Papers to grade, parents to call, meetings to attend ... there seems to be no end to stress! What happens to our bodies if we are under too much stress for too long? Examine the facts through an insightful video from the American Chemical Society's Reactions playlist. The narrator discusses the origins of our stress response, the changes in body chemistry that take place under stress, and the perils of not taking that occasional spa day.

Concepts

stress management, the immune system, hormones, the liver, glucose, anxiety, the endocrine system

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include the resource in an endocrine system unit for an eye-opening look at the effects of stress
• Launch a broader investigation into the long-term effects of stress after watching the video
  

Classroom Considerations

• Viewers should have a basic understanding of how the endocrine system works 
  

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The explanations of the body's reaction to stressors is clearly expressed and geared toward pupils in secondary biology classes
• Amusing animations help viewers relate hormones to their glands of origin, as well as the organs they affect

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2