Stress, Portrait of a Killer - Full Documentary (2008) 

In case anyone’s wondering yes... professors everywhere are still assigning this video

Psych students are stressed because they have to watch this video for class.

95% of the comments: who's here bc their psychology professor made them watch it? 4% of the comments: quoting the documentary/amazed by the amount of stress we carry 1% of the comments: it's bizarre how that whole family has the same haircut!!

For all the college students, if you click on the three dots on the bottom of the video and click “open transcript”, you can get a written version of the video. It has time stamps so you can scroll down to find the answers to whatever questions you need. This saved me from watching all 55 minutes of the video. Hope this helps!

I watched this video and started stressing out about the negative effects stress has on your body, then I realized the paradox that I was getting myself into.

My psych professor assigned this video and I was expecting like a 20 min video max and oh boy was I in for a treat

"You're running for your life, this is no time to ovulate"

Love how my teacher has us watch this but then gives us 5 assignments in a week... so are you trying to kill us?

"the problem in our society is that we don't value stress reduction. we in fact value the opposite: we admire the person who not only multitasks and does two things at once, but does five things at once. we kinda admire that person, 'how do they manage that?', you know. well that's an incredibly stressful way to live. we have to change our values and value people who understand a balanced and serene life." so much truth to this

This person is amazed at how many views their video got over the years... *College students everywhere stressed they have to watch this and then write about it later*

All this documentary did was stress me out.

Worksheet on Stress Video - I hope someone finds this and makes use of it :) 1. According to the video, where in our bodies do we gain weight when we are stressed? How is this fat different from the other fat in the body? We gain fat in the abdomen and it is special because it produces different hormones altering the effect it has on your health even further. 2. In Robert Sapolsky’s research on monkeys, there was a tragedy which occurred that changed the group’s dynamic forever. What happened to the group and who was affected? The baboon troop got infected with tuberculosis after eating bad meat, however the dominant males were the ones mainly affected. This meant the females and timid males were the only ones left, changing the group to be much more passive and far less hostile. 3. What did the video say about social dominance and those who are lower on the hierarchy? How are each affected? People that are lower on the social pyramid suffer higher stress levels from things like lack of control. This can cause bodies to be much less efficient and it can even lower immune systems leading to shorter lives. 4. Name three specific ways that stress affects our bodies/brain according to the video One way stress affects our bodies is by forcing us to only power the essentials like our senses. This can cause other functions like the reproductive system or the immune system to shut down. The immune system shutting down increases risk of disease and even death. The system that controls our metabolism also slows causing us to gain stress weight. This stress fat also provides hormones that have a worse effect than normal fat. Our brains are affected because stress can lead us to different types of memory loss, poor blood flow, and flat out stupidity. These can make it even harder to get out of unnecessary long-term stress. 5. According to the video, what causes ulcers? Primarily a type of bacteria. However most of us have this bacteria so it's the stress that lowers our immune system’s walls allowing the bacteria to take over.

i love that the professor talks about how society admires those who overwork themselves. New generations are not lazy we just dont want the stress that overworked Gen X and millenials have. It does not make us lazy that we dont want to overwork ourselves and we hate seeing older generations glorifying and romantisizing something that is obviously so dangerous.

Sapolsky's most impactful finding and philosophical statement comes at 48:00... "We belong to multiple hierarchies. And you may have the worst job in your corporation-and no autonomy and control and predictability-but you're the captain of the company softball team that year, and you better bet you are going to have all sorts of psychological means to decide it's just a job-9 to 5-that's not what the world is about. What the world is about is softball; 'I'm the head of my team, people look up to me.' And you come out of that deciding you are on top of the hierarchy that matters to you."

I was asked to watch this by my teacher for an assignment. This documentary ended up educating me quite a bit about myself. I honestly feel motivated to improve my standings with my own stress.

hard work never stresses me out. but the manipulation and deceit of others is very stressful. so my "job related stress" is more about who I work with than the work itself. sigh.

So ironic, students stress to remember names, locations, phenomenons etc and that stress is the very reason we can't remember...

I was directed to watch this video by my professor in my psychology class.

Love this Doctor Sapolsky; admire his brilliance, compassion and humility!

Thought that was Zach Galifinakis

I had to watch this for an assignment, but it turned out to be very insightful and quite interesting. I’m glad I invested an hour of my life watching this. I needed it.

Really interesting video, I was feeling extremely stressed out to the point I just typed stressed on RU-vid and found this video. It's very enlightening and encouraging for someone who grew up in a stressful environment. Thanks for sharing.

