Elissa Epel
@Dr_Epel
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Professor, UCSF. Stress resilience, Climate distress, Mindfulness, Aging, Healthspan, Earthspan. Obesity, Sugar, Addiction. Telomeres. Author: @TelomereEffect
San Francisco, CA
Joined February 2013
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Pinned Tweet
Today is the day! The Stress Prescription is released! Do you know anyone who feels stressed out? This prescription is critical, not just for our minds but for our health and longevity. “This is just what the doctor ordered” Publisher’s Weekly!
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Cells chronically exposed to the stress hormone cortisol have a sad story - their mitochondria are depleted - their battery runs out. Their telomeres shorten. Remarkable research by Dr.
@MitoPsychoBio
Picard, Natalia Bobba-Alves, et al
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“I can’t breathe” didn’t start with George Floyd. “I can’t breathe” didn’t start with the choking of Eric Garner in 2014. “I can’t breathe” started with somebody on that slave ship in 1619, and black folks have been mistreated by cops ever since
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Cells chronically exposed to the stress hormone cortisol have a sad life story - their mitochondria are depleted - their battery runs out. Their telomeres shorten. Remarkable research by Martin Picard, Natalia Bobba-Alves, et al.
#TheStressPrescription
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Looking forward to discussing hormetic stress and immunity with
@Iceman_Hof
tomorrow 12pm PST. Here’s Hofs and ,
@VictorBrick
family, planning WHM research. Registration link
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Excited to share the wisdom from my mentors and support those who come after me, in this challenging era, for psychologists, especially in medical schools.
Health psychologist Elissa S. Epel, PhD, has been tapped to join the Department of Psychiatry’s leadership team as its vice chair for adult psychology. Her appointment in the new role will begin October 1 -
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Each excess adipocyte we have means more $ for big food. They are winning even in our hospitals.
@DrAseemMalhotra
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Our new “Department of Psychiatry” adds “Behavioral Sciences” to its new name. Wow, as a psychologist I actually feel more included in this institution now— Names really matter!
@CMangurian
@DRoubinov
@jenniferfelder
@AricPrather
@DrAshleyMason
@NicoleBushPhD
Hi there! Allow us to reintroduce ourselves.
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The science explaining addiction is clear, including
#sugaraddiction
: it is not a moral failure of discipline, but a biological disorder. It is fostered by
#foodindustry
, who capitalizes on the brain's vulnerability to sugar. The more with addiction, the more profit for them.
Being addicted to sugar and flour is not an emotional eating disorder. It’s a biological disorder, driven by hormones and neurotransmitters that fuel sugar and carb cravings — leading to uncontrolled overeating. This is not a limited phenomenon.
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Oh darn! Metformin develops a mixed profile: It blocked the healthy increase in mitochondria due to exercise.
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I am excited that my new book, The Stress Prescription, will be out in three days! I wrote this because we don’t need to endure so much daily stress! We can shift toward green and blue mind states with evidence-based practices.
#TheStressPrescription
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What a joy to read about our new study as a humorous story, but with meticulous accuracy! A much more interesting read than our
@JAMAInternalMed
version! Excellent science journalism
@bruce_y_lee
@RobertLustigMD
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Excited to announce the launch of 3 science-based practical books, with tips packaged into 7 days, Love by
@GottmanInst
, Sleep by
@AricPrather
, and Stress by yours truly! Curated by the amazing
@Idea_Architects
. Check them out!
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We can stabilize telomeres with robust lifestyle measures. But we are still waiting for safe “pills” in humans. Promising horizon ...
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“An Icon in American Medicine,” an advocate for social Justice and health equity, a dedicated mentor: Nancy Adler. Your compassion, influence and impact live on
@j_r_a_m
@AricPrather
@UCSFPsychiatry
@theNAMedicine
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Had a fascinating discussion with Rhonda Patrick. She does in-depth high quality reporting of aging research and is a brilliant synthesizer, separating wheat from chaff. Give her a follow!
@foundmyfitness
New podcast! Dr. Elissa Epel [
@Dr_Epel
] discusses how diet & lifestyle affect aging, how habitual sugar-sweetened drink consumption is linked to 4.6 years of accelerated aging, how shorter telomeres can be epigenetically transmitted to offspring and more!
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This is one of the most important papers ever on understanding the biology of stress: It reveals the most fundamental mechanisms (including mitochondria and Hypermetabolism), & the shift from maintaining health to promoting disease😮 Bravo
@n_bobba_alves
&
@MitoPsychoBio
& team!
Our paper on Cellular Allostatic Load is out! Our data shows that the negative effects of chronic stress can be traced all the way down to the cellular level, and links increased energy expenditure with accelerated biological aging. How are this two connected? Working on it!
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What does a stress scientist do during a long pandemic? I wrote a book for you! I am excited to share the “The Stress Prescription,” which you can buy now on pre-sale. Here I’ll share a weekly tip, and more info can be found at .
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#AlbertBandura
&
@PhilZimbardo
@StanfordPsych
. Superheroes of
#psychology
. Both pioneers in understanding moral disengagement, 'normal' evil behavior, and how we can use social influence for good. Deep gratitude. My path because of you. Al we will miss you!
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Yesterday we lost the world’s most compassionate broad thinking neuroscientist, Bruce McEwen, a “molecular sociologist.” Amidst the sadness, we celebrate his life and vast impact.
@LiisaGalea
@MichaelMarmot
@MitoSigLab
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interrelationships between food and mood: the studies are finally adding up to strong evidence !
@lisamosconi
via
@NYTimes
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Meditation retreats are so interesting to study. We didn't really expect telomere lengthening with just 3 weeks, and will never know exactly how that happened but there are lots of possibilities! No apparent action with telomerase.
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There are many ways we can reframe and de-activate the stress response. Think about a stressful situation as an exciting challenge that will lead to growth, and tell yourself why you can get through it. Your positivity can shape your stress response!
#TheStressPrescription
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Happy new year 2022 from Liz Blackburn and me. May this be a year of social and cellular restoration!
@TelomereEffect
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*New* UCSF Postdoctoral Fellowship available in July, in stress, emotions, health, & aging! Join
@NIA_BSR
@Stress_Network
. Please share!
@AricPrather
@wendybmendes
@GeorgeSlavich
@connectAPS
@BehavioralMed
@AcadBehavMedRes
@mindandlife
@UCSFPsychiatry
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A powerful node, a braintrust of
#healthpsychology
, with early roots
@UCSFPsychiatry
@UCSFAME
. Research relationships persist despite distance. Oh the joy of in person meetings
@connectAPS
@AricPrather
@eliputerman
@NicoleBushPhD
@kirstinaschbach
@thethrivelab
& Janet Tomiyama!
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Health Researchers! Our NIH Network for Emotional Well-Being will fund pilot studies to improve well being and physiological outcomes. Please RT!
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@Benioff
sets example for tech titans: Gives $30 Million To
@UCSF
To Solve a fundamental cause of human suffering:
#Homelessness
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A message from Liz Blackburn and me: VOTE! It’s good for our future telomere health!
@TelomereEffect
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Prospective study of over 100K people finds
#sugary
drinks predict greater
#cancer
risk, including fruit juice. Diet drinks were not linked to cancer nor belly fat in this particular study. Damn about the juice!
@RobertLustigMD
@_lauraschmidt
@UConnRuddCenter
@DrNicoleAvena
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Such an honor to teach with
@JackKornfield
and experience loving awareness practices at
@bluespiritcost1
Thanks Jack also for blessing the
#StressPrescription
!
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Happening now: After 2 years of collecting cells for studying predictors long term
#covid
#vaccination
responses, Dr
@AricPrather
is sending off the cells to our immunologist collaborators to see “what happened!”
