Psychophysiology of Stress

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Background

The human being has become the most evolved species, taking over the top of the evolutionary pyramid due to its adaptation to the environment. This adaptation was a result of changes at the physiological level that allowed a metabolism to be more adapted to the available resources, changes at the anatomical level that allowed us to dominate the close context, and changes at psychological and social structure levels that allowed the development of personal and interpersonal relationships, which improve the chance of surviving. Furthermore, our psychophysiological structures have been modified in order to improve the response to the environment. Specifically, our nervous systems showed an unrivalled development, combining innate defence systems and an adaptative and plastic cerebral structure not seen in other species. The development of psychophysiological responses that precluded us from any threat was the bases of the actual flight-fight system.

The phylogenesis of this defense system shows us how it was developed over hundreds of thousands of years to respond to more or less constant stressors. Principally, it is based on physiological demands and simple psychological requirements related to belonging and staying in a group to improve individual survival. However, the evolution that the human being presented in the last millennials has made the social structure and societal relationships completely different from those we had in most of our evolution time. This rapid evolution of our environment and social relationships has created an asynchronousness with the innate responses that for a long time protected us from environmental stressors. While previously they protected us, now it could cause innumerable dysregulations and pathologies of the organism.

Our current lifestyle, such as nutrition intake, physical activity, relationships, psychological coping styles, the exposition to chemical and physical agents, could be a source of multiple stressors for our organism. In this line, this Research Topic aims to increase knowledge in the psychophysiology of stress. We welcome manuscripts that approach this topic in any area that implies an organic stress response and changes in its psychophysiological response. We proposed the following thematic areas:
• Psychophysiological stress response and disease
• The psychophysiological stress response in psychological disorders
• The psychophysiological stress response in sport
• The psychophysiological stress response in the workplace
• The psychophysiological stress response in academic and learning process
• The psychophysiological stress response to environmental agents

We welcome submissions of the following article types: Brief Research Report, Case Report, Clinical Trial, Community Case Study, Data Report, Mini Review, Opinion, Original Research, Perspective, Registered Report, Review, Systematic Review, Policy and Practice Reviews.

Keywords: stress, physiology, psychology, education, disease, sport, environmental, psychological disorder, workplace

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