Myers’ PSYCHOLOGY (7th Ed) Chapter 14 Stress and Health James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers

Fact vs. Falsehood z1. Half the mortality from the 10 leading causes of death is due to people’s behavior. z2. People tend to die younger in areas where there is greater income inequality. z3. Compared to others, pessimists are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease. z4. Cancer rates are higher among concentration camp survivors. z5. Writing about personal traumas in a diary reduces stress and the likelihood of health problems during ensuing months. z6. Religious faith and health show a strong positive correlation. z7. Smoking a cigarette takes 12 minutes off one’s life expectancy. z8. Genes influence one’s propensity to cigarette addiction. z9. It is possible for two people of the same height, age, and activity level to maintain the same weight, even if one of them eats much more than the other does. z10. Most people who lose weight on a weight-loss program will eventually gain most of it back.

Stress and Health  Behavioral Medicine  interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge and applies that knowledge to health and disease  Health Psychology  subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine

What is Stress??? zStress is not just a stimulus and response. It is the process by which we appraise and cope with environmental threats and challenges. zThere are pros and cons to stress.

Stress and Work

Stress and Illness  Stress  the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging Survey: General Level of Stress

Stress and Illness  Leading causes of death in the US in 1900 and 2000

Stress Appraisal Stressful event (tough math test) Threat (“Eeek I can’t handle this!”) Challenge (“This is going to be tough, but I can do it”) Panic, freeze up Aroused, focused Appraisal Response

The Stress Response System zSympathetic nervous system zFlight or fight, withdraw, seek or give support zStress hormone cortisol comes from the outer part of the adrenal gland zThere are subtle differences in reaction to different types of stress, but basics are similar

Pituitary hormone in the bloodstream stimulates the outer part of the adrenal gland to release the stress hormone cortisol Sympathetic nervous system releases the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine from nerve endings in the inner part of the adrenal glands Thalamus Hypothalamus Pituitary gland Adrenal glands Cerebral cortex (perceives stressor )

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

GAS continued zStage 1: alarm ySudden activation of Autonomic Nervous System yFeel faintness of shock yGetting ready to fight zStage 2: resistance yFighting phase yCan deplete reserve if it goes on for too long zStage 3: exhaustion yVulnerable to illness yExtremes can lead to collapse or death

Stressful Life Events  Life Changes  death of a loved one, divorce, loss of job, promotion, marriage, moving  This affect young people more = susceptibility to disease Catastrophic Events Unpredictable, large scale (war or natural disaster) earthquakes, combat stress, floods Daily Hassles rush hour traffic, long lines, job stress, burnout Add up Hypertension is high in urban “ghetto” areas

Stressful Life Events  Chronic Stress by Age

Survey zDo you see a or b??

Peacock and Wong means exam unemploymen tAIDS Natural Disaster threat challenge centrality control - self control - others uncontrollable stressfulness

Perceived Control zThe more control over our environment we have, the less stress and the longer we live zPoverty and inequality yPoorer people in unequal areas are more at risk for premature death yPeople in all classes die younger when the situations are unequal zOptimism vs. pessimism  yOptimist perceive more control, cope better, have better health yLoss of control = more stress hormones

Perceived Control  Health consequences of a loss of control No connection to shock source To shock controlTo shock source “Executive” rat“Subordinate” ratControl rat

Perceived Control  Equality and Longevity

Stress and the Heart  Coronary Heart Disease  clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle  leading cause of death in many developed countries (the U.S. since 1950s)

Stress and the Heart Hopelessness scores Heart attack Death Low riskModerate riskHigh risk Men who feel extreme hopelessness are at greater risk for heart attacks and early death

Stress and the Heart  Type A  Friedman and Rosenman’s term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people  Smoke more  Sleep less  Use caffeine more  Stress hormone are double that of type B in same situation  Negative emotions are core (anger, pessimism, depression)  Type B  Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people

Stress and the Heart

Stress and Disease  Psychophysiological Illness  “mind-body” illness  any stress-related physical illness  some forms of hypertension  some headaches  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

More on Stress and the Immune System zMacrophages hunt and eat harmful invaders zAge, nutrition, genetics, body temperature, and stress all influence your immune system zUnder action is when dormant viruses erupt, cancer multiplies zOverreaction is when it attacks your own tissues yAllergies yLupus yArthritis yMultiple sclerosis zWomen have better immune systems zIs controlled by your brain zWe heal more slowly if stressed

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

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

Stress and … zAIDS y#4 killer in the world y#1 in Africa yKills slowly, therefore it is more deadly for humanity as a whole yStress makes it move faster zCancer yYou are more at risk during and close to a stressful time zConditioning the Immune System: yYour immune system can be influenced by classical conditioning