PSYC 3140 Lecture Notes - 18 Months, Catecholamine, Dyssomnia

• School: York University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3140
• Professor: Joel Goldberg

Document Summary

There has been considerable new evidence that positive emotions speed physiological and psychological recovery from stress. Experiencing stress means experiencing events that we perceive as endangering our physical or psychological wellbeing. These events are usually referred to as stressors, and people"s reactions to them are labelled stress responses. Any negative event is perceived as more stressful if it is uncontrollable. Galvanic skin response (gsr),drop in electrical resistance of skin, which is an index of physiological arousal. Unpredictability also makes some events especially stressful. Warning of upcoming events allow people to prepare in ways that reduce impact of event. Predictable aversive events may also be less stressful because people know they can relax until they get the warning that the events are about to occur- safety signal hypothesis. Any change in life that requires numerous readjustments can be perceived as stressful. When we face any type of stressor the body mobilizes to handle the stressor.