“Is the famous marshmallow test actually just a stress test? According to Dr. Stuart Shanker, it is. And when our brains are hyper-aroused by stress, the slightest thing will trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response, suppressing our ability to think rationally. The same is true for our kids.
In his keynote address at People for Education’s Annual Conference, Shanker argues that if we want to ensure that our next generations have the capacity to think and act rationally, we must focus more on providing students with the competencies they need to respond to stress, understand and manage their emotions and develop positive relationships.”