#Stress
and
#sleep
science. Stay tuned!
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People are getting to know and care about their mitochondria!
@MitoPsychoBio
#stressprescription
@latimes
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It’s natural to avoid stress and to view stress as harmful. Instead, focus on the benefits – stress can enhance learning, growth, and vitality. This positive stress mindset leads to more successful coping! Studies by
@AliaCrum
and colleagues.
#TheStressPrescription
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#Hormetic
Stress in the news: exercise as building
#stressfitness
,
@washingtonpost
@KelynSoong
. Its not just exercise with hormetic properties!
#stressprescription
@FSEM_UK
@acefitness
See more at
@hubermanlab
@foundmyfitness
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Urban dwellers: 30 minutes in nature may reduce your cortisol, restore your urban brain's scattered attention (psychological restoration theory). But if you have only 5 minutes to get outside, take that too!
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RESEARCHERS: Learn how to use LARGE POPULATION DATA on stress and emotional well being and health, harmonized across 10 countries, & hear amazing findings across countries:
@UConnM3EWB
@Stress_Network
@UCLAStressLab
@NIA_BSR
@NIH_NCCIH
@PublicHealth
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Almost 100% of food industry funded studies show what they sell is harmless and contradicts the literature. Should not be called research! Today it’s flour 🤨
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2020 is an important year to see more clearly, and get off the stress/comfortfood rollercoaster. Try this 7-day sugar challenge.
@RobertLustigMD
@DrNicoleAvena
@garytaubes
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☕️ also appears good for
#telomeres
New research suggests coffee has unique cognitive benefits beyond caffeine
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Create a healthy psychological distance between you and the stressful situation. Ask yourself how much a problem will matter in a month or year. Research by Ozlum Ayduk and
@ethan_kross
shows that time distancing promotes stress resilience
#TheStressPrescription
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Our UC wide climate center is launching! An exciting moment for California & beyond. Thanks for your hard work
@UCClimateHealth
. Join us at
@howardfrumkin
@brittwray
@Schools4Climate
@imkevinjpatel
@TheeLovelyJessa
@healthy_climate
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After a stressful day we crave “comfort foods” high in sugar & fat, signaling our body is in survival mode and storing energy as belly fat to prepare for hardship. Surf the urge of your cravings with mindfulness, or metabolize stress with HIIT.
#TheStressPrescription
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Our new offices in beautiful
@UCSFPsychiatry
Pritzker building are lovely but a bit stark. I discovered Dr
@AricPrather
brought his stuffies! You can see Ms Grey neuron, Mr zoster virus, white blood cell blob, the bitch corona, and faltering vaccine tube. 😂
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Seeking postdocs for our new UCSF/UCB/Harvard emotional well being fellowship, NIH networks of well being--please share!
@connectAPS
@BehavioralMed
@APA
@NIMHgov
@APADivision38
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The not so sweet story …
@RobertLustigMD
@DrAseemMalhotra
@UcsfNorc
@DrAshleyMason
@foundmyfitness
@AmDiabetesAssn
@CDCDiabetes
@alldiabetesnews
The relationship between sugary drink consumption and stress. As discussed by
@Dr_Epel
of
@UCSF
on the Huberman Lab Podcast out now. Available in all formats at
#science
#MedTwitter
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“Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.” – Albert Einstein. Let us not forget the core foundation for public health, and now for global health
@MichaelSagnerMD
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2019: Is it just hope and hype that medical interventions will promote
#longevity
without disease and disability? A data-based well seasoned perspective from former editor of BMJ
@Richard56
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We found that having a stressful event makes you less present that evening. Unless you’ve also had a strong positive connection with your partner that day
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Our new vaccination study is out! With surprisingly positive news for those who got J&J. And Moderna led to the strongest antibody response even for those of older age!
