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

health student in 2025...yes, im watching this video for class

high school junior here- yes i was assigned this vid for psych class. here are my notes on the first half:
Stress Video

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

Watch the first 34 minutes of this video and take notes on the following ideas and questions:

How the stress response is meant to be used vs. how it is used by people today…

THEN
Stress is supposed to be over within a few minutes
Supposed to help us survive in the wild
Somebody gonna eat u or u gonna eat someone else
Run for ur life→get more oxygen and blood pumps
When escaped, stress response shuts down
Off switch
TODAY
But now it just continues over days and weeks until we get whatever is the stressor done with
Humans cant find off switch
Stress response comes up even if we’re not in danger
Continuous and constant
Muscles tense, hyperventilate, heart rate goes up
Stress response more harmful than stressor itself

What type of stress is the right type of stress, according to Sapolsky? Examples?
Right amount of stress-> stimulation
Moderate stressor
“Roller coaster rides are not 3 weeks long”


Sapolsky’s research with baboons
What he observes behaviorally / socially.
They only work 3 hours a day for food
9 hrs of free time
bully each other; create their own stress

There’s a lot of chaos
Hierarchy, more down you are, the worse it is for you
Cunning aggressive males are at the top
Female receive luxury
“Scheming, back-stabbing, machiavellian bastards”


What he observes in terms of physiological, biological, and neurological functioning.
Evolved large brains to navigate complex large societies
Baboon’s rank determines level of stress hormone in its system
Dominant male→ low stress
Submissive, much higher
Increased heart rate, high blood pressure
Weak immune system
Weak reproductive system
Similar symptoms as clinically depressed humans
The connection between 1 and 2.
Similar to human societies
They have a complex hierarchy and the lower the rank, the more stressed, the more stressed, the less healthy
Back-stabbing and toxic behavior


The connection between stress and ulcers…
Up until the 1980’s, it was believed and well-known that ulcers are a result of stress
Then it was declared a bacterial disease, and medication was prescribed
“Case closed”
But a few years later discovered that ulcer-causing bacteria wasn’t unique
⅔ of world pop. have it
Only a fraction of ppl develop those ulcers though
When stressed, body shuts down non-essential systems (back to fight or flight mode) including immune system
So basically, the bacteria that causes ulcers runs in ⅔ of the world’s population, but the reason only a fraction of those people develop ulcers is because they’re constantly stressed. The constant stress puts your body into fight-or-flight mode, and shuts down other systems like the immune system. When you’re constantly stressed your immune system is constantly inactive, which allows the bacteria to develop further.
Stress disrupts our body’s ability to regenerate and heal


What was discovered in the Whitehall Study?

Tracked health of more than 28k ppl over 40 years
Showed that lower hierarchy, higher risk of heart disease and other diseases and length of life
Similarly to the baboon study
Link between stress, position on social hierarchy, and weight gain (belly)


Carol Shively’s Research with macaque monkeys
What she observes behaviorally / socially.
Organize into hierarchy
Social stress like baboons
What she observes in terms of physiological, biological, and neurological functioning.
Stress hormones trigger negative cardiovascular response
Pounding heart
Increased blood pressure
Studied their arteries
Dominant monkey, less stress, clean arteries
Subordinate monkey have bad arteries
Atherosclerosis built up inside it
Stress and flood of hormones increase blood pressure, damaging artery walls for plaque
When feel threatened, your arteries don’t expand
Heart muscle gets less blood
Leads to heart attack
You need to attend to it immediately
Affects your body functions
PLEASURE
Neurotransmitter dopamine
When released, binds to receptors signaling pleasure
Primate CEO:
Dominant monkeys light up bright with lotsa dopamine binding
Feel pleasure
Loser monkey
Subordinate monkey brains very dull b/c less receptor-binding occurring
Less dopamine=less pleasure=less enjoyment in life
Subordinate monkeys more likely to have fat in their abdomen than dominant monkeys
The connection between 1 and 2.
“Social and psychological stress, whether macaque, human, or baboon, can clog our arteries, restrict blood flow, jeopardize the health of our heart…”
Constant stress can kill some brain cells
Link between stress, pleasure, and hierarchy rank

Bruce McEwen’s research on the brains of rats.
Subjected rats to chronic stress, then examined their brain cells.
Normal rat brain cells have extensive branches
Stressed rat brain cells were smaller
Location: hippocampus (memory/learning)
MEMORY:
Chronic stress, change brain circuits so lose capacity to remember
Severe acute stress: “stress makes you stupid” hard to remember things you know well
Human gets stress for long and severe time+less sleep= forgetfulness

