#51 – Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.: The pervasive effect of stress – is it killing you?

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

January 9, 2020

Duration

2h 18m

Channel

Peter Attia MD

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 Original release date: 4/29/19 In this episode, Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., discusses the widespread impact of stress on our physical and emotional health as well as the mechanisms by which it can precipitate chronic illness, dementia, depression, and more. He also provides insight into the factors that contribute to the stress response (and our ability to handle it) such as social rank, personality, environment, and genetics. Lastly, we discuss how our behavior is altered in the face of stress and how that not only has a pervasive effect on a personal level, but also on society as a whole in how we interact with each other. We discuss: -Background, interest in stress, and Robert’s time in Kenya studying baboons [7:00]; -Physiology of a stress response, and why it’s ingrained in our DNA [14:00]; -Individual variation in the response to stress, and how everyone has a different optimal level [24:00]; -How social rank and personality differences affect our stress response [30:15]; -What’s happening in the brain when faced with stressful situations? [39:15]; -What makes the human brain different than all other species? [48:15]; -Imprinting stress to your kids epigenetically [52:00]; -The role of stress on memory and the consequences of hypercortisolemia [57:15]; -The impact of subjective socioeconomic status and social media on stress levels and health [1:01:45]; -Tips for managing stress in the modern world [1:17:45]; -What Robert learned about himself studying the social behavior of baboons [1:29:30]; -The multilayered factors behind every human behavior, the context of “good and bad”, and exploring the human capacity of the wild extremes of violence and altruism from moment to moment [1:34:30]; -PMS: How two women with identical hormone levels can have completely different emotional experiences [1:39:00]; -How much of a role do genes play in depression and other emotional states? [1:42:45]; -Why is cortisol elevated under sleep deprivation? [1:50:15]; -The impact of stress on cancer [1:54:30]; -The impact of stress on atherosclerosis, dementia, addiction, and depression [2:01:15]; -Impulsiveness, impaired judgement, and lack of empathy in times of stress [2:05:45]; -What advice would Robert give his 25-year-old self? [2:12:45]; and -More. Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/robertsapolsky/ About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 10 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is the founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City, focusing on the applied science of longevity. The practice applies nutritional biochemistry, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, techniques to increase distress tolerance, lipidology, pharmacology, and four-system endocrinology to increase lifespan (delaying the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com/ Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/ Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/ Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Peter Attia

  host

  Physician and host of The Peter Attia Drive, focused on longevity and medicine.

• Robert Sapolsky

  guest

  Stanford neuroscientist and primatologist known for research on stress physiology and baboon field studies.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Peter Attia MD, featuring Peter Attia and Robert Sapolsky, #51 – Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D.: The pervasive effect of stress – is it killing you? explores sapolsky Explains How Chronic Stress Damages Brain, Body, and Behavior Sapolsky explains that adrenaline and glucocorticoids are well suited to short physical emergencies but cause damage when activated chronically by psychological and social stressors.

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