How Stress Negatively Affects the Human Body When It Isn’t Put to Constructive Use

The always insightful animated series Kurzgesagt took a colorful look at how the seemingly ever-present physiological response of stress evolved over time and how it can negatively impact a person’s health if not put to constructive use. The “fight, flight, or freeze” response, once a valuable survival mechanism for humans when they were primarily prey, has become a destructive internal force with the advent of modern technology.

Stress is a biological superpower that helped your ancestors outrun predators, fight off enemies, and survive extreme situations. In the past, it helped us survive, but today, it’s quietly damaging millions of lives. What exactly is stress, how did it evolve, and is it even possible to use it in a healthy way?