Final answer:
The correct answer is C) Lower stress levels cause better physical health, but it is important to understand that correlation does not imply causation, despite the negative correlation between stress and physical health.
Step-by-step explanation:
If stress levels and physical health are negatively correlated, this means that as one increases, the other tends to decrease. The correct statement concerning this relationship is that higher stress levels typically relate to poorer physical health, and lower stress levels correlate with better physical health. However, it is critical to note that a negative correlation does not establish causation, but merely indicates a relationship between the two variables.
The answer to the student's question is that higher stress levels are associated with poorer physical health, therefore, the best choice is C) Lower stress levels cause better physical health. Even though this answer is phrased causally for the sake of the question, one should remember that correlation does not prove causation. Despite the association noted in multiple studies between stress and various health outcomes, such as the onset of disease and increased morbidity, the correlation does not definitively show that one causes the other.