Week 18: Interacting with Tough Content, Self-Care, and Wellness Flashcards
What is health psychology?
A field devoted to understanding the connections between psychology and health.
What are some chronic diseases mentioned in health psychology?
- Coronary heart disease (CHD)
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Long-term disability
What is the Biopsychosocial Model of Health?
A model positing that biology, psychology, and social factors are important in the development of disease.
What does the term ‘stressor’ refer to in health psychology?
A stimulus that causes a stress response in the body.
True or False: Stress only arises from major life events.
False
What are the two main types of coping strategies?
- Problem-focused coping
- Emotion-focused coping
What is the impact of perceived control on health?
It can improve health outcomes and coping abilities.
How does social isolation affect health?
It increases the risk for disease and death.
What characterizes Type A Behavior?
- Competitiveness
- Impatience
- Hostility
- Time urgency
Fill in the blank: Positive emotions have been tied to _______.
[a wide range of health benefits]
What is resilience in the context of health psychology?
The ability to protect oneself from disease and live longer.
What are the five factors often studied in relation to resilience?
- Coping
- Control and Self-Efficacy
- Social Relationships
- Dispositions and Emotions
- Stress Management
What role do social relationships play in health?
They provide support that improves health behaviors and reduces stress.
What is self-efficacy?
The belief that one can complete tasks and reach goals.
True or False: Negative personality traits can be protective of health.
False
What is the General Adaptation Syndrome?
A model of the stress response developed by Hans Selye.
How does stress influence the immune system?
It can suppress immune function.
What can be a consequence of chronic stress?
Potentially damaging wear and tear on the body.
What is the role of optimism in health?
Improves coping, reduces stress, and predicts better disease outcomes.
Fill in the blank: Health psychologists help people adapt behaviors to _______.
[avoid disease, reduce stress, and improve overall health]
What is the significance of social integration?
It describes the number of social roles one has and the lack of isolation.
What are some examples of psychosocial factors that can increase disease risk?
- Excessive stress
- Smoking
- Unhealthy eating habits
- Certain personality traits
What are the damaging effects of stress according to Fredrickson (2001) and Pressman & Cohen (2005)?
Stress has various damaging effects on health.
How does optimism impact health outcomes?
Optimism improves coping, reduces stress, and predicts better disease outcomes.
What are the four components of how positive affect protects against disease as illustrated in Figure 2?
- Reduces stress perceptions
- Improves health behaviors
- Lowers physiological stress responses
- Decreases incidence of disease
What percentage of Americans report having stress?
20 percent.
Which age group reports the highest levels of stress?
18–33 year-olds.
Name two relaxation techniques for stress reduction.
- Breathing exercises
- Muscle relaxation
What is biofeedback?
A technique where individuals are shown bodily information to alter physiological signals.
How can exercise serve as a stress reduction activity?
Exercise helps reduce stress and offers multiple health benefits.
What is a common joke about college life regarding health, grades, and social life?
You can only pick two of these things.
What are health behaviors?
Behaviors that can improve or harm health.
Give two examples of positive health behaviors.
- Regular exercise
- Wearing sunscreen
What is the difference between health behaviors and health habits?
Health behaviors can improve or harm health, while health habits are established behaviors performed automatically.
How does poor sleep quality relate to academic performance?
It is related to weaker learning capacity and academic performance.
What is health promotion?
Enabling individuals to improve health by focusing on risk behaviors and spreading knowledge on risk factors.
What are some psychological factors influencing medical treatment outcomes?
- Age
- Gender
- Socioeconomic status
True or False: Individuals tend to accurately assess the credibility of health information found online.
False.
What is adherence in health psychology?
The ability of a patient to maintain a health behavior prescribed by a physician.
What is the Biomedical Model of Health?
A reductionist model that posits ill health results from a deviation from normal function.
Define the Biopsychosocial Model of Health.
An approach emphasizing biological, psychological, and social processes in studying health.
What is chronic disease?
A health condition that persists for longer than three months.
What is the General Adaptation Syndrome?
A three-phase model of stress: mobilization, coping, and exhaustion.
What is resilience?
The ability to bounce back from negative situations.
What is psychoneuroimmunology?
A field examining the relationship among psychology, brain function, and immune function.
What role do health psychologists play in patient care?
They evaluate factors contributing to illness and help create treatment strategies.
What is a key focus for the future of health psychology?
Studying factors that confer resilience and protection from disease.
What is ‘Positive Health’ as proposed by Seligman (2008)?
A field to study those who exhibit above-average health.
How can mobile health (m-health) applications improve health?
By sending reminders for medication and monitoring exercise and food intake.
What is the mind-body connection?
The idea that emotions and thoughts affect bodily functions.
What contributes to physiological changes in the body and health over time?
Biological, psychological, and social processes
These processes interact and influence each other, impacting overall health.
Define resilience in the context of health.