@AricPrather
@UCSF
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Low cardiorespiratory fitness predicts incidence of depression and anxiety -meta-analysis!! Huge implications
@BrendonStubbs
@eliputerman
@CassandraVieten
@VictorBrick
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Imposter syndrome is common, even in high achievers! Do you feel that you aren’t good enough for some role? Imposterism promotes the highly reactive “threat mindset.” Remember how far you have come, and only compare to your past performance, not others.
#TheStressPrescription
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My tips about
#Coronavirus
#Anxiety
vs. Panic, an important distinction. I Hope this is helpful.
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How much does the
#sugar
industry hate UCSF scientists? Now this important expose
@SugarScienceNow
@RobertLustigMD
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Deep sleep is critical to brain and body health. New study suggests It’s partly mechanics:
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RESEARCHERS: EMOTIONAL WELL BEING and immune mechanisms, learn from the pioneers of this area...Our network's free webinar
@Stress_Network
@UCLAStressLab
@NIA_BSR
@NIHAging
@BuckInstitute
@EricVerdin
@APA
@connectAPS
@sbmintegrative
@BehavioralMed
@PNIRS
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We have all been waiting for someone to find this
#stress
-
#microbiome
link. Didn’t expect it to be in hamsters!
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Remember this when planning dinner: Enhance absorption of polyphenols by cooking in olive oil
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An old friend told me I work too much and bought me this To Do list. I thought, I’m probably not alone, so I’m sharing it with you too.
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Do resilient coping skills predict maintenance of eudamonia in the midst of pandemic stress? The answer was surprising, from —
@_eahmadi
, soon on her way to be Dr Ahmadi at
@UConnM3EWB
@connectAPS
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No cameras means unfiltered honest conversation. Much appreciation to my deeply thoughtful and brilliant colleagues
@ethanjweiss
@RobertLustigMD
and
@TEDxMarin
This photo pretty well captures how much fun
@Dr_Epel
,
@RobertLustigMD
and I had on stage together last night at the TEDxMarin Salon (even if it looks like we are about to head to our next class)
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#Obesity
is still viewed as a moral failure, lack of discipline, despite that the majority of people are at least overweight. The People behind Big food are the moral failure
@DrAseemMalhotra
@DrAseemMalhotra
@Dr_Epel
I've always thought there's been more help and sympathy for people who are underweight and have an eating disorder than those that have a weight problem/obese.
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Ball play on the beach helps fight seclusion fatigue and work burnout.
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After so many years living on the dark side —studying toxic stress, I wrote a paper on types and mechanisms of positive stress!
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Bean counting has its limitations and flaws but I am grateful to be on this list!
UCSF's Elissa Epel, PhD, (
@Dr_Epel
) and Michael Weiner, MD, are among the most influential individuals in their respective fields, according to the most recent analysis of research citations by the science and intellectual property company
@Clarivate
.
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strict social distancing is compassion in action
Buddhists make an important distinction in compassion. Idiot compassion means relieving people's distress by helping them feel pleasure in the moment. Wise compassion means helping them persevere through difficult times for a better future. Don't be an idiot!
#SocialDistanacing
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“Comparison is the thief of joy.” (T. Roosevelt). FB is especially toxic for teens. I deleted FB and have not missed it. Leaving Twitter would be harder.
People who deactivated Facebook in a study were happier afterward, reporting higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of depression and anxiety.
That change is equal to about 25-40% of the beneficial effect typically reported for psychotherapy
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New $10K grants on Emotional well being and health to analyze data from population based studies
@APApsychiatric
@connectAPS
@BehavioralMed
@mindandlife
@AcadBehavMedRes
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Excited to announce our new free UCSF webinar series on well being with leading experts. We will discuss building mindsets and resilience as 2021 unfolds, for healthcare workers and for all. Please share!
@UCSFPsychiatry
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The joy of seeing results from Liz Blackburn’s analyses of our COVID vaccination study BOOST!
