Emotion, Stress, and Health

What is emotion? A state of arousal involving: Physiological changes Facial Bodily Brain activation Cognitive processes Appraisals Feelings Action tendencies Fight or Flight Embrace or withdraw Cultural context Social rules

Emotion and the Body Primary emotions: considered to be universal and biologically based: Fear Anger Sadness Joy Surprise Disgust Contempt

Secondary emotions Emotions that develop with cognitive maturity and vary across individuals, cultures, and societies

chapter 13 The brain and emotion Facial feedback The process by which the facial muscles send messages to the brain about the basic emotion being expressed

The brain and emotion The amygdala Responsible for assessing threat Damage to the amygdala results in abnormality in processing fear.

The brain and emotion Mirror neurons: Fire when an animal sees or hears an action and carries out the same action on its own Help us recognize others’ intentions

ANS arousal, hormones and emotion With intense emotion, two hormones are released: Epinephrine Norepinephrine Results in increased alertness and arousal At high levels, can create sensation of being out of control emotionally

Which comes first: ANS arousal or emotion? Schacter and Singer’s 2-Factor Theory of Emotion: Physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation influence emotion

Which comes first: ANS arousal or emotion? Capilano River Suspension Bridge Study: Men on arousing bridge were more likely to make up stories with sexual content and to ask out interviewer

How thoughts create emotions Appraisals are explanations of ones own and other people’s behavior that influence the feelings one has in any given circumstance. They involve: Beliefs Expections Judgements Perceptions Reactions Philosophy of life

Cultural rules determine emotional regulation Culture influences what people feel angry, sad, lonely, happy, ashamed or disgusted about.

Cultural rules determine emotional regulation Display rules When, where, and how emotions are to be expressed or when they should be squelched

Cultural rules determine emotional regulation chapter 13 Cultural rules determine emotional regulation Emotion work Acting out an emotion we do not feel or trying to create the right emotion for the occasion Body language The nonverbal signals of body movement, posture, and gaze that people constantly express

Gender and emotion In North America women. . . smile more than men. gaze at listeners more. have more emotionally expressive faces. use more expressive body movements. touch others more. acknowledge weakness and emotions more. In North America men. . . express anger to strangers more than women.

Factors influencing emotional expressiveness Gender roles Cultural norms The specific situation

Stress

The physiology of stress General Adaptation Syndrome (Hans Selye): The body’s response to external stressors Alarm phase: Mobilizing SNS activity; immediate threat Resistance: Coping with ongoing stressors Exhaustion: Depletion of energy; sickness more likely Minimize stress!

Stressors Work-related problems Noise Bereavement and loss Poverty, powerlessness, and low status

Stress and the mind: The sense of control Locus of control A general expectation about whether the results of your actions are under your own control (internal locus) or beyond your control (external locus) Feelings of control can reduce the effect of stress on health.

Explanatory styles Optimists: Take better care of themselves when sick Cope better Draw on friends in hard times

chapter 13 Benefits of control Those who feel in control are less likely to develop colds. Low-income individuals with high levels of control report similar quality of life to high-income individuals. Managers and executives have fewer illnesses. Nursing home residents with greater control are more alert, happier, and live longer.

Culture and control Primary control: an effort to modify reality by changing other people, the situation, or events A “fighting back” philosophy Western cultures Secondary control: an effort to accept reality by changing your own attitudes, goals, or emotions A “learn to live with it” philosophy Eastern cultures

Stress and emotions Hostility: a major risk factor for heart disease Emotional inhibition: Stressful situations cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise sharply People with trait more likely to fall ill than people who acknowledge feelings

Coping: Talking about it Let grievances go: Give up thoughts that produce grudges and replace them with different perspectives (forgive) Divulge private thoughts and feelings that make you ashamed or depressed (confess)

Coping: Cooling off Relaxation training Massage therapy Exercise Lowers stress hormones Enhances immune function Massage therapy Exercise

Coping: Solving the problem Emotion-focused coping deals with feelings a situation has caused Problem-focused coping deals with actively trying to change situation

Coping: Drawing on social support Friends can help People who have network of close connections tend to live longer. Giving support to others can be a valuable source of comfort.

When friends aren’t helpful Relationships can cause stress when: one friend is responsible for taking care of another. there is arguing in a hostile way. friends are unsupportive or block your progress toward a goal.