This Incredible TED Talk Shows How Changing Your Perception Of Stress Could Save Your Life

YouTube/TEDKelly McGonigal

When Kelly McGonigal first told her audience that a belief in the harmful effects of stress - and not stress itself - was a serious health risk, many people laughed.

But by the end of her talk, most of them were willing to accept that a change in their perception of stress rather than the elimination of it could save them from a premature death.

McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who gave a TED Talk last June that has racked up almost 4.8 million views on TED's site and over a million views on TED's YouTube page.

Her presentation, "How To Make Stress Your Friend," draws on three recent studies that reveal how stress is a natural reaction to adversity, and if you stop becoming anxious about your stress, the body can naturally cope in a healthy way.

Here are the highlights: