Health: The Price Of Pressure

Not all stresses are created equal. A new study finds that some may even be good for you

Jerry Seinfeld got a big laugh when he joked about a survey that found that the fear of public speaking ranks higher in most people's minds than the fear of death. "In other words," he deadpanned, "at a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy."

It's a funny line, but the comedian may have had it backward. Short-term stresses like speaking in public, it turns out, boost your immune system in ways that tend to keep you out of the coffin, not put you in it. That's one of the findings that emerged from...

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