@TelomereEffect
@AricPrather
@UCSF
+ with
@ArizmendiBakery
street violinist
#telomeres
#heatmaps
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Happy to see Stress Rx in this collage along with some of my favorite books! Thank you
@mindandlife
Season 7 of the
@mindandlifecast
starts next week! 🎉 🎧 Until then, we hope you'll check out some new and forthcoming books from authors featured on the Mind & Life podcast—including
@SharonSalzberg
,
@emeranamayer
,
@Dr_Epel
,
@matthieu_ricard
, and more👇
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Short
#telomeres
predict
#insulin
resistance over time. This is not about
#obesity
! This is part of the growing story about importance of telomere length at birth! Verlhust 2016
@TelomereEffect
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Psychological first aid for all, pandemic-style buffet of topics!
@UCSFPsychiatry
experts share brief videos. Please help this mini-library find its way to those in need
@UCSF
@CAgovernor
@DrBurkeHarris
@SpeakerPelosi
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These are hard times; try out a daily vow that gives you hope, strength, and joy. Start the day aligned with your inner compass and heart. Here is a favorite:
#TheStressPrescription
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It's never too late to develop a more durable and deeper sense of
#happiness
and the key is in relationships. Find out more in
@robertwaldinger
& Marc Schulz/'s The Good Life (out now!)! Some of the best quality research studying lifelong happiness-- a true gem.
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Important ingredient we have forgotten in
#healthspan
: sexuality! sensual touch, hugging, intimacy—even in the midst of illness, grief, loss.
#disruptaging
@EstherPerel
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Can’t wait to dialogue with my great colleagues at
@PRCPennState
@robertroeser
just wish it was in person not more zoooom. Maybe I’ll come as the
#ZoomCat
!
Save the date!
@Dr_Epel
of
@UCSFPsychiatry
will deliver our annual
#Compassion
Lecture virtually. Join us April 14 at 4 p.m. for the talk, titled "Self to Cell: A Biological View of Flourishing."
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Join us tomorrow, 3/2, Thursday night 7pm EST, for a free event with my luminary friends
@DrGaborMate
,
@DrDanSiegel
VIRTUAL! Living well with stress and trauma. Register .
@UCSF
Sponsors
@1440mv
& Compassionate Inquiry
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Can you put down the weight of what you cannot control? This can be extremely freeing. Put down the baggage. It will still be there, I promise, but for now you do not need to carry it.
#TheStressPrescription
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This shows how even stress researchers overly lump or split so the definition of
#stress
becomes meaningless. Our
@NIHAging
@Stress_Network
urges the use of the stress taxonomy (pregnancy not in it): See appendix
@connectAPS
@APA
@PNIRS
@ISPNE
Wonderful study.. but such a misuse of the term stress:
"Parabiosis, surgery, pregnancy, and COVID-19" are either normale physiology, infections or surgeries. If that is stress, everything is stress!
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Inspiring to see such fierce regulatory action --a government that cares about public health over business interests
@robertlustig
@lauraschmidt
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My author interview on habits, happiness, and
#TheStressPrescription
with
@gretchenrubin
is now live! Find it here:
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So many great studies showing nature’s green effect on our health!
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My advice for work tomorrow: “Trim your to-do list as you will be very distracted and inefficient. Period.” Hope for peace and democracy, and report voter intimidation via
@BBC_Worklife
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Join us Thursday at 12pm PST
@UCSF
virtual, for a dynamic hour of practices and dialogue for rejuvenating our body and soul. Free reg: Please share:
@JackKornfield
@TrudyGoodman
@DrDanSiegel
@TelomereEffect
@InsightLA
@mindandlife
@Spirit_Rock
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Bruce McEwen was the father of stress science, the grand mentor to so many of us, across disciplines, countries. He will be greatly missed. He careddeeply about reducing
#toxicstress
and
#HealthDisparities
, improving
#lifestyle
and
#happiness
. We will carry his legacy forward!
Bruce was known to many as a lover of the hippocampus, the famous brain region named after the amazing sea creature. A video of the beloved creature in his honor:
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