--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the body is equipped with what Cannon…" description: "\"“the body is equipped with what Cannon named the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that gets flipped on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/lissa-rankin-30062_fear_the-body-is-equipped-with-what-cannon-na_2887515.jpg" --- # the body is equipped with what Cannon named the stress… ![“the body is equipped with what Cannon named the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that gets flipped on when your brain perceives a threat. When this hormonal cascade is triggered by a thought or emotion in the mind, such as fear, the…” quote by Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/lissa-rankin-30062_fear_the-body-is-equipped-with-what-cannon-na_2887515.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/lissa-rankin-30062_fear_the-body-is-equipped-with-what-cannon-na_2887515.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/730/lissa-rankin-30062_fear_the-body-is-equipped-with-what-cannon-na_2887515.jpg) > ““the body is equipped with what Cannon named the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that gets flipped on when your brain perceives a threat. When this hormonal cascade is triggered by a thought or emotion in the mind, such as fear, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activates, thereby stimulating the sympathetic nervous system to race into overdrive, pumping up the body’s cortisol and adrenaline levels. Over time, filling the body with these stress hormones can manifest as physical symptoms, predisposing the body to disease over time.”” [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chronic stress triggers a hormonal cascade that harms health over time. **In simple terms:** Stress hormones damage health when constantly activated. Key Takeaway Manage stress to protect your body. Themes health stress biology Mood concerned motivational Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - work pressure - personal anxiety - chronic illness - mental health counseling Key Concepts HPA axis fight or flight psychoneuroimmunology Questions to Reflect On - What daily habits increase your stress hormones? - How can you reset your stress response? A Different Perspective Stress response is essential for survival; chronic activation is harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-stress-1120139/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Hypothalamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-hypothalamic-4036620/) [Nervous system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-system/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Stress Hormones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress-hormones-1465853/) [Stress Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress-response-1094804/) [Threat Hormonal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat-hormonal-4036619/) ## Related quotes > [The stress response is incredibly ancient evolutionarily. Fish, birds and reptiles secrete the same stress hormones we do, yet their metabolism doesn't get messed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/the-stress-response-is-incredibly-ancient-evolutionarily-fish-birds/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [“The experience of stress has three components. The first is the event, physical or emotional, that the organism interprets as threatening. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-experience-of-stress-has-three-components-the-first-is-the-event/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [Stress is a form of suffering. 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It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/my-belief-is-that-cancer-comes-from-inside-you-and-so-much-of-it-has/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [I think that we as humans have this intuition that we should be afraid, in order to protect us from things, or be afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ane-brun/i-think-that-we-as-humans-have-this-intuition-that-we-should-be/) [Ane Brun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ane-brun/) > [“When bad luck comes around, your reaction to it is a combination of how bad the luck is plus how prepared your body is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-bad-luck-comes-around-your-reaction-to-it-is-a-combination-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Evolution has geared the human stress response to last about thirty seconds. It's enough time to facilitate fight or flight. Evolution has not adapted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/evolution-has-geared-the-human-stress-response-to-last-about-thirty/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [“It turns out that our perspective has a surprising amount of influence over the body’s stress response. When we turn a threat into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/it-turns-out-that-our-perspective-has-a-surprising-amount-of/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [“if you’re stressed like a normal mammal in an acute physical crisis, the stress response is lifesaving. But if instead you chronically activate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/if-you-re-stressed-like-a-normal-mammal-in-an-acute-physical-crisis/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [“Work by Shelley Taylor of UCLA shows that “fight or flight” is the typical response to stress in males, and naturally, the stress literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/work-by-shelley-taylor-of-ucla-shows-that-fight-or-flight-is-the/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [ “Significant stress in early childhood,” they write, “. . . result\[s\] in a hyperresponsive or chronically activated physiologic stress response, along with increased potential… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/significant-stress-in-early-childhood-they-write-result-s-in-a/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [As I became more interested in behavior from the standpoint of neurobiology, the stress-response became really interesting. What stress physiology is about is -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/as-i-became-more-interested-in-behavior-from-the-standpoint-of/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [“I look at it this way: the instinctive response to danger—the stress response—consists of fight, flight, or freeze. These three strategies help us survive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-germer/i-look-at-it-this-way-the-instinctive-response-to-danger-the-stress/) [Christopher K. Germer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-germer/) > [“UCLA psychologist Shelley Taylor has discovered a stress response that differs from fight or flight. She calls it tend and befriend. “One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/ucla-psychologist-shelley-taylor-has-discovered-a-stress-response/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [“Looking towards joy is the most important of rewiring the stress response”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hart/looking-towards-joy-is-the-most-important-of-rewiring-the-stress/) [Miranda Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hart/) ## More by Lissa Rankin > [The holy grail is right here in this gem of a book. Tosha Silver’s wisdom goes down as easy as a mint milkshake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-holy-grail-is-right-here-in-this-gem-of-a-book-tosha-silver-s/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [Love opens your heart, trumps fear, and paves the way for healing in all aspects of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/love-opens-your-heart-trumps-fear-and-paves-the-way-for-healing-in/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [The longest journey you'll ever make is the journey from the head to the heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-longest-journey-you-ll-ever-make-is-the-journey-from-the-head-to/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/when-you-focus-on-gratitude-positive-things-flow-in-more-readily/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [“By letting fear illuminate what’s in need of healing, not just in you, but in your family, you have the potential to heal not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/by-letting-fear-illuminate-what-s-in-need-of-healing-not-just-in-you/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [“You have to fill your cup and appreciate what you already have before you can face the truth about what isn’t working and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/you-have-to-fill-your-cup-and-appreciate-what-you-already-have-before/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [We are all incredibly different and rather than being something to be ashamed of, that's something to really celebrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/we-are-all-incredibly-different-and-rather-than-being-something-to-be/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [If I took fear out of the equation, what would I change about how I spend my days?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/if-i-took-fear-out-of-the-equation-what-would-i-change-about-how-i/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [When your life falls apart, you either grow, or you grow a tumor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/when-your-life-falls-apart-you-either-grow-or-you-grow-a-tumor/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [“the ones who long to live in alignment with their own Inner Pilot Lights start flocking to you. Your changing vibration attracts your true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-ones-who-long-to-live-in-alignment-with-their-own-inner-pilot/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [Promoting health without encouraging others to seek wholeness is an exercise in futility. Not until we realize that our bodies are mirrors of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/promoting-health-without-encouraging-others-to-seek-wholeness-is-an/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [It's easy to get caught up in how our figures look when we stand naked in front of the mirror. 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The body is the physical manifestation of the sum of your life experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-body-isn-t-the-foundation-of-your-health-the-body-is-the-physical/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/what-we-are-today-comes-from-our-thoughts-of-yesterday-and-our-3/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) [Explore all 17 Lissa Rankin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. 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Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. 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Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“the body is equipped with what Cannon named the stress response, also known as the fight-or-flight response, a survival mechanism that gets flipped on when your brain perceives a threat. 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