2. Chapter 11- Emotion, Stress, and Health

Question 1

What are the 3 components of emotion?

Answer 1

1. Physiological changes in the face brain and body
2. Cognitive processes such as appraisals and interpretations of events
3. Action tendencies that spur us to fight or flee, embrace or withdraw

Culture and social context influence both inner experience and the outward expression of emotion

Question 2

What are primary emotions and secondary emotions?

Answer 2

Primary emotions- emotions that are considered to be universal and biologically based
Fear anger sadness joy surprise disgust shame embarrassment
Secondary emotions- emotions that are specific to certain cultures or that depend on cognitive complexity

Question 3

What is facial feedback?

Answer 3

Process where the facial muscles send messages to the brain about the basic emotion being expressed
Smile tells us we’re happy
Frown says we’re angry

Question 4

What is the prefrontal cortex in the brain involved in with emotion?
What does the left and right side do?

Answer 4

The prefrontal regions of the brain are involved in impulses to approach or withdraw (disgust or fear)
Right side is for impulse to withdraw or escape
Left side is for motivation to approach others (happiness, positive emotions, even anger, a negative emotion)

Question 5

What is the amygdala’s role in emotion?

What is the cerebral cortex’s role?

Answer 5

Amygdala is responsible for evaluating sensory information, determining its emotional importance, and making the initial decision to approach or withdraw from a person or situation
Instantly analyzes danger or threat

The cerebral cortex generates a more complete picture. It can override signals sent by the amygdala

Question 6

What are mirror neurons?

Answer 6

Brain cells that fire when a person or animal observes other carrying out an action; they are involved in empathy, language comprehension, imitation, and reading emotions
In humans the mirror neurons only recognize intentional actions not accidental

These help us identify what others are feeling and to understand their intentions

Question 7

What is the next step once brain areas associated with emotion are activated?

Answer 7

Release of hormones to enable you to respond quickly
When under stress or feeing an intense emotion, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system spurs the adrenal glands to send out epinephrine and norepinephrine

Question 8

What are appraisals?

Answer 8

A person’s perceptions, beliefs attributions and goals that determine which emotion he or she will feel in a given circumstance; they are a central component of emotion and the emotional experience

Meeting girl on scary suspension bridge makes you more likely to be attracted to her than meeting her in the woods

Question 9

What are prototypical emotions?

Answer 9

Emotion words that young children learn first
Happy sad mad scared
As children develop they begin to draw emotional distinctions

Question 10

What are display rules?

Answer 10

Cultural norms for how when and where you express the emotions that you feel
(It is bad to feel anger as an Inuit so most would suppress anger)

Question 11

What is emotion work?

Answer 11

Expression of an emotion, often because of a role requirement, that a person does not really feel

Acting sad at a funeral when you aren’t really sad
Acting happy at a wedding when you aren’t happy

Question 12

Which sex is more emotional?

Answer 12

Sometimes men, sometimes women, sometimes neither, depending on the circumstances and the cultural context

Question 13

What is the general adaption syndrome?

What are the 3 phases?

Answer 13

GAS- a series of physiological reactions to stress occurring in 3 phases:

1. Alarm phase- mobilizes sympathetic nervous system to meet immediate threat
2. Resistance phase- resist or cope with a stressor that cannot be avoided
3. Exhaustion phase- persistent stress depleted the body of energy which increases vulnerability to physical problems and illness

Question 14

What is HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex)?

What is cortisol?

Answer 14

System activated to energize the body to respond to stressors. Hypothalamus sends chemical messengers to the pituitary gland which prompts the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol and other hormones

Cortisol is a hormone excreted by the adrenal cortex that elevates blood sugar and protects the body’s tissues in case of injury (if chronically elevated it can lead to hypertension immune disorders and other illnesses)

Question 15

What is psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?

Answer 15

Study of the relationships among psychology, the nervous and endocrine systems, and the immune system

Research how stress can lead to illness, aging, and premature death
Chronic stress shortens telomeres which kills cells early

Question 16

What is optimism?

Answer 16

General expectation that things will go well in spite of occasional setbacks - makes life possible

If people are in a jam but believe things get better eventually they keep striving to make that prediction come true

Optimism makes no difference on how long you live though

Optimists keep gambling

Question 17

What is conscientiousness?

Answer 17

The ability to persist in pursuit of goals, get a good education, work hard but enjoy the work and it’s challenges, and be responsible

Conscientious people are optimists in a sense that they believe their efforts will pay off

Question 18

What is the locus of control?

Answer 18

A general expectation about whether the results of your actions are under your own control (internal locus) or beyond your control (external locus) (luck, fate)

Question 19

What is primary and secondary control?

Answer 19

Primary- effort to modify reality by changing other people, situation or events (fighting back)
Secondary- effort to accept reality by changing your own attitudes, goals, or emotions
(Learn to live with it)

Question 20

What was the study done on Type A personalities?

Answer 20

Type A personality: ambition, impatience, working hard, and having high standards
Test was to see if type A has greater risk of heart disease but only one factor in type A people increased heart disease: cynical and antagonistic hostility- characterizes people who are the mistrustful of others and always ready to provoke mean, furious arguments

Question 21

Can positivity be healthy?

Answer 21

Nuns whose life stories contained the most words describing positive emotion lived an average of 9 years later than those with fewest positive feelings

Happiness doesn’t cause wellness and sadness does not cause illness

Question 22

What is positive psychology?

Answer 22

Seeks to examine the ways in which positive emotions such as happiness and positive personality traits enhance well being, health, and resilience

Question 23

Is it better to suppress matter of great emotional importance or express them?

Answer 23

Express them
People who are able to express matters of great emotional importance to them show elevated levels of disease fighting white blood cells
People who suppress have decreased levels

Can develop loneliness which leads to less likely to stay in school, trust others less, and change eating patterns

Question 24

What are three ways to let negative emotions go?

Answer 24

Confess them, talk about them to yourself and others

Give up the thoughts that produce them and adopt a perspective that might lead to forgiveness

Reach out to others

Question 25

What is emotion focused coping and problem focused coping?

Answer 25

Emotion focused- concentrates on the emotions the problem has caused (whether anger, anxiety, or grief)

Problem focused- once problem is identified, the copier can learn as much as possible about it from professionals, friends, books, or others in the same predicament
Deal with problem by solving problem itself

Question 26

What are the 3 effective cognitive coping methods?

Answer 26

1. Reappraising the situation- can’t get rid of stressor, but can think about it differently (anger into sympathy, worry into determination, etc)
2. Learning from experience- experience makes people stronger, more resilient, and better human beings from growing and learning from event
   Draw lessons from events
   3 making social comparisons- compare themselves to others whom they feel are less fortunate, find someone who is worse off. Or compare with someone who’s dealing with problems better

Question 27

What is oxytocin?

Answer 27

The hormone that induced relaxation and is associated with mothering and attachment

Elevated from an affectionate or welcome touch

Question 28

What is implicit social support?

Answer 28

The knowledge that someone will be there to help if they need it