Chapter 11 | Health and Well-Being Flashcards
Health psychology
A field that involves the application of psychological principles to promote health and well-being.
Used to understand the interrelations among thoughts, actions, and physical/mental health. Studies how behavior and social systems affect health and how social and cultural differences influence health outcomes. Also studies the inverse of these relationships: how health-related behaviors and health outcomes affect people’s behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
Well-being
A positive state that includes striving for optimal health and life satisfaction.
Biopsychosocial model
An approach to psychological science that integrates biological factors, psychological processes, and social-contextual influences in shaping human mental life and behavior.
Psychological factors
Thoughts/actions, lifestyles, stress, health beliefs
Social conditions
Environments, cultural influences, family relationships, social support
Biological characteristics
Genetic predispositions, exposure to microbes, brain and other nervous system development
What are the three primary factors that interact and contribute to health and well-being according to the model used in health in psychology?
Psychological factors, social conditions, and biological characteristics
Health disparities
Differences in health outcomes, such as illness or death rates, between groups of people.
Factors include - age, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, and homelessness.
Immigrant paradox
The pattern among immigrant communities in which foreign-born immigrants to the U.S. have better health than people in later generations do.
Socioeconomic health gradient
People with lower economic status have worse health than people with higher economic status
How does racism and racial bias in the American Health Care System contribute to health disparities between White and Black Americans?
Black people may receive less attention from medical providers, receive fewer tests and treatments, and have less access to care, and mistrust medical systems due to past injustices.
Health behaviors
Actions people can takes, such as eating a plant-based diet and being physically active, that promote well-being, prevent the onset of disease, and slow disease progression
Healthy diet
A healthy diet is natural, rich in plants, and light on animal proteins. The so-called Mediterranean diet is characterized by vegetables, legumes, fish, and olive oil. Eating a healthy diet Is one of the most effective ways to promote wellness and prevent illness.
Metabolic syndrome
A medical condition associated with obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
Maladaptive eating
Persistent problems in eating behavior, including those resulting in obesity, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia nervosa.
4 Factors that contribute to overeating
- sheer variety of high-calorie foods
- large portions now served in many restaurants
- individual responses to food cues
- Lower socioeconomic status
The traditional Mediterranean diet consists of moderate intake of vegetables, fruits and nuts, unprocessed grains, and fish, and a low intake of dairy, meat, and poultry. According to research, why is this diet associated with longevity (long life)?
The Mediterranean diet comfort to the basic rules of a healthy diet: eat moderate quantities of natural, mostly plant-based foods
Why is smoking the leading cause of death?
Smoking and tobacco are blamed for 480,000 deaths per year in the US and decrease a smoker’s life by +12yrs. It causes numerous health problems including heart disease, respiratory ailments, and various cancers. Major reason for it is SOCIAL INFLUENCE.
Why is physical activity so beneficial for our health?
The more people exercise, the better their physical and mental health. Once people are out of shape, it’s difficult for them to start exercising regularly. Exercise can enhance almost every aspect of our lives, including our memory and cognition - through aerobic exercise (increased breathing and heart rate) promotes the growth of neurons, and results in a larger brain and the most concentrated brain growth is the hippocampus. It also lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart and lungs. It’s good for treating depression and alcoholism/addiction.
What is the maximum age limit and minimum frequency or duration of physical exercise to gain benefits?
There are no age, frequency, or duration limits to the benefit of exercise. Even brief, infrequent exercise at any age has some psychological and physiological benefit.
Why are people afraid of flying but not of driving (or smoking)?
In terms of thinking about health and well-being, people often fear the wrong things. People are willing to take drastic steps to avoid unlikely negative events, but they do not take simple steps to avoid life’s most common dangers. - Optimism bias
Availability heuristic bias
Basing the estimated probability of an event on the ease with which relevant instances come to mind
Optimism bias
People believe that, compared with other people, they are more likely to experience positive events and less likely to experience negative events in the future
How can vivid media reports affect people’s views of health risks and their attempts to reduce those risks?
News reports of dramatic tragedies create strong memories. Using the availability heuristic, people overestimate the risk of these events and attempt to avoid them.
Stress
Response that typically involves an unpleasant state, such as anxiety or tension
Stressor
Something in the external situation that is perceived as threatening or demanding and therefore produces stress
Coping response
Any attempt made to avoid, escape from, or minimize a stressor
Eustress
Positive stress.
