Module 34 Health and Happiness

Health and Happiness Coping With Stress 34-1: IN WHAT TWO WAYS DO PEOPLE TRY TO ALLEVIATE STRESS? Coping: Reducing stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods Problem-focused coping: Attempting to reduce stress directly—by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor. Emotion-focused coping: Attempting to reduce stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction.

Health and Happiness: Coping With Stress Personal Control 34-2: HOW DOES A PERCEIVED LACK OF CONTROL AFFECT HEALTH? In humans and other animals, uncontrollable threats trigger the strongest stress responses: Animal studies Laudenslager and Reite (1984) rat studies Seligman and colleagues (1967) dog studies Learned helplessness: The hopelessness and passive resignation an animal or person learns when unable to avoid repeated aversive events. Human studies Rodin (1986) nursing home resident study O’Neill (1993) work site environment studies Increasing control noticeably improves health and morale.

See Figure 11.8 Learned Helplessness Generalized helpless behavior Uncontrollable bad events Generalized helpless behavior See Figure 11.8 Perceived lack of control

Coping With Stress Personal Control Why does perceived loss of control predict health problems? Losing control produces an outpouring of stress hormones. When rats cannot control shock or when humans or other primates feel unable to control their environment, the result is rising stress hormones blood pressure levels increase immune responses drop. By boosting feelings of control, people often lead happier and healthier lives.

Coping With Stress Personal Control Internal Versus External Locus of Control If experiencing a loss of control can be stressful and unhealthy, do people who generally perceive they have control of their lives enjoy better health? Those who have an external locus of control believe that chance or outside forces control their fate. Those who have an internal locus of control believe they control their own destiny. Studies show that people who believe in their freedom learn better, perform better at work, behave more helpfully, and have a stronger desire to punish rule breakers (Clark et al., 2014; Job et al., 2010; Stillman et al., 2010).

Coping With Stress Personal Control 34-3: HOW CAN OUR SELF-CONTROL BE DEPLETED, AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BUILD THIS STRENGTH? Depleting and Strengthening Self-Control Self-control: Ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards Exercising willpower temporarily depletes the mental energy needed for self-control on other tasks. But the long-term effect of exercising self-control is strengthened self-control, much as hard physical workouts leave you temporarily tired but stronger in the long term. Self-control requires attention and energy, but it predicts good adjustment, better grades, and social success.

Coping With Stress Explanatory Style: Optimism Versus Pessimism 34-4: HOW DOES AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK AFFECT HEALTH AND LONGEVITY? Pessimists Expect things to go badly; blame themselves , others or situations beyond their control Optimists Expect to have control, work well under stress, and enjoy good health Enjoy better moods, stronger immune systems, quicker recovery times, longer lives, and better well-being and success overall Optimism runs in families; one genetic marker is a gene that enhances the social-bonding hormone oxytocin Even the most pessimistic of us can learn to become more optimistic; in one such study pessimists reported lower levels of depression

Coping With Stress Social Support 34-5: HOW DOES SOCIAL SUPPORT PROMOTE GOOD HEALTH? Social support itself creates health benefits: It calms us and reduces blood pressure and stress hormones. It fights illness by fostering stronger immune functioning. Close relationships give us an opportunity for “open heart therapy,” a chance to confide painful feelings.

Health and Happiness Reducing Stress Having a sense of control, developing more optimistic thinking, and building social support can help us experience less stress and thus improve our health. But sometimes we cannot alleviate stress and simply need to manage our stress. Aerobic exercise, relaxation, meditation, and active spiritual engagement may help us gather inner strength and lessen stress effects. Based on what we have learned so far, can you guess why that might be ?

Health and Happiness Reducing Stress Aerobic Exercise 34-6: HOW EFFECTIVE IS AEROBIC EXERCISE AS A WAY TO MANAGE STRESS AND IMPROVE WELL-BEING? Aerobic exercise: Sustained activity that increases heart and lung fitness; may also reduce depression and anxiety Increases the quality and quantity of life (two additional years, on average ) Boost in quality of life seen in increased energy, better mood, and stronger relationships Aerobic exercise increases arousal, leads to muscle relaxation and sounder sleep, triggers the production of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, and enhances self-image. It can relieve depression and, in later life, is associated with better cognitive functioning and longer life. It also fosters neurogenesis (the formation of new neurons).

Aerobic Exercise and Depression Mildly depressed college women who participated in an aerobic exercise program showed markedly reduced depression, compared with those who did relaxation exercises or received no treatment. (From McCann & Holmes, 1984.)