SUMMARY:
Baboons, humans, and macaques organize themselves into socially stressful hierarchies
The lower rank you are, the more stressed you are.
The more stressed you are, the less healthy you are.
Why?
Stress shuts your body into fight or flight mode, and being in constant stress tells your body that you’re constantly in danger.
Systems unnecessary for running away shut down, like your immune system.
System necessary for running away activates, which relates to blood, oxygen, and heart rate.
More stress has a higher heart rate and increased blood pressure.
Risk of more heart attacks
Similarly with ulcers, the bacteria grows more when your immune system is dormant.
More stress causes weight gain to target belly/abdomen.
This is more dangerous than other regions of your body
It behaves differently
Produces different kinds of hormones and chemicals

Yesssir Dr. Martinez class stress health n disease 🔥🔥🔥🔥

2025, this is still assigned for psych majors- stressed senior seminar student

psyc100 :)

I see all the psych students saying thier professor had assigned them this video. My therapist assigned me this video to watch before my next appointment 🙃 🤦🏻‍♀️

Now I'm stressed about the health effects of the stress I had before watching this.

HOW WAS THIS VIDEO ASSIGNED FOR PE😭😭

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers!

Im in retail with a major corporation. Every day is started with letting you know how much money the company wants you to make for them. Your "daily goal".

Yes, Health teachers are still assigning this (Dec 2024)

yes, teachers are assigning this video still

My professor stressing me out bc no due dates and hasn’t answered my email yet assigned this video. 😅

Psych100 Is still loving this video woop woop!

Some parts of this video really stresses me out (when zebras ran for their lives😔)

Anybody from laughlands class

I actually enjoyed this video, answering my professors questions not so much but overall I think it was a well spent hour😂

I don't understand how tuberculosis affected or targeted mostly alpha males? I don't get it. How come others were not affected?

Still being assigned this video ✋

ive been watching 13 min for a psyc class and ive watched 6 adds so far. This is insane

Anyone watching this after COVID and think maybe like the baboons, we can build a society where aggressors don't rule as alphas, the equivalent of grooming- helping others takes over, and violence against women is no longer the norm? Success comes from nit beating others down but interacting loving in the group?
Maybe there is hope for our societies to turn around? ❤

My professor atleast told us this video is a hour long lol

Lmaooooo I like how most of these comments are about college professors not about the vid🤣

Thanks for keeping this thing uploaded, I'm using this to make people aware why you shouldn't threaten your employees with their survival..

Insightfull 💡

Neuro students also stressed and watching this in class

This is why under anarchism, all forms of hierarchy and authority are dismantled

After 16 years its all still same. They still ask how much you can work in stressful environment in your interviews and in hiring assessments. That's why I prefer staying at home as a student than working. I am not ready to deal with these bullies and their work. I wanted to study fine arts and music because it makes me feel less stressed and working independent from people, but guess what? A fine arts degree doesn't guarantee a job as much as an engineer or nurse!

It is criminal that this isn't in 1080p

Wow 2024 and we still watching this 🥴

I would recommend every person on the planet watch this and take notes.

This is what I'm trying to tell my manager for a long time

You are Wise Beyond Your years.

Tears due to stress caused by a co-worker? Really!!! No the co-worker would have had the tears not me.😊😂😂😂❤❤❤😊😊

It's not a terrible doc! However, Professor, It's 2024. We already know this...

After careful consideration and long reflection on this documentary,
which says that hiearchy causes stress for the people on the lower part,
i (Jordan) must defend hierchies and how we have just no way of dealing with them.

These sudden useless adds are stressing me!!!

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

Ranking
Social status hierarchy
I think our problem is with the way we see other people , And the way we see ourselves

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

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

Damn. This video hit the nail right on the head

Still have to watch this for psych class in 2024

>Be me
>Proffessor assigns a documentary to watch and an essay
>Expect it to be 15 - 20 minutes like all the other things she makes us watch
>Video was an hour long and
>Absorbe none of the information due to having ADHD
> PAIN

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

Amazing, watched it fir the 3rd time in life,had tears in the ending, great work, Thanks for sharing 🌷👍

So where is this Utopia I don't want to die. All 46 years of my life I have had way to much stress I have been the bottom person on the social ladder even if a times I foolishly thought I was a equal leader even the dog was smart enough to tell I was not the alpha. I DON"T WANT TO DIE

We - are not doing it, it is done to us by the above rulers in a planned and measured manner