Class 12 Unrealistic Optimism, Depression, & Hostility Announcements: Midterm postponed to 10/26; Review on 10/21 Read Kriegel Falling Into Life for Next Class

Is Optimism Always a Good Thing?

Health Outcomes Questions 1. Compared to most other college students, what is your risk of an alcohol- related injury? 2. Compared to most other college students, what is your risk of getting into a car accident? Much Below Average Below Average Slightly Below Average Average for Rutgers students Slightly Above Average Much Above Average Much Below Average Below Average Slightly Below Average Average for Rutgers students Slightly Above Average Much Above Average

"Rational" Expected Results

Risk of Alcohol Injury, Compared to Most Students n = 48 Mean = 2.46 Median = 2.00 Mode = 1 SD = 1.64

Risk of Auto Injury, Compared to Most Students n = 48 Mean = 3.15 Median = 3.00 Mode = 4 SD = 1.58

Defined: Belief that one is immune from bad events, or that one will not be injured or harmed even when taking risks. Arises from: 1. Easier to think up things that reduce risk than things that increase risk. 2. Lack of info about others' risk prevention efforts. 3. Egocentric dismissal of other's efforts to reduce risk. Illusion of Invulnerability

GROUP 1 COMPLETE INFO.: ABOUT ME AND ABOUT OTHERS Your Risk Factor for Heart Attack Me Others 1. Cigarettes smoked per week_____ ( 8 ) 2. # Family members with heart ailments_____ ( 2 ) 3. Hours of exercise per week_____ ( 3 ) GROUP 2 PARTIAL INFO: ABOUT ME ONLY, NO COMPARISON TO OTHERS Your Risk Factor for Heart Attack Me Others 1. Cigarettes smoked per week_____ ? 2. # Family members with heart ailments_____ ? 3. Hours of exercise per week_____ ? GROUP 3 NO INFO: NO TRACKING OF SELF, NO COMPARISON TO OTHERS Weinstein Unrealistic Optimism Study Represents actual average

All subjects next answer the following question: Compared to other Rutgers students of my sex, my chances of having a heart attack are : Much Below Average Below Average Slightly Below Average Average for Rutgers students Slightly Above Average Much Above Average Weinstein Unrealistic Optimism Study

Results of Weinstein Study Severe RisksMild/Mod Risks

1. 15% of all people suffer depression 2. Chronic depression --> brain damage * Poorer Memory * Failed concentration 3. ____ Men / ____ Women 2 X more likely to get depressed. Depression: The High Costs of Being Low X

Hypercortisolemia and Hippocampus Damage Hippocampus functions include: a. Long term memory b. Spatial navigation Hippocampus in depressed women smaller than in non-depressed women. Rats given cortisol show atrophied hippocampus. Depression --> increased cortisol (cortisolemia). What does this add up to? Depression --> cortisolemia --> hippocampus atrophy --> memory loss

Linking Depression to Hippocampus Atrophy Depressed people have smaller hippocampus, therefore depression  hippocampus atrophy, right??? Why doesn’t this clear association between depress. & hippo. atrophy establish depression as cause? Depression Hippo. Atrophy Brain Virus, for example What kind of study would allow us to determine causality?

Confirming that Depression  Hippocampus Atrophy Experiment: Make some people depressed, others not depressed, check on hippocampus in 3 yrs. Problems? Cross-Sectional Study: Look at people of different ages, with or w/o depression, and look at hippocampus. Prospective Study: Look at people at same starting age (e.g., 20), diagnosed as depressed/not depressed, and monitor hippo. size as they age. Artificial Data

Hostility as a Health Threat Selye: A person confronted with major stressor goes into one of two modes: Fight Flight OR Anxious, pessimistic, low efficacy will tend to which response? Flight Imagine someone in chronic “fight” mode, always ready for attack or defense How would he/she appraise situations? Other people? More threatening, as self-serving, un-trustworthy, dog-eat-dog world How would this person respond to others? Socially abrasive, smaller social network, avoid others when in need

Hostility is considered to be an attitudinal set—perhaps a personality trait—which stems from an absence of trust in the basic goodness of others and centers around the belief that others are generally mean, selfish, and undependable. Williams, Barefoot, & Shekelle, 1985 Hostility Defined

bEUvQmFzaWwgdGhyYXNoZXMgaGlzIGNhciAtIEZhd2x0e SBUb3dlcnMgLSBCQkOvK6y9 Case Study of Hostile Personality

YESNO 1No one cares much what happens to you 2I have often met people who were supposed to be experts who were no better than I. 3Some of my family have habits that bother and annoy me very much. 4I often have to take orders from someone who did not know as much as I did. 5It makes me feel like a failure when I hear of the success of someone I know well. 6People often disappoint me. 7It is safer to trust nobody. 8I have often felt that strangers were looking at me critically. 9I tend to be on my guard with people who are somewhat more friendly than I expected. 10My way of doing things is apt to be misunderstood by others. Hostility Scale (Cook and Medley, 1954)

1. Hostile 2. Competitive 3. Work-a-holic 4. time-pressed Qualities of Type A Personality Which component the most important? X

Blockage of blood vessels Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)(1.5 time greater odds) 20-year increased risk of death due to: * CHD * Malignant Neoplasms (cancer) * All causes of death combined Health Correlates of Hostility

Is Relation Between Hostility and Heart Disease Linear or Catastrophic? LinearCatastrophic

Hostility and Coronary Heart Disease Among MDs Barefoot, et al., 1983

MD Survival Rates Over 25 Years: Low Hostile vs. High Hostile

Appraisal of threat higher  defensive mode (fight)  more cardiac output  ↑ cortisol  atherosclerosis Pathway From Hostility to Heart Disease What seems to be common physio culprit in link between stress, depression, hostility and health risks? Cortisol