Stanford Psychology Podcast 158 - David Almeida: Can Stress Be Good For You?
Oct 9, 2025
Join Jane as she chats with Dr. David Almeida, a leading researcher in daily stress from Penn State. They dive into how stress affects health and the surprising benefits of experiencing moderate stress. Dr. Almeida explains age-related differences in stress reactivity and how personality factors into our stress responses. He offers practical advice for handling stress, emphasizing the importance of social connections and movement. Discover a new perspective on stress that just might make you rethink its role in your life.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
The Day As The Fundamental Unit
- Almeida studies daily life by treating the day as the primary unit to capture frequent, mundane experiences.
- He collects nightly reports across eight days and repeats waves years apart to map daily patterns over decades.
Stress Has Two Core Parts
- Stress comprises a stressor (trigger) and the stress response (emotional, behavioral, biological).
- Accurate measurement requires assessing both stimulus and appraisal/response components.
Age Shapes Exposure And Reactivity
- Younger adults report stressors on roughly half of days while older adults report far fewer stress days.
- Reactivity (negative affect increase) also declines with age until late life when it may rise again.