The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
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The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kelly McGonigal (Author, Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,386 ratings
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The author of The Willpower Instinct delivers a controversial and groundbreaking new book that overturns long-held beliefs about stress.

More than 44 percent of Americans admit to losing sleep over stress. And while most of us do everything we can to reduce it, Stanford psychologist and best-selling author Kelly McGonigal, PhD, delivers a startling message: Stress isn't bad. In The Upside of Stress, McGonigal highlights new research indicating that stress can, in fact, make us stronger, smarter, and happier - if we learn how to embrace it.

The Upside of Stress is the first audiobook to bring together cutting-edge discoveries on the correlation between resilience - the human capacity for stress-related growth - and mind-set, the power of beliefs to shape reality. As she did in The Willpower Instinct, McGonigal combines science, stories, and exercises into an engaging and practical book that is both entertaining and life-changing, showing you:

  • How to cultivate a mind-set to embrace stress
  • How stress can provide focus and energy
  • How stress can help people connect and strengthen close relationships
  • Why your brain is built to learn from stress and how to increase its ability to learn from challenging experiences

McGonigal's TED talk on the subject has already received more than seven million views. Her message resonates with people who know they can't eliminate the stress in their lives and want to learn to take advantage of it. The Upside of Stress is not a guide to getting rid of stress but a guide to getting better at stress by understanding it, embracing it, and usng it.

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  1. Listening Length
    8 hours and 32 minutes
  2. Author
    Kelly McGonigal
  3. Narrator
    Kelly McGonigal
  4. Audible release date
    May 5, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00UVUDCKE
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 8 hours and 32 minutes
Author Kelly McGonigal
Narrator Kelly McGonigal
Audible.com Release Date May 05, 2015
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00UVUDCKE
Best Sellers Rank #9,538 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#49 in Audiobooks on Hygiene & Healthy Living
#53 in Stress Management (Audible Books & Originals)
#93 in Stress Management Self-Help

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,386 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Brandon
5.0 out of 5 stars Helped to cultivate a new mindset on stress!
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It, is a self-help book written by Kelly McGonigal. The book challenges the notion that all stress is bad for us and instead argues that stress can have a positive impact on our lives.

McGonigal's writing style is accessible and engaging, and she blends personal anecdotes, scientific research, and practical tips to create a compelling argument. She explains how stress can help us to grow, build resilience, and find meaning in our lives.

One of the strengths of the book is its emphasis on the role of mindset in shaping our experience of stress. McGonigal argues that by changing the way we think about stress, we can transform it from a negative force to a positive one. She offers a range of strategies to help readers cultivate a more positive relationship with stress, such as reframing stress as a challenge rather than a threat, practicing gratitude, and seeking out social support.

While the book's emphasis on the potential benefits of stress is refreshing, some readers may find the advice on managing stress oversimplified. McGonigal's focus on mindset and positive thinking is a helpful starting point, but it may not be enough to manage chronic or overwhelming stress.

Overall, The Upside of Stress is an informative and thought-provoking read that challenges readers to re-think their relationship with stress. The book is well-researched and presents a compelling argument for why stress can be good for us. However, readers should approach the book with a critical eye and be prepared to supplement its advice with additional resources if they are struggling with significant stress in their lives.
6 people found this helpful
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Customer Linda
5.0 out of 5 stars Stress is better than we think
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018
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I just finished up a book that was bubbling to the top of my to-read pile as the Holidays passed by me at warp speed. The subject of stress does occupy many minds during the winter months and the up and coming income tax season. But as I began reading the following book I found that this book is a welcome read for any time of the year since stress comes in many forms.

For most of our lives, we have been told that stress is harmful to our health. What if someone were able to prove this to be otherwise? How would you feel if you found that there are more health benefits to stress then health risks? All it takes is a change in your mindset.

Kelly McGonigal argues in her book The Upside of Stress that psychologists have been telling people for years that stress is bad for you but she has discovered through research that this is not indeed the case. With her research, she can prove the benefits of stress can outweigh the harmful effects of stress that revolves around changing the mindset about stress. If one can believe that stress is beneficial than the coping mechanisms associated with stressful events can cause personal growth which will improve the health of that individual.

