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Psychological stress is a universal human experience. Why is too much stress bad for us and how can stress protect us? Discussion will cover the physiology of stress, the effect of stress on chronic disease risk, and ways to improve our emotional and biological responses to stress. What can we do to better cope with the stress in our lives? Through lecture, discussion, quizzes, and brief assignments we will explore how stress studies are conducted and how we can apply this to our daily lives. Students will be able to: 1. Explain the major stress responsive systems in the body and how they affect chronic disease (diabetes, heart disease, etc) 2. Learn about stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression 3. Explain and define the primary stress reduction strategies