chronic stress has associations with worse physical and mental health.Fortunately, unlike other animals, humans can develop cognitive strategies for reducing their subjective experiences of stress.
Successful coping strategies that psychologists have identified include expressing stress-related feelings, either verbally or in writing, reappraising a stressful situation to see it in a more positive light, and mindful attention.By studying animals, biologists have learned a great deal about how the central nervous system regulates the physiological effects of stress.But investigating how the brain manages the subjective experience of stressful events has proved more challenging.“We can’t ask rats how they are feeling,” says Elizabeth.