Example - when you are admitted into the college you really wanted to attend or when you are preparing for a party you are really looking forward to
Distress
Negative stress.
Example - when you are late for an important meeting and become trapped in traffic or when you are helping a loved one deal with a serious illness
3 categories of stressors
- Major life stressors
- Chronic stress
- Daily Hassles
2 types of stress
- Eustress
- Distress
Both put strains on the body.
Major life stressors
Changes/disruptions that strain central areas of people’s lives. Include choices made by individuals, not just things that happen to them. Learn ways to cope with stress
Chronic stress
A set of ongoing challenges often linked to long-term illness, poverty, or caregiving. Most harmful when it is unpredictable and uncontrollable (like major life stressors)
Daily hassels
Small, day-to-day irritations and annoyances, such as driving in heavy traffic, dealing with difficult people, or waiting in line. Daily hassles are stressful and their combined effects can be comparable to the effects of major life changes. Daily hassles can turn into chronic stress if they happen often enough.
Discrimination-related stress
In relation to race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual minority status, disability, and immigration status. Events ranging from overt racial hostility, to microaggressions such as avoiding eye contact all contribute. It can happen anywhere anytime. It’s unpredictable and uncontrollable nature is made worse by the ambiguity of discrimination.
What is the difference between eustress and distress?
Eustress is associated with positive events whereas distress is associated with negative events. Both types of stress can cause physical and mental strain.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
A body system involved in stress responses
What two systems does a stressor activate?
- A fast-acting sympathetic nervous system response
- A slower-acting response, resulting from a complex system of biological events known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
Flight or fight response
The physiological preparedness of animals to deal with danger by either fighting or fleeing.
Immune system
The body’s mechanism for dealing with invading microorganisms, such as allergens, bacteria, and viruses
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis Figure 11.18
A stressful event is interpreted by various brain areas, concentrated in the hypothalamus that sends a chemical message to the pituitary gland which secretes hormones that travel through the bloodstream to the adrenal glands which then secretes the stress hormone cortisol
Cortisol
increases the amount of glucose in the bloodstream and exerts other effects that mobilize fast energy sources and prepare the body for injury. Triggers a negative feedback loop to turn off the HPA axis. It signals the hippocampus and amygdala to encode memory and process emotions related to stress.
General adaption syndrome
A consistent pattern of responses to stress that consists of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
Alarm stage
The first stage of the general adaptation syndrome, in when the person experiences a burst of energy that aids in dealing with the stressful situation. It is the same emergency reaction as Cannon’s fight or flight response.
Resistance stage
The second stage of the general adaptation syndrome is when there are intense physiological efforts to either resist or adapt to the stressor. The body prepares for longer, sustained defence from the stressor.
Exhaustion stage
The third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, which occurs if the organism fails in its efforts to resist the stressor. Various physiological and immune systems fail.
Allostatic load
The cumulative “wear and tear” on biological systems, including the stress, digestive, immune, cardiovascular, and hormonal systems, among others, after repeated or chronic stressful events
General adaptation syndrome V. allostatic load
General adaptation syndrome describes the effects of one stress response cycle and how it can cause damage to bodily organs. In contrast, allostatic load describes the effects of accumulating stressors over several years and how the stress response system itself can become inflexible.
Tend-and-befriend response
The tendency to protect and care for offspring and form social alliances rather than fight or flee in response to threat
Which hormone is released by the adrenal gland during activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to stress?
Cortisol is released and travels throughout the body, affecting many body systems and structures.
How does stress affect health?
Stress hormones over the long term negatively affect health. When people are stressed they are more likely to drink, smoke, eat junk, use drugs, and so on.
How does stress affect the immune system?
Stressors decrease the ability of white blood cells and natural killer cells to fight off infection
The immune systems of those who tend to be particularly anxious tend to be especially vulnerable.
Stress can turn off the immune system to save energy for other functions that might help us survive a short-term threat
Lymphocytes
Specialized white blood cells that make up the immune system; the three types are B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells
T-cells
Assist in attacking the intruders directly and also in increasing the strength of the immune response
Natural killer cells
Especially potent in killing viruses and also help attack tumours.
Brief stressors
Temporarily diminish the effectiveness of white blood cells including natural killer cells to fight off infection, in part because of a decrease in their production. The body, therefore, heals more slowly when people are stressed than when they are not stressed.
