Chapter 14: Health Stress and Coping Flashcards
_____: The study of both positive and negative impacts
that humans’ behaviours and decisions have on
their health, survival, and well-being
health psychology
smoking:
____ neuroticism associated with ________ risk
_____ conscientiousness associated with _____ risk
High, increased (more likely)
high, lower (less likely)
T/F: Exposure to media
depictions of
smoking predicts
likelihood of
smoking in
adolescents (glorified examples)
true!!
can be things in the media, family members that smoke, etc. rate of exposure increases risk of becoming a smoker yourself!
causation is difficult to determine though, largely correlation research
what are three ways we can reduce smoking?
non-smoking laws
warnings on packages
attitude inoculation- programs to prepare children to say no to pressures (just say no campaigns)
T/F: efforts to reduce smoking have not worked
false!!! rates have fallen in general
what three factors influence obesity?
Eating as a
motivated behaviour (because we want to- not because we need to!)
Food abundance
Sedentary lifestyles
T/F: obesity is an unsolved problem
true!!
T/F: hours of television per week correlates with obesity
true! greater likelihood the more TV someone watches
T/F: 24% of Canadians
classified as obese
true!!
what is one of the main causes that influences obesity… confuses people?
media reports are inconsistent- there’s no one perfect diet and its difficult to know what is healthy for each individual person (need to use our scientific literacy!!!!)
Much of nutritional
research is
correlational
Interpret media
reports carefully
Put more weight on
randomized
controlled trials
______: A commonly used
statistic for
estimating a
healthy body
weight that factors
in an individual’s
height
body mass index (BMI)
when should BMI be used? when is it appropriate?
at population level, breaks down at an individual level- everyones body composition is different (muscle is heavier than fat! can skew individual results for relatively healthy people)
what are the two social factors that influence obesity?
parental influence- eating patterns from childhood carry on
media- food commercials increase snacking in children
______: The often subtle,
unintentional
spreading of a
behaviour as a
result of social
interactions
social contagion
T/F: Closer the
individuals within
the social network the
more predictive (social contagion)
obese people tend to cluster together, same with non-obese people (changes our expectations of “normal” body size)
true!!!
what are the socioeconomic influences of obesity?
Cost of healthy
alternatives
Convenience of
unhealthy options
Increased obesity
in children from
lower socio-economic groups
- Difference
disappearing in
adults, because generally everyone is more obese and within the same range- regardless of socio-economic status
T/F: 50-90% of variation of weight attributable to genetics
true! our genetics play a big role, determines our set point
_______: a hypothesized mechanism that serves to maintain
body weight around a physiologically programmed range
Set point
what are some challenges for weight loss?
Obese individuals find
food cues more rewarding- more pleasure makes it harder to resist!
Dieting reinforces cravings (huge dopamine hit when eating something yummy finally)
Stress and eating (comfort foods after a bad day)
why do diets often not work?
we have a programmed set point, we often gain more weight when trying to lose weight…. we diet and diet then plateau because our metabolism slows down to try to “help us”… we give up the diet and end up gaining weight…. then our bodies just maintain this higher weight as our new set point
then this cycle repeats!
T/F: Much of our eating is
mindless and automatic
true!
_______: By focusing on the
moment-to-moment
experience of eating we
can gain more conscious
control of our behaviour
mindful eating
put effort into eating, don’t eat while multi-tasking and actually become aware of the food we’re consuming!
what are two ways we can promote healthy behaviours for weight loss?
Positive emotion
promotes weight loss
maintenance- ex: writing nice things about ourselves encourages us to put effort into weight loss
Using social contagion
for positive change- seeing others around us changing their habits can encourage us!
T/F: Early evidence
that sugar tax
disincentives
consumption
true!
people started drinking more water (free!) to quench their cravings
how does the sugar tax work? (like cigarettes!)
we try to reduce the intake of sugary beverages/foods by taxing them higher, to encourage people to fill up on healthier foods and drinks
_____: a psychological and
physiological reaction that
occurs when perceived
demands exceed existing
resources to meet those
demands
Stress
________: involves
determining whether a
threat exists
Primary appraisal
_______:
involves determining if one
can cope with the threat
Secondary appraisal
stress includes how many appraisal events
two! if a stress exists, if we can actually deal with the situation
Each athlete has
an individual
zone of _______
functioning, optimal stress!
optimal
T/F: stress is beneficial
true!! it is optimal is some cases
T/F: Surveying
athletes can
identify ideal
emotional states
for competition, some people need lots of stress, others need close to none!
true!! can look back on which states were optimal for their performance
if they were super tired, then performed poorly- they should avoid this state next competition
what are the two physiological pathways that get activated when stressed?
fight-or-flight
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
_______: A theory of how our response to stress changes over time through stages of alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
general adaptation syndrome
T/F: Stressful thoughts
occupy working
memory and
interfere with
mental performance
true!!
what is the acceptable way to induce stress in the lab?
trier social stress test
being judged by three scientists, people make more errors because they’re under the spotlight/socially induced stressful environment
when using the TSST, which sex shows a greater spike in cortisol response?
males
how does stress affect the brain?
