A Stanford University neurobiologist has been advancing our understanding of stress - how it impacts our bodies and how our social standing can make us more or less susceptible. Research reveals that the impact of stress can be found deep within us, shrinking our brains, adding fat to our bellies, even unraveling our chromosomes. Yet understanding how stress works can help us figure out a ways to combat it and how to live a life free of the tyranny of this contemporary plague.