The ability to ‘bounce back’ from negative situations to normal functioning
Resilience can lead to better functioning following negative experiences, such as post-traumatic growth.
What is self-efficacy?
The belief that one can perform adequately in a specific situation
Self-efficacy influences motivation and performance.
What does social integration refer to?
The size of your social network or number of social roles
Examples include roles such as son, sister, student, employee, and team member.
What is social support?
The perception or actuality of having a social network that can help in times of need
It provides resources such as advice, love, and money.
Define stress.
A pattern of physical and psychological responses after a threatening event that disturbs homeostasis
Stress taxes the organism’s abilities to cope with the event.
What is a stressor?
An event or stimulus that induces feelings of stress
Stressors can be acute or chronic, affecting the individual differently.
Describe Type A behavior.
Characterized by impatience, competitiveness, neuroticism, hostility, and anger
Type A individuals often have higher stress levels.
Describe Type B behavior.
Reflects the absence of Type A characteristics, less competitive and aggressive
Type B individuals tend to be more relaxed and less prone to stress.
What is the scientific term for happiness and life satisfaction?
Subjective well-being (SWB)
SWB refers to the evaluation of one’s life as going well or badly.
What are two internal factors that influence subjective well-being?
- Personality
- Outlook
What are two external factors that influence subjective well-being?
- Quality of social relationships
- Society of residence
What are the three major types of happiness?
- High life satisfaction
- Frequent positive feelings
- Infrequent negative feelings
True or False: High subjective well-being is achieved by a single key or magic wand.
False
High SWB is achieved by combining several different important elements.
What is one major determinant of subjective well-being?
Inborn temperament
What is a typical outcome for individuals high in subjective well-being?
- Healthier
- Live longer
- Better social relationships
- More productive at work
Fill in the blank: Societies with high life satisfaction tend to be _______.
economically developed
What is one psychological influence on happiness?
Outlook
What does adaptation refer to in the context of happiness?
The process by which people return to their former levels of happiness after experiencing good or bad events.
How do wealthy nations generally compare to poor nations in terms of life satisfaction?
Wealthy nations tend to have higher average life satisfaction.
What can diminish the relationship between money and happiness?
Diminishing returns of higher incomes
What is a common misconception about happiness and materialism?
Materialistic people tend to be less happy.
Name one reason why happiness is important.
It leads to healthier and more effective functioning.
What can be a cause of low subjective well-being in a society?
Internal conflict
True or False: People quickly adapt to good events and maintain high happiness levels indefinitely.
False
People typically return to their former levels of happiness after the initial excitement wears off.
What is one factor that can help people bounce back after bad events?
Resilience
What is a notable finding regarding happy individuals?
They are usually very sociable.
Fill in the blank: Happiness is often seen as a _______ state that can motivate people to be better citizens.
positive
What can negatively impact a person’s life satisfaction despite external circumstances?
Depression
What role do aspirations play in subjective well-being?
High aspirations can lead to striving but may also result in dissatisfaction.
What is one example that illustrates adaptation to circumstances?
The initial euphoria of marriage wearing off over time.
List two beneficial outcomes of being a happy person.
- Better health
- Increased productivity
What is the general consensus about the benefits of happiness?
Happy people are healthier, more sociable, more productive, and better citizens
Research supports that happiness has numerous positive effects on individuals’ lives.
Is it necessary for people to be constantly euphoric to be happy?
No, it is appropriate and helpful sometimes to be sad or to worry
A mix of worry and positive feelings can enhance creativity.
What is a key indicator of happiness in successful people at work?
They are mostly positive but sometimes a bit negative
What is the most important question regarding an individual’s happiness?
Whether people are satisfied with how happy they are
What do SWB researchers primarily rely on to assess happiness?
Self-report scales
What do self-report scales measure?
Levels of satisfaction, positive feelings, and lack of negative feelings
What are some limitations of self-report happiness scales?
People can lie, fool themselves, or be influenced by current moods or situational factors
What alternative measures do scientists use to assess happiness?
Biological measures, reports from family, coworkers, and friends
What does flourishing relate to in terms of happiness?
Feeling meaning in life, having close relationships, and a sense of mastery over life activities
What is a key aspect of achieving happiness according to the text?
Recommendations need to be tailored to individual needs
What is ‘adaptation’ in the context of happiness?
The tendency for feelings to dampen down over time after reacting to good or bad events
Define ‘bottom-up’ causes of happiness
Situational factors that influence subjective well-being
What does the term ‘life satisfaction’ refer to?
A person’s judgment of how well their life is going
What are examples of negative feelings?
Depression, anger, and worry
What are examples of positive feelings?
Enjoyment and love
What is subjective well-being?
The scientific term for happiness
What are subjective well-being scales?
Surveys where participants indicate their levels of subjective well-being
Define ‘top-down’ causes of happiness
A person’s outlook and habitual response tendencies that influence happiness
Fill in the blank: The popular word for subjective well-being is _______.
Happiness