The professor you wished you had teaching you biology at school. What an absolute legend! 🧬

I'm stressed cause I have to wright a 500 word essay about stress after watching this for English.

Work stress is the reason I left management. Life is too short to live like that and there is so much more to life than money.

Phenomenal documentary! I distinctly remember watching this documentary back in 2008. Understanding the essence of stress and exploring ways in which stress evaporates have significantly changed the course of my life for the better. I am extremely thankful and grateful to all who made it possible.

This is by far my favorite documentary. Sapolsky is fantastic.

Ohhhhhh my god, this is not available on Netflix anymore, I'm so happy it's here and I can watch it again!!!! Thank you!

whos here from Psych class 2020 :D

Who is here watching in 2022 because a professor required you to watch it?

I'm surprised that I'm not dead yet with amount of stress I carry.

One of the best videos on RU-vid and Robert Sapolsky is an amazing researcher

Goddamn, I've had 3 psychology professors make me watch this lol Will be back for #4!!!!

Everyone in that family has the exact same hair, it's bizarre.

This documentary is stressing me out

thank you. probably the most revealing video on the whole YT

Stress is one of the most recognized factors of total health, and can be the elephant in the room when it comes to a variety of chronic diseases. Health professionals typically keep stress management to vague notions of "taking it easy", "try meditation", "sleep more"... while these textbook remarks fit standard of care of medicine, they still leave the average person no practical steps to live by. I think it's important to organize a practical, simple step by step approach that is personalized.

"Rollercoaster rides are not 3 weeks long" I want off Mr Bones' Wild Ride.

I really like the idea of including family, in this type of testing. Not to mention that I am actually learning more of my demise...manic depression, which stress is involved. Thank you professor!

I'm really glad my teacher recommended this, it was really eye opening.

Nobody involved in this documentary thought that maybe portraying stress as such an imminent, terrifying threat wouldn't just stress people out even more? o.o

I think "You're running for your life, this is no time to ovulate" is my new favorite saying

I learned so much from this video! thank you for sharing your research!

This Documentary has just had a profound effect on me. I am changed, atleast my thinking has. Thanks for uploading this.

Affects of watching this are somewhat ironic.

Will y’all keep it down in the comments?! I have to watch this for psych class.

thank you so much for sharing ! I love Dr. Spolsky

An informative and engaging documentary. Thanks for including subtitles- I'll see if I can't contribute on Amara.

All Stanford freshman need to watch out for Sapolsky on campus, looming around the corner with his blow gun.

Robert Sapolsky is the best lecturer. Thank you for your work.

Excellent documentary ! Thanks a lot Mr. Robert Sapolsky and others :)

@ me searching for the answers in the comments 😂

Always smile! Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict.

.... Watching this for health

Great film . One of the best of its type.... Stress and it's micro effects. Good intro to stress. Timely these days . Thank-you.

when ur anthropology teacher assigns this video and u think its gonna be maybe 15 minutes and its actually a whole movie :)))

I’ve been staying up way too late watching Robert’s lectures. I’m not even in school and I’m assigning myself homework from his work. Fascinating and brilliant, with an incredible understanding of psychology and neuroscience. I would love to meet with Robert some day.

Yes. One of the best suggestions in the video is to give to others. No matter how low you are on the totem pole at work, you can make your life meaningful by contributing to others - tutor kids, help feed the poor, donate your time, set up a feral cat organization. Like they said about being captain of the local baseball team, you focus on your outside-of-work life, understand that there's more to life than your job, become somebody important in your own social circle. And love each other.

Thank You for the upload. Very much appreciated.

And 3 years later, we still have to watch this for intro to psych

This stress is horrible, I had to move countries to get away from a not a very nice person, this flight or fight feeling I have had for 18yrs and I struggle to get it to stop. Its horrible...

What a great mind. His voice alone, helps mend my hippocampus.

Thanks for sharing this is an awesome documentary!

I liked the meaning at the end. Very thought provoking. Interesting study and video.

Wow, we'd not seen this before and it seems to have been made quite a while ago. Very eye opening indeed. It's a shame only 384,000 people have viewed this video. It might look like a big number but it's tiny compared to how many people are negatively affected by stress and the millions it costs our economies each year. At least this documentary aids in our mission to raise awareness that stress is a huge problem and that there are ways to reduce it's impact on individuals and companies so we can all live better.

