Week 4 - Wellness Flashcards
Positive Emotional Styles Linked to the Common Cold
334 healthy volunteers infected with rhinovirus
Positive emotions and negative emotions assessed
People who scored low on positive emotions were three times more likely to get sick!
Affect
a person’s immediate, physiological response to a stimulus; usually based on underlying sense of arousal
Often involves valence appraisal - interpretation of good or bad/painful-pleasurable
Mood
general, free‐floating feelings that last longer than an emotion; thought to be tied to expectations of future affect
Emotion
a feeling state resulting from the appraisal of an external object as salient to our own well‐being; emotions are specific, sharp, because they have an object
Happiness and subjective well‐being
The label we give to that feeling
associated with progress in goal pursuit - always has an object
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
20 item scale - quantify two dimensions of affect - valence and content
Negative affective states = general distress
Positive affect - jobiality, self-assurance and attentiveness
“Can we experience negative affect and positive affect at the same time?”
negative and positive affect are 225 inversely correlated in some groups as expected, the relationships are quite weak and indicative of independence of the two types of affect.
Dr. Isen - when we experience positive emotions we are more likely to
(1) to help other people
(2) to be flexible in our thinking
(3) to come up with solutions to our problems
(4) to be more willing to exhibit self-control
Doctors who were given candy
- more cautious, did not jump to conclusions
Positive affect when faced with ethical dilemma - more rational and utititarian
Happier participants more willing to take greater financial risks for high returns
links between positive affect and the psychological resilience that high levels of this type of affect may build over time
link between happiness and psychological resilience allows individuals who are high in both of these areas to be able to feel more comfortable taking risks in general.
Juvenile play builds
(1) enduring social and intellectual resources by encouraging attachment,
(2) higher levels of creativity, and
(3) brain development
Young adults who are more playful have less perceived stress and are found to cope better with various stressors in their lives
Eudaimonia
– human flourishing associated with living a life of virtue
This definition can be traced back to Aristotle (4th Century BCE)
PWB: Ryff’s Psychological Well‐Being (purpose in life, personal growth, autonomy, positive relations with others, environmental mastery, self-acceptance)
Eudaimonia has 4 elements:
AUTHENTICITY: honesty, self‐knowledge, integrity
MEANING: caring about big picture, understanding, contributing ◦
EXCELLENCE: virtue, quality performance
GROWTH: self‐actualization, learning, maturity
Hedonia
happiness as pleasure and absence of pain; the primary goal worth pursuing
SWB: Diener’s Subjective Well‐Being (high positive affect, low negative affect, life satisfaction)
hedonic happiness can be derived from refraining from spending with the goal of eliminating debt and savoring what one has as opposed to replacing those materials
Hedonia elements
PLEASURE: feeling good, pleasure, joy, fun, happiness
COMFORT: relaxation, ease, absence of pain
The critics’ argument: hedo eudo
Feeling good is feeling good
There is little data showing a distinction between eudaimonia/hedonia
The critics’ data
SWB and PWB correlated .96
They conclude there is only one kind of well‐being
Three types of theories of happiness:
1) Need/goal satisfaction theories
2) Process/activity theories
3) Genetic/personality disposition theories
Need/Goal Satisfaction Theories
Came from psychotherapy
Psychoanalytic and Humanistic theories (Freud, Maslow)
Reduction of tension or Satisfaction of needs leads to happiness
We are happy because we reach our goals
Process/Activity Theories
Process and engagement produce happiness - process of achieving a goal is happiness
Csikszentmihalyi and flow (engagement in interesting activities that match or challenge skills)
Those who experience flow tend to be happier
Engagement causes happiness
Doing an activity and sense of time gets distorted - time flies or feeling like youve been painting for three weeks
The process of goal pursuit generates happiness
Practices of gratitude and kindness
Positive acts can help improve happiness
Gratitude letters
Random acts of kindness
Some activities do not improve well‐being in different cultural groups
South Koreans and gratitude
Decreases in well‐being
Gratitude may = indebtedness - now i have to repay them - unmet reciprocation
Muslims and gratitude
Gratitude based in Islamic principles vs. secular gratitude
Higher well-being in faith based graditude
Cultural differences in well‐being interventions
Asian and Asian Americans: Self‐administered positive psych interventions (less stigma) - gratitude journal - self administered - less stigma - higher well-being
Eastern cultures: Focus on prosocial behaviour Asian Americans and social connectedness
Genetic and Personality Predisposition theories
Happiness as stable vs. other two theory groups
Nuanced relationship btw happiness and genetics
Happiness may be at personal set-points depending on conditions
Temperament, adaptation
Big five factors and happiness
Extraversion and neuroticism
Biological determinants may preduct 40% of positive emotionality and 55% of negative emotionality
Not a perfect correlation
Materialism
Materialistic youth – languishing
Grateful youth – flourishing
1,035 high school students completed measures of materialism, gratitude, academic functioning, envy, depression, life satisfaction, social integration, and absorption.