Reducing Stress Relaxation and Meditation 34-7: IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT RELAXATION AND MEDITATION INFLUENCE STRESS AND HEALTH? Much research done starting in the late 1960s on biofeedback. It is now is thought to have limited effect, working best on tension headaches. More than 60 studies have found that relaxation procedures can help alleviate headaches, high blood pressure, anxiety, and insomnia. Relaxation traininghas been used to help Type A heart attack survivors reduce risk of future heart attacks. Mindfulness meditation: Relaxing and silently attending to your inner state, without judging it. Strengthens connections among regions in the brain Activates brain regions associated with more reflexive awareness Calms brain activation in emotional situations

Reducing Stress Faith Communities and Health 34-8: WHAT IS THE FAITH FACTOR, AND WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE LINK BETWEEN FAITH AND HEALTH? The faith factor: Religiously active people tend to live longer than those who are not religiously active. This is correlational, not cause-effect. Nevertheless, research indicates that religious involvement, like nonsmoking and exercise, is a predictor of health and longevity. Possible explanations may include the effect of intervening variables, such as the healthy behaviors, social support, or positive emotions often found among people who regularly attend religious services.

Reducing Stress Faith Communities and Health Possible explanations for the correlation between religious involvement and health/longevity

Health and Happiness Happiness 34-9: WHAT IS THE FEEL-GOOD, DO-GOOD PHENOMENON, AND WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH? People aspire to happiness because our state of happiness or unhappiness influences all facets of life. Feel-good, do-good phenomenon: People’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood. Doing good also promotes good feeling, the do-good, feel-good phenomenon.

Health and Happiness Happiness Positive Psychology Happiness research stems from William James’ writings in the early twentieth century through to the humanistic psychologists interest in advancing human fulfillment in the 1960s. In the twenty-first century, positive psychologists under the leadership of Martin Seligman have used scientific methods to study human flourishing. Subjective well-being Self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life Used along with measures of objective well-being (for example, physical and economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life

Happiness Positive Psychology Scientific study of human functioning, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities to thrive. Three pillars of positive psychology Positive well-being Positive character Positive groups, communities, and cultures

Happiness What Affects Our Well-Being? 34-10: HOW DO TIME, WEALTH, ADAPTATION, AND COMPARISON AFFECT OUR HAPPINESS LEVELS? The Short Life of Emotional Ups and Downs Emotional ups and downs tend to balance out; moods typically rebound. Friday and Saturday are the most positive mood days. Early morning to midday are the most positive times of day. Usually, even tragedy is not permanently depressing. The surprising reality: The duration of emotions is overestimated; resiliency and adaptability are underestimated.

Happiness What Affects Our Well-Being? Wealth and Well-Being Wealth does correlate with well-being in some ways. Having resources to meet basic needs and maintain some control over life does buy happiness. Increasing wealth matters less once basic needs are met. Economic growth in affluent countries provides no apparent morale or social well-being boost.

Happiness What Affects Our Well-Being? Happiness Is Relative: Adaptation and Comparison Our emotions seem like elastic bands that pull us back from highs and lows. Happiness is relative to our own experiences (the adaptation-level phenomenon) and to others’ success (the relative deprivation principle). Feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, success and failure are judgments we make based partly on our prior experience. Comparing ourselves with those who are better off creates envy, but counting our blessings as we compare ourselves with those worse off boosts our contentment.

Happiness What Affects Our Well-Being? Adaptation-level phenomenon The tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience. Partly influences feelings of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, success and failure. Relative deprivation The perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself. Satisfaction may come when one feels better off than peers.

Happiness What Predicts Our Happiness Levels? 34-11: WHAT ARE SOME PREDICTORS OF HAPPINESS, AND HOW CAN WE BE HAPPIER? Happiness levels are product of nature–nurture interaction. Twin studies: About 50 percent of happiness rating differences among people seems to be heritable—attributable to genes. Personal history: Emotions balance around a level defined by experience; happiness set point. Culture: There is diversity in the value groups place on various traits (for example, social acceptance and harmony in collectivist cultures and self-esteem and achievement in individualist cultures). Individual happiness level may influence national well-being. Some individuals, because of their genetic predispositions and their personal histories, are happier than others. Cultures, which vary in the traits they value and the behaviors they expect and reward, also influence personal levels of happiness. Researchers have found that happy people tend to have high self-esteem (in individualist countries); be optimistic, outgoing, and agreeable; have close friendships or a satisfying marriage; have work and leisure that engage their skills; have an active religious faith (particularly in more religious cultures); and sleep well and exercise.

Happiness What Predicts Our Happiness Levels? Happiness Is . . . Sources: DeNeve & Cooper, 1998; Diener et al., 2003, 2011; Headey et al., 2010; Lucas et al., 2004; Myers, 1993, 2000; Myers & Diener, 1995, 1996; Steel et al., 2008. Veenhoven (2014) offers a database of 13,000+ correlates of happiness at www.worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl.

Happiness Evidence-Based Suggestions for a Happier Life Eleven research-based suggestions for improving your mood and increasing your satisfaction with life: Realize that enduring happiness may not come from financial success Take control of your time Act happy Seek work and leisure that engage your skills Buy shared experiences rather than things Join the “movement” movement Digested from David G. Myers, The Pursuit of Happiness (Harper).

Happiness Evidence-Based Suggestions for a Happier Life Research-based suggestions for improving your mood and increasing your satisfaction with life (continued): Give your body the sleep it wants Give priority to close relationships Focus beyond self Count your blessings and record your gratitude Nurture your spiritual self