The Ready State Podcast The Science of Good Stress: Dr. Sharon Bergquist on Hormesis, Resilience & Longevity
Sep 4, 2025
Dr. Sharon Bergquist, an award-winning physician and author of 'The Stress Paradox', discusses the overlooked benefits of good stress. She explains how manageable stressors can enhance resilience and promote longevity. Emphasizing hormesis, she reveals that small doses of stress help the body thrive, while addressing how modern stress management can evolve. The conversation also covers the importance of aligning eating with our natural rhythms, the risks of a stress-free lifestyle, and practical tips for incorporating beneficial stress into everyday life.
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Lifestyle As Accessible Regeneration
- Use lifestyle choices (food, exercise, social connection) as low-tech regenerative medicine to activate repair.
- Embrace accessible practices that turn on cellular regeneration rather than relying solely on high-tech interventions.
Stress As A Biological Tool
- Stress is a biological tool that prepares your body to adapt and survive rather than an enemy to eliminate.
- The net result of a stressor depends on whether you recover and gain resilience or become depleted and vulnerable.
The Goldilocks Zone Of Stress
- Too little stress (sustress) and too much stress (distress) both lower resilience, forming an inverted-U relationship.
- Aim for the Goldilocks zone where stress builds capacity rather than depleting it.
