Managing stress in turbulent times, with Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, and Georges C. Benjamin, MD

Speaking of Psychology

Kim Mills

Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.5 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2026

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From societal division to economic uncertainty to global conflict, we are living in stressful times. In this special episode of Speaking of Psychology, Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association, and Georges C. Benjamin, MD, CEO of the American Public Health Association, discuss how chronic societal stress can “get under the skin,” harming the mental and physical health of individuals and communities. They also explore the toll on healthcare workers and share research-backed strategies to cope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We are living in stressful times. Every day, headlines are full of economic uncertainty,
0:07.6	political polarization, and global conflict. These are political challenges, but they are also personal.
0:14.0	APA's 2025 Stress in America survey found that 62% of U.S. adults reported societal division
0:20.2	as a significant source of stress in their
0:22.6	lives, while three-quarters said they are more stressed about the country's future than they
0:26.9	used to be. Living with this stress can pose real threats to individuals and communities' health
0:32.5	and well-being. Today we're going to talk about how societal stress gets under our skin to affect our health and mental health.
0:40.5	What kinds of ripples are we seeing in communities right now?
0:43.8	Who is most vulnerable?
0:45.6	And what concrete steps can you take to protect your well-being in these turbulent times?
0:51.0	Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association
0:56.3	that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills. Today we're
1:05.4	joining with our colleagues at the American Public Health Association to bring you a special
1:09.7	episode exploring these issues.
1:12.0	I'm pleased to welcome to this episode APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. and APHA CEO, George's Benjamin.
1:20.2	Dr. Evans is CEO of the American Psychological Association and a clinical and community psychologist
1:26.0	and health care innovator who has employed science,
1:29.3	community activism, traditional clinical care, and cross-system collaborations to change the
1:35.2	status quo around behavioral health. Before joining APA in 2017, he spent 12 years as commissioner of
1:42.6	Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services,
1:47.5	where he emphasized the population health approach to serving a wide range of individuals with complex needs.
1:54.5	Dr. Evans has also held faculty appointments at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.
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