PSYC 104 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Insomnia, Twin, Social Comparison Theory
PSYC104 Chapter 14 Reading Notes: Health and Well-Being
- Health psychology: the application of psychology to the promotion of physical health and
the prevention and treatment of illness (572)
oHealth is a joint product of biological, psychological, and social factors
oRecent diseases can be prevented through changes in lifestyle, outlook, and behavior
- Stress and health (573)
oStress: unpleasant state of arousal that happens when we perceive that the demands of
a situation threaten our ability to cope effectively
oWorld events can stress an entire generation/population
Ex: stress about economy, money, etc.
oSymptoms of stress: irritability, anger, fatigue, nervousness, lack of energy and
motivation, sadness, depression, headaches, wanting to cry, stomach upset, and
muscular tension
oMore stress reported by women, minority, unemployed, young, less educated, and
those with lower incomes
oWays to deal with stress
Start with subjective appraisal of situation: how people make judgments about
demands of potentially stressful events and their ability to meet those demands
Try coping: efforts to reduce stress
Can try to prevent stressful events from occurring in the first place
Effective coping helps maintain good health; ineffective coping can cause harm
- What causes stress? (574)
oUsually sorted into 3 categories: catastrophes, major life events, and daily hassles
oHow to measure amount of stress or stressors: anything that causes stress
Use self-reports: check off life events from list of known stressors, keep daily diaries
to report stressful experiences as they occur, etc.
Use physiological measures by analyzing stress hormone levels in blood, urine, or
saliva, or measuring heart rate, respiration rate, BP, or sweat gland activity
May be able to assess stress over time: measure accumulation of cortisol in hair
oCrises and catastrophes
Stressful events include natural disasters, accidents like oil spills, or terrorist attacks
like 9/11. All these events increase stress levels, more so depending on the proximity
of the situation and if it has affected you/people you know (575)
War leaves permanent psychological scars, causing posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD). Symptoms include recurring anxiety, sleeplessness, nightmares, intrusive
bad thoughts, flashbacks, attention problems, and social withdrawal (576)
PTSD levels can increase as time goes on
War can also traumatize civilian populations
PTSD can affect people who experience witnessing a murder/injury, death of a
loved one, life-threatening accidents, serious illness, war, fires, and natural
disasters, physical and sexual assaults, and prison. More prevalent among
women, though men are more likely to experience potentially traumatic events
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oMajor life events (577)
Changes themselves can cause stress by forcing us to adapt to new circumstances
Can be positive or negative changes, both of which can increase stress
Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS): way to measure life stress. Checklist of 43
major life events with a numerical value based on the readjustment it requires
Some say that both positive and negative change are harmful, but 2 problems to this
1) research doesn’t support the claim that positive stressors like vacations,
graduating, winning a lottery, starting a new career, or getting married, are
harmful. Can be happy and in distress at the same time
2) impact of change depends on the person and how the change is interpreted
oMicrostressors: the hassles of everyday life
Most common form of stress
Environmental factors: population density, noise, heat/cold, cigarette smoke
Other factors: car problems, gas prices, waiting in lines, traffic, losing keys, bad work
days, money troubles
Accumulation of daily hassles contributes more to illness than do major life events
Interpersonal conflicts have most impact, which is long-lasting
Occupational stress: people burnout, causing emotional exhaustion, cynicism,
disengagement, and lack of personal accomplishment
Common in teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, and social workers
People feel drained, frustrated, hardened, apathetic, and lacking energy
Common in people who don’t have enough resources at work (578)
At greater risk for cardiovascular disease
Both men and women likely to burnout, but have different symptoms
oWomen 8% more likely to be emotionally exhausted in workplace
oMen 14% more likely to be depersonalized in workplace
Commuting to and from work is another form of daily stress
Longer commutes correlated with more stress, being sloppy at simple
proofreading tasks, and having higher cortisol levels
Financial pressure is common source of stress
Can have more conflict in marriage, harder adjustment for children, and
emotional distress for parents
SES is powerful indicator for everyday life hassles: those who are less educated,
lave lower status jobs, and earn less or no income are more likely to suffer from
health problems
oMore exposure to noise, crowing, crime, poor diet, and other stressors (579)
oFewer medical, social, and psychological resources
- How does stress affect the body?
oThe general adaptation syndrome: body naturally responds to stress in 3-stage process
1. Initial alarm reaction: adrenaline and other hormones poured into bloodstream.
Blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rates increase, while growth, digestion,
and immune system operation are inhibited
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2. Resistance stage: body remains aroused and on alert. Continued release of stress
hormones, and local defenses activated
3. Exhaustion stage: if stress is prolonged, systems in the body breakdown, putting
us at risk for illness or death
stress may be adaptive short-term reaction to threat, but over time, it compromises
our health and well-being (580)
stress response occurs in all mammals. Why don’t zebras get ulcers?
Zebras only use stress response for physiological stress. Humans activate stress
response for psychological stress as well, though the response was designed for
acute physical emergencies, so the prolonged stress response causes bad health
Fight-or-flight response occurs more often in men; tend-and-befriend response
occurs more often in women
Evolutionarily, women adapt to hardship by caring for children and seeking out
others who might help. Under stress, women become more nurturing than men
and more affiliative
If females isolated, unsupported, and in social distress, they exhibit elevated
levels of oxytocin, which increases tendency to seek out social contact
oWhat stress does to the heart
Psychological stress can increase chance of developing coronary heart disease
(CHD). This study is called psychocardiology or cardiac psychology (581)
Exp: classified working men as either having Type A or B personality
Type A: hard-driving, competitive, impatient, time-conscious, and quick to anger
Type B: easygoing, relaxed, and laid back
Out of those who developed heart attacked over following 9 years, 69%
classified as Type A and 31% classified as Type B
At first, determined that Type A personality was a risk factor for CHD, like high
blood pressure, smoking, high blood cholesterol, and obesity. Over time, found a
weaker correlation depending on how the personalities were studied and what
population was studied. Strength of correlation depended on how people were
diagnosed with their personalities. More correlation if diagnosed through
interviews than through self-reports
Found that primary risk factor in CHD is hostility (582)
Hostile behavior includes being constantly angry, resentful, cynical, suspicious,
and mistrustful of others
oThis builds up stress, overworking your heart and blood vessels, causing
them to wear down
oSame effect holding anger in as expressing anger. The hostility is in the
emotion, whether it is expressed or not
Hostile people may be less health-conscious: smoke more, consume more
caffeine and alcohol, exercise less, sleep less, and eat less healthy foods. Less
likely to comply with advice from doctors
Hostile people more likely to have greater physiological reactions to stress:
higher BP, pulse rate, and adrenaline
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