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Are You Super Stressed Out? A Psychologist Says You Should Try This.

A psychologist explains how tending to others and seeking out support can be an adaptive way to handle stress.

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You’ve heard of the fight-or-flight response; what about the tend-and-befriend? Coined by social psychologist Dr. Shelley E. Taylor and her research team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the tend-and-befriend theory provides an alternate description of our reaction to stress.

“The Tend and Befriend theory builds on the observation that human beings affiliate in response to stress,” Dr. Taylor wrote in her research. “Under conditions of threat, they tend to offspring to ensure their survival and affiliate with others for joint protection and comfort.” 

I’ll be honest: When I first learned of this theory, I assumed it was another self-love trend that involves befriending yourself and tending to your own needs. However, it’s actually a complex and intuitive stress response.

What Is the Tend-and-Befriend........

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