There are three sections in the diagram: A line chart showing the stages of stress, a flow-chart of short-term responses to stress, and a bar graph showing responses to prolonged stress. Text under the title “Physiological responses to stress” reads “When faced with an emergency, our bodies go through a series of physiological responses that assist us in coping with a stressor. Activation of the fight-or-flight response and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems gives us the energy and resources we need to cope with a temporary stressor. Studying these physiological responses, Hans Selye (1956) found that the sequence follows the same path no matter the stressor. Selye called this sequence the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). He found that when the stressor remains, our bodies can no longer adapt.” The line chart is titled “General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Text under the title reads “In the alarm stage, the short-term responses are activated, giving us the energy to combat a threat. In the resistance stage, resources remain mobilized, and we continue to cope with the stressor. But eventually we enter the exhaustion stage, becoming weak and susceptible to illness, and less able to cope with the stressor.” The line chart itself shows resistance to stress, from low to high, on the Y axis, and three stages of alarm on the x axis. The stages are, from left to right: A brief Alarm stage, then resistance stage, which is approximately three times as long as alarm stage, then exhaustion stage, which is approximately half as long as resistance stage. In alarm stage, the stress response is activated. The resistance to stress drops quickly after the initial stressor, and then begins to increase, rising past the normal level of stress resistance by the end of alarm stage. In Resistance stage, resistance level continues to climb until it peaks, and then begins to gradually decline towards the end of the stage. In exhaustion stage, resistance level continues to fall, until it is well below the normal level of resistance. The graphic of the short-term responses to stress shows two divergent flowcharts, each of which begin at the point where the stressor is processed by the hypothalamus in the brain. Text attached to this point reads “Amygdala processes information about stressor. If threat is perceived, hypothalamus triggers short-term stress response.” The left flowchart shows the fight-or-flight system. In this system, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system, which sends signals to the adrenal medulla (the core of the adrenal gland), which releases catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine). This causes efficient management of bodily resources, so that they are available for emergency actions, such as increased heart rate, increased respiration, increased blood flow to muscles, slowed digestion, and dilation of pupils. The right flowchart shows the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system. In this system, the hypothalamus alerts the pituitary gland, which sets a signal to the adrenal cortex (the outside layer of the adrenal gland), which releases corticosteroids, including cortisol. This causes efficient management of bodily resources and immune system activation. Text under the flowchart reads “The HPA system manages resources like the fight-or-flight system does, but it takes longer to mobilize these processes, and the effects are more sustained.” The bar graph about prolonged stress shows relative risk of a cold for various durations of a stressor. For no stressor, the risk is 1; for less than 1 month, the risk is approximately 1.5 months; for 1 to 6 months, the risk is 2; for 6 to 24, the risk is approximately 2.7, and for more than 24 months the risk is approximately 4. Text attached to the bar graph reads “Prolonged stress can cause the immune system to break down. As you can see, the risk of becoming sick is directly related to the duration of a stressor. This effect is seen even when the stressor is not traumatic. Data in this study were collected from people reporting on interpersonal conflicts and problems concerning work (Cohen et al., 1998).”