Gratitude (controlling for materialism) predicted all positive outcomes
Materialism (controlling for gratitude) predicted lower GPA, higher envy and higher life satisfaction (!)
The pursuit of money & possessions takes time away from fulfilling activities and social relationships
Opportunity cost
Might not be prioritizing family and friends - money cannot comfort when old
Peoples’ wants escalate – the “hedonic treadmill”
More consumption
More landfill waste
More energy consumed
More carbon emissions
Frugal people are happier, in general
Choosy about how you spend your money - thrifting, buy produce on sale
Experiences are more related to happiness than possessions
Spending money on vacations, trips
We can consume in ways which support our basic needs:
Competence, autonomy, relationships
Pleasure, engagement, meaning, relationships, autonomy
Self-acceptance, personal growth, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations, autonomy
Consume in a way that supports positive wellbeing
Income and well-being - tipping point of
Income and well-being - tipping point of about 75k/year
Someone making 200k are only marginally happier
Remember Maslow’s hierarchy!
Being thrifty can be associated with happiness
Overconsumption, materialism, greed all detract from happiness
Happiness from long‐term relationships
Males and females, hetero and same‐sex
Marital quality and happiness
Just because youre married doesn’t mean you are in a good relationship
Diminishing of passion and happiness over time – not always the case!
How do we combat this “hedonic adaptation”?
Experience more positive events and feel more positive emotions
Variety is the spice of relationships
Maintain reasonable aspirations
Hope to have children, vacation etc
Cultivate appreciation
Gratitude - appreciating the other person in our life
In long-term relationships - Hyper-masculinity and positive affect
Caring is a weakness for me - only girly men care
Hyper-masculinity was associated with an aversion to positive affect and strategies on previous slide
This underscores the importance of teaching young boys and men to develop positive ideas about caring and empathy
Twenty-First Century Definitions of Happiness
Chronic happiness is governed by 3 major factors:
1 - Genetically determined set point for happiness - 50%
2- Happiness-relevant circumstantial factors - 10%
Household, place where you were born
3- Happiness-relevant activities and practices - 40%
Agency over this one -
Happiness in African American and Latinx populations
Emphasizing cultural identity
Importance of spirituality
Non-western “fear of happiness”
if things are too good, something bad will happen next
Alvin Wong - the Happiest Man in the USA
Gallup polls - this is the happiness profile
Tall, Asian American man over 65 years old, who lives in Hawaii, is married with children, owns a business, earns more than $120,000/year, and is an observant Jew
Complete Mental Health: Emotional, Social, and Psychological Well‐Being
3-legged stool - high in each of these pillars
Need a high level of each and no mental illness
Complete state model
Increasing happiness in your life
David Myers - suggestions - page 160
Consider whether suggestions work for various cultural groups
Take control of your time - are people really able to do this?
Shelter, medication - things we need - low-level hierarchy of needs to be met
5. Movement - physical issues, disabled, ableist things to say
Life Enhancement Strategies
Love - be kind, tell those around you that you love them
Work - start meeting with positive comments about others’ contributions
Play - help others find time to play; participate in brief relaxation activities during the day
Heart Rate and Positive Psych
Heart rate is an important measure for diagnosing medical conditions
Resting HR is typically between 60-100 bpm
HR varies depending on metabolic needs
HR increases with an increased need for oxygen and blood in muscles
The heart responds similarily to psychological stress and other negative emotions
Positive feelings can have a beneficial impact on the heart
Connection between mind and body
Emotional States and Physical Health
Hippocrates - Four Bodily fluid that led to various issues when out of balance
black bile led to sorrow, phlegm to sleepiness, blood to sanguine feelings, and yellow bile to anger.