How does stress affect the lymphocytes?
Stress impairs lymphocytes’ ability to fight infection, in part by reducing their production.
What has the greatest impact on the immune system?
Chronic stress, especially when associated with changes in social roles or identity-such as becoming a refugee, losing a job, or getting divorced
Type A behavior pattern
A pattern of behavior characterized by competitiveness, achievement orientation, aggressiveness, hostility, restlessness, impatience with others, and inability to relax
Hostility, aggression, and heart diseasse
Personality affects coronary heart disease. Type A personality was as strong a predictor of heart disease as was high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking.
Being stressed or feeling negative emotions can cause heart problems in three ways:
- People often cope with these states through behaviours that are bad for health.
- Some personality traits, such as hostility and depression, have negative effects on people’s social networks, which exacerbate the effects of stress.
- Negative personality traits and stress can produce direct physiological effects on the heart.
What personality and emotional characteristics increase the risk of developing heart disease?
Frequent negative emotional states, especially hostility, anger and depression, increase the risk of disease.
Richard Lazaraus conceptualized Cognitive appraisal as a 2 part process:
- Primary appraisals
- Secondary appraisals
Primary appraisals
Part of the coping process that involves making decisions about whether a stimulus is stressful, benign, or irrelevant
Secondary appraisals
Part of the coping process during which people evaluate their response options and choose coping behaviors
Anticipatory coping
Coping that occurs before the onset of a future stressor eg. when parents are planning to divorce, they sometimes rehearse how they will tell their children
Susan Folkman and Richard Lazarus 2 coping strategies:
- Emotion-focused coping
- Problem-focused coping
Emotion-focused coping
A type of coping in which people try to prevent having an emotional response to a stressor. The person adopts strategies to distract from or numb the pain. Such strategies include avoidance, minimizing the problem or the feelings, trying to distance oneself from the outcomes of the problem, or engaging in behaviours such as overeating or drinking. Only usually effective in the short run
Problem-focused coping
A type of coping in which people take direct steps to confront or minimize a stressor: generalizing alternative solutions, weighing their costs and benefits, and choosing between them. Only works if the person with the problem can do something about the situation
Susan Folkman and Judith Moskowitz 3 strategies can help people use positive thoughts to deal with stress:
- Positive reappraisal
- Downward comparison
- Creation of positive events
Positive reappraisal
Cognitive process in which a person focuses on possible good things in his or her current situation. They look for the silver lining. Diabetes: focus on how diabetes will force you to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly
Downward comparison
Comparing oneself to those who are worse off. This kind of comparison has been shown to help people cope with serious illnesses. Diabetes: Recognize that diabetes is not as serious as heart disease
Creation of positive event
Giving positive meaning to ordinary events. Diabetes: You could take joy in everyday activities for eg. riding a bike, watching a sunset, or savouring a complement you received
Stress resistant
People who are capable of adapting to life changes by viewing events constructively. Personality trait: hardiness
Hardiness
A set of attitudes marked by a sense of control over events, commitment to life and work, and courage and motivation to confront stressful events. Commitment, challenge, and control. Resilient
Broaden and build theory
Positive emotions cause people to expand their view of what is possible in a situation (broaden) and develop new ideas and relationships (build)
What are the pros and cons of using emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping?
Emotion-focused coping can help in the short term and with uncontrollable or unavoidable stressors, but it can backfire for problems that can and should be solved. Problem-focused coping can help solve the problem and avoid future problems, but it can backfire for uncontrollable stressors
Positive psychologists three components of happiness
- Positive emotion and pleasure
- Engagement in life
- A meaningful life
Are positive emotions and well being associated with good health?
in general, positive emotions are related to better health and living longer. However, since the studies have been EXPERIMENTAL, this means that we do not know for sure whether positive affect causes good health, but it may be the case, they are definitely related.
What is the current scientific consensus on the relationship between happiness and health?
Positive emotions and good health are related, but directionally and causation have not been fully determined.
What are 3 ways that social support contributes to health?
Social support provides tangible assistance, creates an emotional buffer against stress and loneliness, and increases feelings of gratitude.
The following strategies will enhance your health and well being:
- Eat natural foods
- Eat only when you’re hungry
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Keep active
- Do not use tobacco
- Practice safe sex
- Learn to relax or meditate
- Build a strong support network
- Try some happiness exercises