52.40 mark ....sounds like an introverted manager is being described ....low key, , inclusive, happy to let others have a say, not obsessed with dominating everything, all the time .... basically the kind of manager that most people would like to work for

Recently at work, I underwent a six-month period of high stress: change of duties, closer supervision, faster pace, heavier workload, more hours per week, and so forth. I didn't realize the increased level of stress until the period ended. During that time, my type-2 diabetes came under control for the first time since it was diagnosed three years earlier. I think the difference stemmed from my *enjoying* the stressful activities and from the increased physical rate the new work required.

Always a pleasure to listen to Robert Sapolsky speak

Still got this video assigned in class, still stress.

There's another way too,no matter how your world is,its your choice/way that you react to it that governs your condition,simply being recognized or valued is not enough,we over time burden our self with a whole spectrum of conditioning,we can sit alone and allow that conditioning to influence us,therefore never allowing our self to just be and settled/at ease,if our surroundings/social structure has so much influence on us,then not allowing it to have influence,has the same benefits.

Thanks for the upload. This is very interesting to watch. Really good information to know my own stress and identify them for my self.

Thank you for uploaded this.

Although this was a task given by my professor. I found it interesting! Awesome documentary

Sapolsky is brilliant, I love his lectures on human behavioral psych

This GREAT documentary is available all over the net WITHOUT all the bullshit ads.

This doc is pretty dope, goes into a lot of the science behind stress, and it's relationship to the brain's production of norepinephrine (fight or flight). Well worth a watch.

37:10 This is why bullied children should be able to sue the bullies.

Watching this for my required health and hygiene class. its like 2 pages of work i already know but having to pinpoint where i heard it in here

Great Documentary! Thank you Robert.

Here in January 2024 for my Stress Management class. So far I'm loving this class.

in 2024, psych students are still watching this video for their classes

in america ppl are stressed partly cuz they work more than they want, in conditions they dont like, and get paid less than their worth. another thing which is gonna stress ppl out is environmental destruction resulting in declining food productions and clean water supplies, not to mention pollution

Great stuff for a better world to die in. Undeniably the direction to uncovering the truth of humanity. Thank love for the motivational force behind this work.

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” The Buddha. This just about sums up all you need to live long and overcome all, get your mind around this it is maybe the most important piece of wisdom given to to humanity ever.

Who was assigned this video in 2023

Why do professors still assign such long videos as busy work this is exactly what’s causing my stress.

One of my favorite documentaries; I've seen it several times. Sapolsky is brillant. He has interesting lectures on the Stanford channel as well.

Cheers for uploading - essential viewing!!!

"stress is all around us... its become a part of our society... its not only unhealthy but it's also become a driving force." spot on Zully

Love your work! Thank you for sharing - stress plays such a critical role in health and wellness. Being a dog trainer, I like to study stress because it's something I always try to minimise when developing training protocols.

I am not exaggerating when I say that my life's experience led to the awareness of this need to re-structure our human systems in the US. I have been unable to articulate my general displeasure and even anger at the systems I live in. It is hard to explain that I love the people but despise what our society has done and is doing to us. Now I feel a significant reduction in stress. Thank you to those involved for putting such a fine point on the fundamental 'root' problem of our age.

Awesome work! Thanks Robert Sapolsky..

Detach your self from trying to keep up with others . Let it go and live with Nature and find your comfort zone and to live your life and not some one elses. Holistic Chef Barry

POV: you’re here for some sort of psychology assignment

Childhood traumas can dysregulate your nervous system which will lead to chronic illness later in life.

Ten years on since this documentary, all research points to the worsening human mental conditions and state of the world. I don't think there will be a new earth in foreseeable future with beings that care much for each other.

I literally got this video assigned for my English 101 class I-

Obviously Mr Sapolsky is much smarter than me, and I do agree with many of the things he says on this topic. But I can personally say my life was much less stressful when things were much simpler, and at that point in my life I had no desire to be in the upper hierarchy. I feel not everyone is cut out for that. I think you can be happy at the lower level, but each person is different.

As someone who grew up in East Africa myself I agree with Dr sapoksky. I am more extroverted and have a different metabolism and voice every time I go back from time to time.

I found this a very fascinating Video and am glad it is available @RU-vid. I made a lot of connections with the prevalence of stress in human society, the different hierarchies we live with often without conscious awareness and how stress impacts heavily on our personal relationships in life. We need to see the positive and negative qualities of stress in our lives and aim to maximize positive stress and minimize negative stress. Seek progress more than the endless pursuit of perfection.