104–127. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14188 Kyalwazi, A. N., Woods-Giscombe, C. L., Johnson, M. P., Jones, C., Hayes, S. N., Cooper, L. A., Patten, C. A., & Brewer, L. C. (2024). Associations Between the Superwoman Schema, Stress, and Cardiovascular Health Among African-American Women. Annals of behavioral medicine, 58(12), 863–868. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaae047 Woods-Giscombe CL, Allen AM, Black AR, Steed TC, Li Y, Lackey C. The Giscombe Superwoman Schema Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties and Associations with Mental Health and Health Behaviors in African American Women. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2019 Aug;40(8):672-681. doi: 10.1080/01612840.2019.1584654. Woods-Giscombe, C. L., Gaylord, S. A., Li, Y., Brintz, C. E., Bangdiwala, S. I., Buse, J. B., Mann, J. D., Lynch, C., Phillips, P., Smith, S., Leniek, K., Young, L., Al-Barwani, S., Yoo, J., & Faurot, K. (2019). A Mixed-Methods, Randomized Clinical Trial to Examine Feasibility of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Management and Diabetes Risk Reduction Intervention for African Americans with Prediabetes. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine, 2019, 3962623. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3962623 Woods-Giscombe, C. L., Gaylord, S., Bradford, A., Vines, S., Eason, K., Smith, R., Addo-Mensah, D., Lackey, C., Dsouza, V., Sheffield-Abdullah, K., Day, T., Green-Scott, K., Chilcoat, A., Peace-Coard, A., Chalmers, L., Evenson, K. R., Samuel-Hodge, C., Lewis, T. T., Crandell, J., Corbie, G., … Faurot, K. (2024). Protocol of the HARMONY study: A culturally relevant, randomized-controlled, stress management intervention to reduce cardiometabolic risk in African American women. Contemporary clinical trials, 146, 107604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2024.107604 Woods-Giscombé, C. L., & Gaylord, S. A. (2014). The Cultural Relevance of Mindfulness Meditation as a Health Intervention for African Americans: Implications for Reducing Stress-Related Health Disparities. Journal of holistic nursing, 32(3), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/0898010113519010 --   The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org. Have burning questions about stress? Email us at [email protected] and we may feature your question in a future episode!