Fluids out of whack - effect our mental health
This emerging biological model gave us the foundational knowledge that our emotions are connected to our health
Comorbidities among psychological and physical disorders
Mood and anxiety disorders higher in medical inpatients
Depressed people report chronic physical illness
Mechanisms of this relationship
Physical ailment > interferes with activities > depressed mood
Acute emotional experiences > physical health changes
Emotional experiences > physiological, cognitive, social and behavioral factors
- Direct Effect of Emotional states on Immunity and Illness
Positive and negative affect associated with the release of secretory immunoglobulin A
S-IgA - common cold antibody
Negative mood states increase susceptibility to illness
Lab studies - exposed to respiratory virus - people who had more negative mood at investigation = more severe illness in response to the virus than those with more positive mood
Lab studies manipulating moods - causal influence of affective states
S-IgA increased after humor video but dropped after sad video
Direct Effect of Emotional states on Immunity and Illness
MOOD
Humor as coping mechanism - higher baseline S-Iga - better protected from getting things like the common cold
The more older women cry - greater the health problems reported
Severe stressors over one month - more susceptible to lab-induced colds
Personality: Optimism, Hostility, Hardiness (Grit) & Physical Health
Direct Effect of Emotional states on Immunity and Illness
Should we suppress our negative feelings in order to become sick less often?
Suppressing all thoughts - hard to do
Supressing our emotions leads to sympathetic activation of the cardiovascular system - try to suppress our emotions - body puts us into stress mode
Emotional suppression has been hypothesized to be related to the development of coronary heart disease
1- Work on mindful acceptance of negative emotion
2- Meditation
3- Coping with negative emotions - run, call a friend
Direct Effect of Emotional states on Immunity and Illness
Exposure therapy
Facing your fears
Interventions which help people process and confront trauma produce:
Significant improvements in health functioning
Fewer self-reported health problems
Lower use of health services
Enhanced immune system activity
These results are found despite the fact that exposure causes negative affect
Working through trauma may lead to positive effects if people are able to repair negative moods
Emotional States give us information
Positive emotional states tell us the enviornment is safe
change in human behavior is likely the most efficient way to reduce disease morbidity and premature mortality
Negative emotional states tell us that something in the environment needs to be addressed/corrected
Ex. panic attack - can sometimes come on without external stimuli - hard to distinguish where this is coming from
Informational piece - allows us to think about mechanisms btw emotions and physical health
Emotional States give us information
What makes people attend to their health or seek treatment?
Prescence of physical symptoms
Perceptions of vulnerability - which are altered by mood
People in a good mood perceive less vulnerability - dont believe that they will be vulnerable to illness
Good mood - seek treatment less bc they dont think they are vulnerable
people made to feel sad report more physical symptoms than those made to feel happy
conditions under which mood can systematically alter symptom reports.
Peoples belief in their ability to change behavior
Happy people belief in their own self-efficacy
Have to believe that you are capable of change and that the change will actually do something
Emotional States and Psychological Resilience
Good health practices are often difficult and psychologically taxing
Going to the gym
Cooking good meals everyday
Meditation
Take a lot of motivation, planning
To adopt precautions, we must be willing to accept that we are vulnerable
Not as easy at a young age to realize the vulnerability
Anxiety can lead to noncompliance with screenings
People dont go to doctor if they’re anxious about their health - worried about outcome - catastrophizing
Positive emotional states can:
Facilitate resilience that people may need if they are told they have or may develop a health problem
Facilitate personal resources - humor - that can be used for creativity in thought and action
Bring out the best in us
Offer people the opportunity to consider and plan for future outcomes
Being a person who is positive - deal with negative issues a bit better
Someone who is optimistic makes better health choices
Pessimist - harder to plan for things associated with treatment
Emotional States and Psychological Resilience
Optimism
Lots of research supports the connection between optimism and positive health outcomes
Both domain-specific and dispositional
The mechanism may be that optimism provides resources
Ex. someone coping with a health problem who is optimistic can focus on and plan for future outcomes, rather than be focused on the present moment
It could also be related to information seeking
Optimists spend time reading about health risks, and are more hopeful about their futures
Can we elicit positive affect?
Yes
Downward social comparison - at least its not brain cancer, not that bad - im ok for now
Provides short term benefits - mood regulation
Long term coping
The health care professional can also inspire hope
CHanges in Mood and Health-Relevant Behaviors
We behave in certain ways to regulate our mood
Smoking, drinking, eating, exercise
We desire to repair or improve negative moods
Sometimes the bad behaviors make it worse - guilt
Engage in certain behaviors because we know it will elevate our mood
Mood and the Elicitation of Social Support
Remember - our superpower as humans is that we are social animals
Social support is related to lower premature mortality, greater resistance to communicable disease, lower rates of CHD, faster recovery from heart disease and heart surgery.
Social support can affect health by:
The buffering hypothesis
The direct effect hypothesis
Types of social support:
—Affection - someone you can be affectionate with
—-Emotion - someone you can talk about your emotions
—-Informational - talk to get advice
—-Tangible support - someone to help you move the fridge
—-Positive social interactions
