Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success

by Brad Stulberg

The lead author on this study, Christian Cook, PhD, professor of physiology and elite performance at Bangor University, told us that “a friendly post-exercise setting—particularly being able to talk, joke, and debrief with other athletes—seems to help with recovery and future performance.” When we shared this with Kelly McGonigal, PhD, (the Stanford University professor and stress expert you met in Chapter 3), she wasn’t surprised. “The basic biology of feeling connected to others has profound effects on stress physiology,” McGonigal told us. The positive effects of social connection include increasing heart rate variability (HRV), shifting the nervous system into recovery mode, and releasing hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin that have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. “What’s even crazier,” says McGonigal, “is that oxytocin helps your heart repair. It’s pretty poetic that feeling connected to others literally fixes a broken heart.