Skillful Videoscript
LeveL 1
scriPt: What makes a hero?
What makes us who we are? Are our personality characteristics decided at
birth? Or do our families, and the world around us, influence what type of
person we are? For example, why do some people get angry while others never
shout? Why are some people affectionate while others aren’t?
Why do people react differently in dangerous and stressful situations? Some
people have the courage to become heroes, while others panic and are unable
to help. So, are we born heroes? Or do we become heroes?
Sean Hannah and his U.S. army colleagues believe that to have courage
and be a hero, you must have confidence. This means you must believe in
yourself—believe you can succeed in anything and believe you can cope with
any problem. His research tells us we aren’t always born heroes. This means
psychologists can help us to change the way we think so that we become more
confident in different situations, and have more courage during our lives.
But researcher Deane Aikens has a different idea. Dr. Aikens believes that we
are natural-born heroes because of a chemical in our body called Cortisol.
He did some research by putting people in stressful situations. He found that
our bodies produce Cortisol when we’re stressed, but people produce it in
different amounts. People who produce less Cortisol are calmer and think
more clearly. They still feel afraid, but they don’t look afraid.
So, how can this research help us? Well, it could mean that when a person
wants to become a police officer, a doctor, or a fire fighter, for example, the
person’s Cortisol levels could be tested in difficult situations to see if the
person can handle the job. To help people who produce high levels of Cortisol
in stressful situations, scientists could create a medicine that stops their bodies
producing so much Cortisol. As a result, these people can remain calm in
stressful situations. This could help everyone become a hero.
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