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PODCAST

The Stress Puzzle

Dr. Ryan L. Brown and the UCSF Stress Measurement Network

The Stress Puzzle engages both researchers and the broader community in the cutting-edge field of stress science by promoting high-quality research that doesn"t shy away from the nuances of the work.

science social sciences

All Episodes

28:29

Rising Economic Inequality: How social class shapes...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/10/28

For this episode, I spoke with Dr. Michael Kraus about the widening gap between the richest and the poorest in our society (aka rising economic inequality). We discussed how social class shapes every domain of our lives and how class segregation creates distinct cultural patterns and norms. Dr. Kraus also emphasized how quickly and acurately people can perceive social class, the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate inequality, and the profound ways economic inequality affects our social

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28:37

Political Polarization and Health: Navigating the...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/09/30

For this episode, I spoke with Dr. Jay Van Bavel about political polarization as a threat to individual and societal health, which is particularly salient as we're seeing more politically-motivated violence. Specifically, we discussed the dangers of rising political polarization, how social media incentives contribute to polarization, and why we should consider political polarization as a social determinant of health. Through this episode, listeners will learn more about the psychological mechanisms

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40:54

Interwoven Histories of Stress and Emotion Research...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/08/27

Season 2 is here and we're focused on stress in context! In this episode, I chatted with Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes about the evolution of stress and emotion research and how these fields have grown together. We also talk about distinctions between stress and emotions, and how their differences lead to meaningful differences in measurement. We wrap up with a discussion around the importance of contextual factors (like culture or social status) in stress and emotion research and give examples of how

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44:36

BONUS: Embracing Mistakes and Building Careers in...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/08/25

In honor of a new academic year, we wanted to share some advice and reflections from our Season 1 guests. This is a mix of clips with some that have been included in prior episodes and some that we've saved just for this episode. We wanted to have these reflections consolidated so it would be easy for you to share with trainees and early-career researchers, as well as anyone who may be thinking about pursuing interdisciplinary research. Check back tomorrow for our new season of the podcast focused

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25:47

An Integrative Approach to Population Health: Social...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/05/30

For our final episode of Season 1, I spoke with Dr. Andrew Steptoe about social relationships as we age, the need for interdisciplinary research, and emerging biomarkers of interest to stress scientists. Dr. Steptoe is both a prolific and brilliant scientist whose work has identified psychobiological pathways linking low socioeconomic status with cardiovascular disease progression. I especially enjoyed hearing Dr. Steptoe reflect on research surrounding positive well-being and health, as well as the

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43:32

30 Years of Daily Stress Research: Insights into...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/04/29

In today's episode of the Stress Puzzle, I chatted with Dr. David Almeida all about how we experience and respond (emotionally and physiologically) to daily stressors. We talked a fascinating finding of his that ~10% of people report no daily stressors and what he's learned about these folks. We also disucssed how everyday stress and emotion processes shift as we age, and what we gain from experiencing minor stressors in our daily lives. Finally, Dr. Almeida shared what he is looking forward to for

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35:00

Superwoman Schema: Nuances of stress, resilience, and...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/03/25

In today's episode, I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Cheryl Woods Giscombé, a health scientist who discusses her research on Superwoman Schema, which is a conceptual framework highlighting stress and coping mechanisms among African American women. The framework identifies five characteristics: obligation to present strength, obligation to suppress emotions, motivation to succeed despite limited resources, resisting feelings of vulnerability and dependence, and prioritization of caregiving

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40:14

Investing in Adolescence: Positive emotions,...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/02/25

Today's episode builds on the discussion of puberty as a sensitive period from the previous episode with Dr. Megan Gunnar. Featuring developmental scientist Dr. Ronald Dahl, this conversation explores early adolescence as a pivotal transition, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities and opportunities for positive growth during this formative window. Dr. Dahl emphasizes the importance of supporting prosocial learning, cultivating positive emotions, and addressing inequities through integrative,

