Regan welcomes Mary Wingo, Ph.D. to the program to talk about her latest book, The Impact of the human stress response: The biological origins and solutions to human stress. Having earned her Ph.D. in human stress research from The University of North Texas, Mary moved from the U.S. to Ecuador and found it opened her eyes to the numerous, preventable costs stress causes many people living in the modern world.
Regan and Dr. Wingo discuss the biological origins, causes and solutions to human stress, and Mary’s unique fusion of science, economics, and sociology culminating from 20 years of research and social insight.
Listen to our Go Wellness Podcast: “The Impact of Human Stress with Mary Wingo, Ph.D.” by clicking the play button below.
Key Takeaways:
[00:16] Regan welcomes Mary to the show, all the way from Ecuador.
[00:45] What motivated Mary to write a book on the human stress response?
[01:55] There has yet to be a good “elevator response” to how stress actually works.
[02:35] Mary elaborates on her quote, “The more we exchange matter and energy with the environment, the less we’re able to defend ourselves from the stressors within the environment.”
[04:58] What does Mary recommend people do in order to become more adaptable, and to better handle stress?
[05:30] There are five major categories of stressors derived from modern society.
[07:18] Preventable stress has caused a parabolic rise of stress-related diseases and premature deaths and disability.
[08:45] Ecuadorians are not seeing this stress crisis to nearly the level of The United States. What are some of the primary differences?
[10:15] The first stressor is a Loss of Working Memory, or “Complexity”. This is the load of multitasking placed on our cognitive resources.
[11:00] The second is Social Inequality.
[11:24] The third is Loss of Social Capital, which is basically a loss of social support.
[12:00] The fourth is the Derangement or Depletion of the Human Biome.
[12:40] The fifth is Chemical Stress. This is involuntary and voluntary exposures, our diet, antibiotics, etc.
[14:45] Why is the level of complexity so toxic?
[16:15] Does Mary see any difference in the Social Inequality between Ecuador and The United States?
[18:25] Mary breaks down coordinated processes of the chemical and hormonal activities that cause exhaustion in the long-term.
[24:30] Regan feels the bacteria in the gut should be on the endangered species list.
[24.53] 40% of all global deaths may result from pollution.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Mary’s Website: MaryWingo.com