Final answer:
Stress refers to the body's response to possibly threatening or challenging events, often characterized by the fight-or-flight response. This response is beneficial for short-term survival but can lead to negative health consequences when experienced frequently or over prolonged periods.
Step-by-step explanation:
“Stress” is the reaction of your body to possibly threatening, challenging, or uncomfortable events. When you encounter such events, your body may initiate the fight-or-flight response, which includes physiological changes like increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension. These reactions were crucial for the survival of our ancestors facing real physical dangers. However, in the modern world, stress is often triggered by psychological threats rather than physical ones. Frequent and prolonged stress has been linked to negative health consequences such as increased risk of heart disease and a weakened immune system.
The fight-or-flight response is an involuntary reaction mediated by the nervous and endocrine systems, preparing the body to either confront or escape from perceived dangers. This response can be maladaptive in today's society where the dangers are often not physical. An excessive or chronic activation of this response can lead to health issues, as our bodies are not designed to handle continuous psychological threats that cannot be resolved by fighting or fleeing.
Understanding the general adaptation syndrome can also provide insight into how stress affects us. The three stages of this syndrome include the alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and stage of exhaustion, with the alarm reaction being analogous to the fight-or-flight response. The initial reaction helps provide the energy to manage threatening situations, but prolonged exposure to stress can result in wear and tear on the body, potentially leading to various psychophysiological disorders.