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PSY 09 — Stress: The Double Agent

Quarter: Summer
Instructor(s): Marwa Azab
Duration: 5 weeks
Location: Online
Date(s): Jul 29—Aug 26
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—7:20 pm (PT)
Tuition: $310
   
Refund Deadline: Jul 31
 
Unit(s): 1
   
Enrollment Limit: 45
  
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
 
Quarter: Summer
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 5:30—7:20 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jul 29—Aug 26
Unit(s): 1
Location: Online
 
Tuition: $310
 
Refund Deadline: Jul 31
 
Instructor(s): Marwa Azab
 
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
 
Enrollment Limit: 45
 
Recording Available: Yes
 
Status: Registration opens May 18, 8:30 am (PT)
 
 
While stress may seem unavoidable, understanding its nuances can empower you to leverage it for success rather than let it sabotage your well-being. This course teaches you to examine stress as a "double agent" that sometimes acts as a motivator to enhance your focus and performance and at other times undermines your mental and physical health. Using cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, we will explore how short bursts of stress can sharpen problem-solving, boost memory, and improve performance in high-pressure situations. We will also examine how chronic stress can damage the brain, weaken the immune system, and contribute to conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Considering biological factors such as hormone levels and brain structure, we will understand why some people excel under pressure while others struggle. Through lectures, discussions, and hands-on techniques like cognitive restructuring to shift unhelpful thought patterns, you will gain practical tools to reframe stress as a potential ally instead of a foe.

MARWA AZAB
Adjunct Professor of Psychology, CSU Long Beach

Marwa Azab is a neuroscientist and the author of An Update on Anxiety Disorders: Etiological, Cognitive & Neuroscientific Aspects. She is a TEDx speaker and writes "Neuroscience in Everyday Life" for Psychology Today. Azab has been featured on ABC, NBC, and BBC News. She received a PhD in neuroscience from UC Irvine.