Your heartbeat is preparing you for what lies ahead. If you breathe faster, it's not a problem. It just brings more oxygen to the brain. And the participants, who learned that their stress response is beneficial to their performance, were less anxious, less stressed and more confident. In a typical stress response, the heart rate increases and blood vessels constrict. This constraint is why chronic stress is associated with cardiovascular disease. Although it is unhealthy to always be in such a calm state of mind, participants see their natural responses as strengths and their blood vessels remain relaxed. While their hearts were still beating, their cardiovascular profile was healthier. . This “profile” actually resembles what you see in moments of joy and courage. Over the course of countless stressful experiences, this simple biological change could mean the difference between a stress-induced heart attack at age 45 and living into your 80s. This shows that your views on stress really do