Health and Happiness Flashcards
1
Q
What are problem-focused coping
A
actions taken to change a stressful situation or reduce its effects
2
Q
What is emotion-focused coping?
A
attempts to reduce distress emotions
3
Q
What was Rodin and Langer’s (1976) “plant study?”
A
- Greater control -> lower stress response, better health
- Controllable vs. uncontrollable electric shock to rats
- Rodin & Langer, 1976 – plant study (gave control to nursing home residents)
4
Q
What is optimism, and how is it related to health?
A
- Tendency to believe that one will generally experience good vs. bad outcomes
- Generally associated with positive health outcomes
5
Q
What is the relation between social support and health?
A
- Social support -> better health
- Individuals with small social networks – 2x as likely to die as individuals with large social networks (Berkman & Syme, 1979)
6
Q
What are the mechanisms associated with social resources
A
- Cognitive appraisal
- Health behaviors
- Psychoneuroimmunological pathways (e.g., lower sympathetic nervous system arousal, lower levels of epinephrine)
7
Q
Reducing stress – Expressive writing
A
- Expressing emotional experiences
- Lower stress, health benefits
8
Q
Reducing stress – Exercise
A
- Reduces physical effects of stress
- Reduces emotional strain
- Lower anxiety, depression
- e.g., Hoffman et al., 2011 - study of stress and excercise
9
Q
Reducing Stress – Meditation
A
- Focus and control attention
- Relaxation response: physiological result of meditation
- Blood pressure ↓
- Respiration rate ↓
- Mindfulness meditation – awareness and focus on present moment
- Associated with positive health outcomes
10
Q
Reducing stress – Religiosity
A
religious attendance, finding strength and comfort from one’s religious beliefs
11
Q
Reducing stress – Gratitude and Kindness
A
- Expressing or noting gratitude -> lower stress
- Doing acts of kindness -> lower stress