“Mindsets are beliefs that shape your reality, including objective physical reactions (like the strength of my arm as Crum pushed on it), and even long-term health, happiness, and success. More important, the new field of mindset science shows that a single brief intervention, designed to change how you think about something, can improve your health, happiness, and success, even years into the future.” (McGonigal 2016, 4)

Kelly McGonigal, Phd., is a lecturer and psychologist at Stanford University and an expert on mind-body relationship. She is a senior teacher/consultant at Stanford for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education and also teaches for the School of Medicine’s Health Improvement Program. Her work validates the claims of psychological science to personal health and happiness, as well as organizational success and social change.

I understand what McGonigal means when she makes the statement, “When you face difficulties head-on, instead of trying to avoid or deny them, you build your resources for dealing with stressful experiences.” (McGonigal 2016, 18) We all face difficulties over the course of our lives. It is not a matter of what those challenges are but how we handle them that matters most in life. If we don’t manage them well, then we tend to repeat those problems until we can overcome them.

This book explains the reasoning behind why McGonigal believes that stress can be healthy for personal growth. Her research she shares verify why the probability this is correct and she describes this well in the book.
I did not find anything in this book that I would disagree with which is why I have rated this book with five stars.
I highly recommend everyone to read this book, and hopefully, it will change your outlook on stress and help you handle those dreadful times with personal growth and resilience.
15 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book about relationship with stress and hardship.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
A good book. I didn't find anything groundbreaking or something I didn't have any idea about in it, but it is well-structured, evidence-based, well-written and meaningful.
The best thing it does is that it invites you to rethink your relationship with stress, problems and hardship in your life.
It turns out that it's not about positivity per se. It's much more about seeing many sides of stress. The struggling is still there (and denying it would be a bad idea), but you can also see how it can help you grow stronger, more confident and connect with people in more meaningful ways.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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RL
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well packaged product that i received..thanks to the seller bookswagon..
Reviewed in India on April 25, 2023
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Content of the book is gold standard...i have also read willpower instinct by the same author
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RL
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well packaged product that i received..thanks to the seller bookswagon..
Reviewed in India on April 25, 2023
Content of the book is gold standard...i have also read willpower instinct by the same author
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Dauwe Nanou
5.0 out of 5 stars heel interessant boek
Reviewed in Germany on March 2, 2023
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nog niet uitgelezen maar is goed
One person found this helpful
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7117
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book from this McGonigal
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2020
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Love the approach of science to psychology to look at everyday stress from another angle. Has some really good tips at how to get "better" at it.
2 people found this helpful
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B. Delnaye
5.0 out of 5 stars Super !
Reviewed in France on December 16, 2021
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I really enjoyed this book. I found a lot of very interesting points of view that will absolutely change mine …

Moreover, this book opened my eyes on the fact that i already had, deep inside, the perfect tool to face all my new challenges : the stress mécanismes.

Finally, i am very happy to understand that Nature does the things, perfectly.

Stress is now one of my best Friends …

Thanks a lot, dear Kelly.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Stress is harmful, except when its not
Reviewed in Mexico on August 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
Stress: the cause of so much worry as well as all of life's problems; every writer says you should avoid stress at any cost. "Stress can kill you"; till you hear from the author of this marvelous work, "Stress is not bad, but thinking that stress is bad, not only makes it worse, but it can kill you".

With this message across the whole book, she teaches various techniques not to avoid stress, but to face it.

In this book, we see a shift in thinking; a new vision of how to live life; a life-long lesson.

I highly recommend this book to any of you, who are under a lot of stress in this time of pandemic COVID-19; the book will be your very best friend.

If you are still not convinced of my words, check out the author's TED TALK "How to make stress your friend"; it is a simple and very powerful idea.

Thanks to Phd. Kelly McGonigal for getting us to look at our stressfull-life in the right perspective.

Besides, if you could remove all the stressful experiences from your life, perhaps life wouldn't be so meaningful, would it?
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