Myers’ EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (4th Ed) Chapter 10 Emotions, Stress, and Health James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers

Emotion Emotion a response of the whole organism physiological arousal expressive behaviors conscious experience

Emotional Arousal Autonomic nervous system controls physiological arousal Sympathetic division (arousing) Parasympathetic division (calming) Pupils dilate EYES Pupils contract Decreases SALVATION Increases Perspires SKIN Dries Increases RESPERATION Decreases Accelerates HEART Slows Inhibits DIGESTION Activates Secrete stress hormones ADRENAL GLANDS Decrease secretion of stress hormones

Arousal and Performance Performance peaks at lower levels of arousal for difficult tasks, and at higher levels for easy or well-learned tasks Performance level Low Arousal High Difficult tasks Easy tasks

Lie Detectors Polygraph machine commonly used in attempts to detect lies measures several of the physiological responses accompanying emotion perspiration heart rate blood pressure breathing changes

Lie Detectors Control Question Relevant Question Up to age 18, did you ever physically harm anyone? Relevant Question Did the deceased threaten to harm you in any way? Relevant > Control --> Lie

Emotion- Lie Detectors Control question Relevant (a) (b) Respiration Perspiration Heart rate

Emotion- Lie Detectors Percentage Innocent people Guilty 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Judged innocent by polygraph Judged guilty by polygraph 50 Innocents 50 Thieves 1/3 of innocent declared guilty 1/4 of guilty declared innocent (from Kleinmuntz & Szucko, 1984)

Emotion- Lie Detectors Is 70% accuracy good? Assume 5% of 1000 employees actually guilty test all employees 285 will be wrongly accused What about 95% accuracy? Assume 1 in 1000 employees actually guilty test all employees (including 999 innocents) 50 wrongly declared guilty 1 of 51 testing positive are guilty (2%)

Expressing Emotion Smiles can show different emotions: A) Mask anger (b) (c) (d) Smiles can show different emotions: A) Mask anger B) Overly polite C) Soften criticism D) Reluctant compliance

Expressing Emotion Culturally universal expressions

Experiencing Emotion Catharsis Feel-good, do-good phenomenon emotional release catharsis hypothesis “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges Feel-good, do-good phenomenon people’s tendency to be helpful when already in a good mood

Subjective Well-Being Experiencing Emotion Subjective Well-Being self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life used along with measures of objective well-being physical and economic indicators to evaluate people’s quality of life

Experiencing Emotion Are today’s collegians materialistic? Percentage rating goal as very important or essential 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 1966 ‘68 ‘70 ‘72 ‘74 ‘76 ‘78 ‘80 ‘82 ‘84 ‘86 ‘88 ‘90 ‘92 ‘94 ‘96 Year Developing a meaningful life philosophy Being very well-off financially

Experiencing Emotion Does money buy happiness? Average per-person Year 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Average per-person after-tax income in 1995 dollars Percentage describing themselves as very happy $20,000 $19,000 $18,000 $17,000 $16,000 $15,000 $14,000 $13,000 $12,000 $11,000 $10,000 $9,000 $8,000 $7,000 $6,000 $5,000 $4,000 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Percentage very happy Personal income

Experiencing Emotion Adaptation-Level Phenomenon Relative Deprivation tendency to form judgements relative to a “neutral” level brightness of lights volume of sound level of income defined by our prior experience Relative Deprivation perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

Theories of Emotion Does your heart pound because you are afraid... or are you afraid because you feel your heart pounding?

James-Lange Theory of Emotion Experience of emotion is awareness of physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli James-Lange Theory Fear (emotion) Pounding heart (arousal) Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus)

Cannon-Bard Theory of Emotion Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus) Pounding heart (arousal) Fear (emotion) Emotion-arousing stimuli simultaneously trigger: physiological responses subjective experience of emotion

Schachter’s Two Factor Theory of Emotion Schachter’s Theory To experience emotion one must: be physically aroused cognitively label the arousal Pounding heart (arousal) Fear (emotion= labeled arousal) Cognitive label “I’m afraid” Sight of oncoming car (perception of stimulus)

Cognition and Emotion The brain’s shortcut for emotions Thalamus Visual cortex To pounding heart Amygdala Instant fear response Slightly slower interpretation: “This is a snake! Get away.”

Cognition and Emotion Emotion and cognition feed on each other Experienced emotion Cognition Emotion and cognition feed on each other

What is Stress? Stress the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging Stressors Catastrophes Life changes Hassles Intervening factors Appraisal Perceived control Personality Social support Coping behaviors Stress reactions Physiological Emotional Behavioral

What is Stress? General Adaptation Syndrome resistance Phase 1 Alarm reaction (mobilize resources) Phase 2 Resistance (cope with stressor) Phase 3 Exhaustion (reserves depleted) The body’s resistance to stress can only Last so long before exhaustion sets in Stressor occurs General Adaptation Syndrome Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress as composed of three stages

What is Stress? Coronary Heart Disease clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle leading cause of death in the United States

Stress & Coronary Heart Disease Hopelessness scores 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 Heart attack Death Low risk Moderate risk High risk Men who feel extreme hopelessness are at greater risk for heart attacks and early death

Stress & Coronary Heart Disease Type A Friedman and Rosenman’s term for people who are competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, anger-prone Type B Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people

Stress and Disease Psychophysiological Illness “mind-body” illness any stress-related physical illness distinct from hypochondriasis – misinterpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of a disease

Stress and Disease Lymphocytes two types of white blood cells that are part of the body’s immune system B lymphocytes form in the bone marrow and release antibodies that fight bacterial infections T lymphocytes form in the thymus and, among other duties, attack cancer cells, viruses and foreign substances

Stress and Disease Conditioning of immune suppression UCS (drug) UCR (sweetened water) CR Conditioning of immune suppression

poor nutrition and sleep) Stress and Disease Negative emotions and health-related consequences Unhealthy behaviors (smoking, drinking, poor nutrition and sleep) Negative emotions Stress hormones Heart disease Immune suppression Autonomic nervous system effects (headaches, hypertension)

Promoting Health Aerobic Exercise Depression score 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Before treatment evaluation After treatment No-treatment group Aerobic exercise Relaxation treatment Aerobic Exercise sustained exercise that increases heart vand lung fitness may also alleviate depression and anxiety

Promoting Health Biofeedback system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding a subtle physiological state blood pressure muscle tension Patient observes

Life-style modification patients Promoting Health Modifying Type A life-style can reduce recurrence of heart attacks Percentage of patients with recurrent heart attacks (cumulative average) 6 5 4 3 2 1 Year 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 Life-style modification patients Control patients Modifying life-style reduced recurrent

Level of social support Life events Tendency toward Health Illness Personal appraisal Challenge Threat Personality type Easy going Nondepressed Optimistic Hostile Depressed Pessimistic Personality habits Nonsmoking Regular exercise Good nutrition Smoking Sedentary Poor nutrition Level of social support Close, enduring Lacking