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34:57

Recalibration of Early Life Stress Systems: Impact of...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2025/01/28

For today's episode, I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Megan Gunnar, a developmental psychologist who discusses her research on early life adversity and stress biology showing the importance of puberty as a window of biological flexibility. Dr. Gunnar discussed work from earlier in her career that led her to pursue these questions through an interdisciplinary lens. Tune in next month to hear more on the importance of adolescence from Dr. Ronald Dahl. Dr. Megan Gunnar is a Regents Professor and

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26:27

Stress, Immunity, and Illness: Insights from...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/12/17

Can you believe it's almost the end of 2024?! Join me for a conversation with Dr. Aric Prather about stress, sleep, and social experiences at the holidays + what we know about links between those and our susceptibility to infections and severity of illness. We chatted about foundational knowledge drawn from studies where people are experimentally exposed to rhinovirus (aka the common cold) before moving to a conversation about health behaviors through the holidays. We hope this episode encourages

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36:34

Stress Beyond the Individual: The physiological cost...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/12/10

Welcome back to the Stress Puzzle! This is the second of two episodes highlighting winners of the Stress Measurement Network's (SMN) Stress Science Paper Award. Today we'll hear from the lead author of the winning paper in the Human Empirical/Clinical category, Dr. Tené Lewis. We discussed the findings of their paper, which highlights the importance of stress experienced by close loved ones (e.g., family, friends) for African-American women's cardiovascular health. We also chatted about the strength

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31:25

The Energetic Cost of Chronic Stress with Dr. Natalia...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/12/03

Welcome back to the Stress Puzzle! This is the first of two episodes highlighting winners of the Stress Measurement Network's (SMN) Stress Science Paper Award. Today we'll hear from the lead author of the winning paper in the Basic Science category, Dr. Natalia Bobba-Alves. We discussed the findings and implications of their paper (particularly around hypermetabolism, chronic stress, and accelerated cellular aging), directions to move the field forward, and how exciting of a moment it is for

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23:59

Primate Politics: Intergenerational and experimental...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/11/26

Welcome back to the Stress Puzzle! I had the joy of speaking with Dr. Jenny Tung, an evolutionary anthropologist and geneticist who discusses her intergenerational and experimental research showing how the social environment affects health and lifespan in non-human primates. She shared about her creative methods to experiment with social hierarchies and the special experience of collaborating with the other women who have led the Amboseli Baboon Research Project in Kenya. For more on human

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36:32

Human Hierarchies and Health: Epidemiological...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/10/29

Welcome back to the Stress Puzzle! For this episode, I was joined by Dr. Michael Marmot who is an expert on social status and health. We discussed his seminal work on the Whitehall Studies of British Civil Servants, translating research into policy, and how he remains an "evidence-based optimist" through it all. Tune in next month to hear about complementary research conducted by Dr. Jenny Tung on social status and health in nonhuman primates! Dr. Michael Marmot is a Professor of Epidemiology at

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54:21

Slavich on Stress: Complexities, history, and future

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/09/24

Welcome back to the Stress Puzzle! For our second episode, I was joined by Dr. George Slavich who is an expert on the conceptualization, assessment, and management of life stress. In this conversation, we talked about the history of how stress has been thought of and measured, the limitations of many of these approaches, and the kind of research we need moving forward to really be able to translate the science to be actionable in people's lives. Dr. George Slavich is a Professor in the Department

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43:22

Good Stress and Bad Stress: Measurement in a world of...

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/08/27

Welcome to the first episode of the Stress Puzzle! For this episode, I was joined by experts in the field of stress, Dr. Elissa Epel and Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes. Dr. Elissa Epel has focused on linking chronic stress to health, and Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes has focused on characterizing acute stress responses. They've been working together for over 10 years and have been co-leading the Stress Measurement Network. In this conversation, we discussed challenges and opportunities in the field of stress

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01:53

Introducing The Stress Puzzle

The Stress Puzzle ·

2024/07/11

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17 results

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