Stress Test

### Cold Open

Jason Silva:"You feel it every day. Whether it's a screaming baby, or your screaming boss, a traffic jam, or a final exam, stress is a part of everyday life and has evolved as a tool for survival. And while most of us are relatively free of life-threatening dangers on a daily basis, your brain can't always tell the difference between the bombing going on here(bombing) or the bombing going on there(failing at a comedy club). If you've ever been to a comedy club, you have an idea of how stressful public speaking can be. Let alone, trying for laughs, like this amateur comedian trying out new material. Telling a joke that bombs can be stressful, in fact, standing in front of a crowd plays into our age-old fears of being rejected by our social group. And when you face the threat of failure, your brain triggers a biochemical chain reaction flooding your system with hormones and causing physical changes, which we physically label stress. "

## Games

### Game #1: F

Find the 9 F's in this paragraph. Problem? You only have 5 seconds.

Result: You didn't do to well, and stress got the better of you.

### Game #2: Pair Match

Keep track of pairs.

Result: You might or might not have done too well, depending on how stressed you were. But how did we stress you out?

How: By adding tight time constraints, and adding the loud noise of a ticking clock, you get stressed, just like speaking in public.

Your amygdala signals a flood of hormones into your blood stream to cause your body to become better to combat threats, even if it's just a tough crowd.

But not all stress is bad. Sometimes it can be helpful.

### Game #3: Part of the Act

Ben Bailey will pick some volunteers and tell some jokes. Will they be able to memorize and tell a joke in just 30 seconds?

Result: While stress is a two-way street, depending on the person, your ability to handle stress varies by person.

Why: In order to keep you alive, your brain won't take the time to see if something is bad or good. It's simply better safe... than sorry. And while it's such a bad thing, modern life makes it so your stress response gets triggered so frequently that it's negatively affecting your life.

### Game #4: Jason's Time

Follow directions given by Jason. Then answer a question. Play along with volunteers.

Result: Depending on the number of tasks, your brain forgot about the question and just did the tasks.

Why: Stress, with rapid-fire instructions, decreases short-term memory and can even impair cells. Your brain is harming you by keeping you safe from harm, which is why it's important to minimize stress.

### Game #5: On The Runway

Keep track of planes, and each round gets harder.

Result: While the first couple of rounds were easy, the last few may have you given you a run for your money.

Why: Things that you hear also raise stress levels because loud and unfamiliar noises trigger a rapid stress response. And now, even harmless noises can do that as well.

### Game #6: Perfection

Play that game again. Will negative or positive reinforcement affect the outcome?

Result: Positive Reinforcement works better.

Why: Depending on the type of reinforcement they got, they did better or worse at the game.

## List of Experts

* Ben Bailey(Guest)
* Chess Stetson(Caltech)