Most of the time, our stress responses are operating as a sort of background hum, keeping us on edge. But little of modern life truly requires it (especially among academic scientists). That stress response is crucial in dire circumstances. The stress response in humans is facilitated by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of our kidneys and spit adrenaline into our blood whenever we’re in need of fight or flight. Vague conjecture that yoga “decreases stress” wasn’t sufficient. Studies show correlations between the two, but he needed a physiological mechanism to explain the relationship. Of course there is evidence that ties practicing yoga to good health, but not the sort that convinced Strick. Still, the meticulous skeptic espoused more of a tennis approach to dealing with stressful situations: Just teach yourself to move on. “But I’d say, as far as I’m concerned, there's no scientific evidence that this is going to help me.” “My kids would tell me, dad, you ought to take up pilates. He’s the sort of person to dwell on mistakes, however small.

He’s a distinguished professor and chair of the department of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute. Peter Strick is not a professional tennis player. They constantly move on and start fresh for the next point. Elite tennis players have an uncanny ability to clear their heads after making errors.

Adrenal medulla stress response