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Annabel Ferguson

English Composition 2

Dr. Ryan Myers

15 March 2020

Literature Review

The topic I chose to discuss is Stress. Now stress is a wide topic and has several topics

that could be discussed, so I narrowed the topic to stress and the main ways it affects the mind,

body, and emotions. When researching my topic, I looked at websites specific to each of the

mind, body, and emotions in response to stress. In most of the sources I found that stress impacts

each response negatively. Such as major health problems, anxiety, depression, obesity, and can

lead to a shorter life. On the other hand one of the sources serves the purpose of a counterclaim,

proving through experiments that stress can be positive.

My first source is an article from The New York Times by Randhi Epstein. Epstein

discusses the work of neuroscientist, Bruce S. McEwen. McEwen describes three types of stress,

“good stress”, “transient stress”, and “chronic stress”. His experiments included animals, and in

the first one he used five rats. “These experiments showed that the toxic stress decreased the

neurons near the brain’s memory and learning center.”(Epstein) In his journal, “Nature”,

McEwen and his team discussed, “how stress hormones and other mediators change the brain,

alter behavior and impact health , in some cases accelerating disease.”(Epstein)

My second source is from the Mayo Clinic Staff discussing Stress Management. This

source uses a chart that discusses the common effects of stress on the body, mood, and behavior.

This source also discusses how to manage stress. “Such as regular exercise, setting aside time for
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hobbies, plenty of sleep, and eating healthy.”(Mayo Clinic Staff) They also offer further help if

none of these strategies work for you.

My third source is an article from VeryWell Mind by Elizabeth Scott. This article

discusses three types of stress, “Acute Stress”, “Chronic Stress”, and “Emotional Stress”. This

article also discussed “Burnout”. This source also gives several ways to deal with each type of

stress. In Acute Stress, some strategies include, “breathing exercises” and “mini-meditation”. In

Chronic Stress, some strategies include, “exercise regularly”, “maintain a healthy diet”, and

“listen to music”. In Emotional Stress, some strategies include, “write in a journal”, “talk to a

friend”, and “talk to a therapist”.

My fourth source is from MentalHelp by Will Joel Friedman. He takes most stress factors

and categorizes them into four types of stress: “Physical Stress”, “Psychological Stress”,

“Psychosocial Stress” and “Psychospiritual Stress”. Under the category “Physical Stress”, the

main factors include “trauma”, “intense physical labor”, and “illness”. Under “Psychological

Stress”, the factors include “emotional stress”, “cognitive stress”, and “perceptual stress”. Under

“ Psychosocial Stress”, the main factors include “relationship difficulties”, “lack of social

support”, and “loss of loved ones”.

The final source serves as a counterclaim for my paper. This source is a TedTalk

presented by Kelly McGonigal. McGonigal discusses how stress can be beneficial to your health.

She proves with several different studies that if you change your mindset of stress as a negative

to a positive, then stress will have positive outcomes rather than negative ones. This mindset can

be used on any level of stress, whether it is the smallest amount or an overwhelming amount of

stress.
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After concluding my research, I have found that most of these sources, excluding the

counterclaim, all have similar findings. While some of these sources may have stronger research

to prove their findings, all of these sources provide excellent evidence to prove that stress affects

the body in several ways. The types of stress, and outcomes of each type are very similar and can

be discussed in a reasonable length. The sources I found for my research are strong for my paper,

and I feel confident in my research.

Works Cited
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Epstein, Randi Hutter. “Bruce McEwen, 81, Is Dead: Found Stress Can Alter the Brain.” The

New York Times, 11 Feb. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/10/science/bruce-s-

mcewen-dead.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Friedman, Will Joel. “Types of Stress and Their Symptoms.” Mental Help Types of Stress

and Their Symptoms Comments, MentalHelp.net, www.mentalhelp.net/blogs/types-of-

stress-and-their-symptoms/.

McGonigal, Kelly. TED, June 2013,

www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend?referrer=playlist-

talks_to_help_you_manage_stres#t-35003.

Scott, Elizabeth. “Not All Stress Is the Same-Here's How to Manage It All.” Verywell Mind,

Verywell Mind, 24 June 2019, www.verywellmind.com/types-of-stress-and-stress-relief-

techniques-3144482 .

Staff, Mayo Clinic. “How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 4 Apr. 2019,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-

20050987.