Section 10: Connectedness and Psychology Flashcards
Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC)
TLC involves:
1. Physical activity
2. Nutrition and diet
3. Time in nature
4. Supportive relationships
5. Recreation, relaxation, and stress management
6. Religious and spiritual involvement
7. Service to others
8. Modification of sleep patterns
Effects of PA on emotional well being
PA can:
- improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Exercise alone has not been shown to be better than psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy
- Exercise is as effective as pharmacotherapy for mild to moderate depression
- Some studies show synergistic effect in combination with anti depressant meds.
- Routine exercise in childhood may be protective against depression as young adults
- May be effective tx in depression for elderly
Sleep and Well being
Japanese study showed:
Those who slept 7-9 hours a night had improved mental health vs those who slept less than 7 or more than 9 hours.
How Plant Based Diet Impact Emotional Well Being
- Fast food can develop depression
- Higher trans fat can develop depression, but no development if mono and poly unsaturated fats
- Processed food has higher rates of anxiety and depression
- Some nutritional supplements may be useful as adjudicative therapies in treatment of mental disorders
- Intake of saffron, turmeric, probiotics, flaxseeds, walnuts, and carbohydrate rich evening meals have shown improvement in mood, especially curcumin.
- Fruits and veggies increase eudemonic feelings and behaviors
- arachidonic acid is associated with increased depression rates (found in chicken and eggs)
- Vit C may help support mood
Positive Psychology
- Allows individuals and communities to thrive
- Does not minimize misery or negative emotional states, BUT focuses on AMPLIFYING well being through positive affect, engagement, and meaning.
- In other words, “Focus on strength instead of weakness, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, taking lives of average people up to great instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to normal.
Pillars of Positive Psychology
PERMA
- POSITIVE Emotion: ability to be optimistic, view things from a positive perspective past, present, and future
- Engagement: fully absorbed in the present moment with a “blissful immersion” that stretches intelligence, skill, and emotional capacity
- Relationship: development of positive social connections with other humans emotionally and physically. In neuro imaging, social isolation looks neurologically like physical pain
- Meaning: having purpose of why one is on earth. Also value one places upon activities, views and attitudes
- Accomplishments: ambition and accomplishing realistic goals produces a sens of satisfaction, pride, and fulfillment
Positive Psychology Practical Techniques and Specific Actions
- Find or improve signature strengths
- Counting blessings
- Express appreciation
- Savoring pleasing things in life
- Writing down how one wants to be remembered
- Regularly practicing acts of kindness
- Thinking of one’s happiest days frequently
- Doing activities that feel meaningful
- Interacting with others IN PERSON, not solely or mainly through social media
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Eudaimonia vs Hedonia
Eudaimonia:
- Concerned with living or actualizing one’s human potential. Fulfilling or realizing one’s true nature. Contains aspects of goal directedness.
Hedonia:
- Well being created by maximizing one’s happiness and characterized by the presence of positive emotions and expressions. absence of negative emotions and expressions, and the satisfaction of desires.
Eudaimonia and Physical Health
- High purpose in life associated with reduction in mortality in edlerly
- High life purpose less likely diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Had slower cognitive decline
- Less likely to have strokes, participate more on labs and screening exams
- Have lower level of inflammatory markers IL-6 and C- Reactive Protein
- Pro inflammatory genes are downregulated, antibody synthesis genes are upregulated. Hedonia is associated with opposite pattern.
- Well being associated with more high cortical function and less amygdala stimulation.
- Helps recover quicker from negative events
- Eudaimonia associated with greater insular cortex grey matter volume
Social Media and Well Being
Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU), STRONGLY and INDEPENDENTLY associated with depressive symptoms
- Associated with poor sleep, anxiety, depression, low self esteem
- Pattern rather than single aspects (e.g. quantity and frequency) relate more strongly to mental health outcomes.
- The WAY SOCIAL MEDIA is used rather than the AMOUNT is the risk factor.
Harvard student study
- concluded that single most important predictor of happiness and longevity is having social connections
SMILE Trial
Arandomizedcontrolled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression
Remission of symptoms of mood disorder occurred in the intervention group at four times the rate of the control group.
Chronic medical problems and distressful thoughts of suicide in primary care patients: mitigating role of happiness
The connection between disease and suicide distress is attenuated by the presence of positive emotion
Positive affect can facilitate long-term adherence to positive health behaviors. This is the “Upward Spiral” theory of lifestyle change in which the positive affect experienced during healthy behaviors increases the incentive salience for those cues which in turn makes it more likely that they will be repeated.
Positive affect refers to the extent to which an individual subjectively experiences positive moods such as joy, interest, and alertness.
Through a number of studies, Eisenberger’s data support the idea that experiences of social rejection, exclusion, or loss may be described as ‘painful’ because they rely, in part, on pain-related neural circuitry.