Increased activity and
connectivity in amygdala (less able to control thoughts and emotions)
Structural changes in
hippocampus and prefrontal
cortex
§ Reduced dendritic
branching and
neurogenesis
__________: transmission of
adverse effects of stress
through epigenetic
mechanisms (e.g., DNA
methylation)
Transgenerational stress
inheritance
Descendants of holocaust
survivors, Dutch famine,
9/11, PTSD have greater risk
for….
mental health problems
(anxiety, schizophrenia),
altered HPA axis activity
T/F: residential schools had greater death rate than canadian soldiers in WWII
true!!!! 1 in 25 vs. 1 in 26
Glucocorticoid deregulation
in children of ________
mothers
PTSD-suffering
Reduced glucocorticoid
receptors (stress hormone receptor)- less capable of dampening a stress response
- Similar epigenetic
modifications observed
in mothers and children, children are pre-disposed to mental health problems because of this
______ and ______: typically associated with social
behaviour and bonding
oxytocin and vasopressin
hormones released when we’re forming bonds with people!
____ and ____ counteract effects of cortisol by reducing inflammation
oxytocin and vasopressin, reduction in inflammation helps with our stress- and our physical health (inflammation can lead to many health issues)
people who are in stronger/healthier relationships have higher…..
oxytocin and vasopressin levels!
they also healed from physical wounds faster!
T/F: Social support buffers against stress
true!!
people who had social support in the TS stress test performed better on it- despite being subjected to the same conditions as those without support
T/F: people given nasal oxytocin spray performed better on the TSST test
true! oxytocin inhibits HPA axis, reducing stress!
_____: the study of the
relationship between
immune system and
nervous system
functioning
psychoneuroimmunology
how are final exams and illness related?
Finals and illness:
reduced immune
response during
periods of high stress
T/F: Stress exacerbates
many health conditions
true!!
stress and Cancer: norepinephrine
supports cancer cell growth;
______ magnifies effect
cortisol
how does stress impact a cancer diagnosis?
people who are more pessimistic tend to have worse outcomes, a positive outlook can make a difference in your health!
Coronary heart disease:
plaque formation in blood
vessels that supply heart, how does stress impact this?
cortisol increases inflammation, to already narrowing artery… exacerbating heart disease
_______ explanatory
style: the tendency to
interpret and explain
negative events as
internally based (i.e.,
internal locus of control)
Pessimistic
increased mortality!
how did we test optimism and pessimism and health outcomes in humans?
the nun study: used autobiographies they submitted to be accepted into the convent, categorized optimists and pessimists based on their testimony… tracked their survival/death rates!
the optimists (external locus, positive outlook), lived longer!
______: the processes
used to manage stress
Coping
what are examples of active coping strategies?
physical activity
seek info and support
relaxation exercises
stress management
what are examples of passive coping strategies?
avoid facing your situation
not physically active
avoid social situations
self-blame
what is problem-focused coping?
identifiable problem, can map out a solution and make a plan!
gives a sense of control
what is emotion-focused coping?
some problems don’t have identifiable solutions, have to deal with our emotions and manage emotional reactions!
T/F: Eliciting positive
emotions speeds
recovery of
autonomic nervous
system
true!! gives us a reset button on our emotions, positive emotion gives us a faster reset than other emotions!
how does neuroticism personality affect stress coping?
Negative affectivity: tendency
to respond with anxiety,
hostility, anger, and guilt
do not deal effectively
how does extraversion/agreeableness personality affect stress coping?
Seek out help from others
very effectively
how does conscientiousness personality affect stress coping?
Distancing: suppressing
emotions to reduce the effect
of stress on responsibilities
mostly effectively, often are able to map out their stress
how does openness personality affect stress coping?
Tend to be aware of and
responsive to their emotions, cope effectively
________: the
capacity to grow and
experience long-term
positive effects in response
to negative events
Post-traumatic growth
Result of coping, not
stressful event- makes us better able to handle stress in the future!
what is a good way to promote resilience?
expressive writing therapy, write down our feelings
________ meditation:
involves attending to all thoughts,
sensations, and feelings without
attempting to judge or control
them
Mindfulness/open-monitoring
_______ meditation:
individual focuses on a specific
thought or sensation
Concentrative/focused attention
_____ leads to neural changes associated with
improved metacognition and
executive functions
meditation
_________: a protein in
the nervous system that promotes survival, growth,
and formation of new synapses
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
exercise causes an increase in…. and releases….
blood flow to the brain
BDNF- formation of new synapses!
______ slows neurodegenerative conditions, like Alzheimer’s
exercise
T/F: 90% of serotonin
circulating in the brain
is produced by bacteria
in the intestines
true!!
T/F: Animal models
demonstrate that
microbiome can
influence behaviour
and brain chemistry
true!!
_______:
an acquired suppression
of avoidance or escape
behaviour in response to
unpleasant,
uncontrollable
circumstances
Learned helplessness
perceived control ____ stress
decreases
how does learned helplessness happen in humans?
individual learns actions
cannot remove the
stress in one situation,
then generalizes this
learning to other
situations
________ control: We use psychological strategies people use to preserve a sense
of nonrandom order when personal control is compromised
compensatory control
what are examples of compensatory control?
superstitions, conspiracy theories, ‘just world’, religion
what are the three reasons people fall into conspiracy theories?
Scientific literacy: Objectivity, tolerating ambiguity
Cognitive biases: Confirmation bias, base rate neglect
Social influences: Conformity and group think
