Emotion, Stress, and Health Chapter

Chapter Outline The Nature of Emotion The Nature of Stress Culture and Control Stress and Emotion Coping with Stress How Much Control do we have over our Emotions and our Health? 11-2

The Nature of Emotion Emotion is a state involving: 1. Physiological changes in the face, brain, and body 2. Cognitive processes such as interpretation of events 3. Cultural influences that shape the experience and expression of emotion 11-3

The Nature of Emotion Emotion evolved to help people meet the challenges of life – Motivates, helps decision making and planning, builds relationships Pleasurable emotions are adaptive – Increase mental flexibility, creativity, reduce stress, build social bonds 11-4

Function of Facial Expressions Emotions can contradict logic and thus have a negative effect on decision making BUT we require emotions in order to make decisions 5

Emotions and the Body Primary emotions – Emotions considered to be universal and biologically based – Generally include fear, anger, sadness, joy, surprise, disgust, and contempt – Each has distinctive physiological reaction and facial expression 11-6

Emotions and the Body Secondary emotions – Emotions that develop with cognitive maturity and vary across individuals and cultures – Ex) jealousy, insecurity, disapproval, paranoia 11-7

The Face of Emotion Evolutionary explanations say that emotions are hard-wired and have survival functions – Evidence for the universality of 7 facial expressions of emotion (Ekman, 1997) Emotions recognized cross-culturally Genuine versus fake emotions can be distinguished ys/smiles/ ys/smiles/ 11-8

Functions of Facial Expressions Facial expressions reflect our internal feelings, but can also influence them Facial feedback – The process by which the facial muscles send messages to the brain about the basic emotion being expressed 11-9

Functions of Facial Expressions Emotions help us communicate emotional states & signal others (survival value) – Begins in infancy, babies convey emotions & can interpret parental expressions Still face experiment (2 min 50 seconds) Baby recognizes emotion (40 seconds) 11-10

Prefrontal Cortex Left prefrontal cortex: involved in motivation to approach others; damage results in loss of joy Right prefrontal cortex: Involved in withdrawal and escape; damage results in excessive mania & euphoria 11-11

Amygdala – Evaluates sensory information and determines its emotional importance – Assesses threat – Damage results in abnormality in processing fear 11-12

Mirror Neurons The discovery by Giacomo Rizzolatti – Neurons that fire when a person or animal observes others carrying out an intentional action – They are involved in empathy, imitation, and reading emotions 13

Mirror Neurons May cause us to inadvertently mimic someone’s expressions, gestures (even accents!) Synchronization/mimicry builds relationship Mirror neurons go to sleep when people look at individuals they dislike or are prejudiced against. Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education Canada 14

Mirror Neurons Mood contagion – A mood spreading from one person to another, as facial expressions of emotion in the first person generate emotions in the other – Nonverbal signals can cue emotional responses in others as well Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education Canada 15

Emotion and the Mind Experience of emotion depends on two factors: 1)Physiological arousal 2) Cognitive interpretation – We label the physiological changes … but may not always be accurate E.g., Capilano Bridge study (1974)

Emotion & Gender Stereotypes that women are emotional and men are reserved Little evidence that one sex feels any of the everyday emotions more often than the other 11-17

Emotion & Gender But … people see what they expect to see (stereotypes guide expectations/perceptual set – remember perception!) – Western cultures associate “angry” with males and “happy” with females Differences exist in how emotions are expressed, and how they are perceived by others

Emotional Expressiveness Stereotypical gender differences may arise from the fact that women are more willing to express their feelings Women are more likely to... – Smile more often – Gaze at listeners more – Have more emotionally expressive faces – Use expressive hand & body movements – Touch others more often – Talk about their emotions 11-19

Emotional Expressiveness North American men only express one emotion more freely than women: – Anger towards strangers, especially other men, when challenged or insulted – Expectation that men will control or mask negative emotions – Consequence is increased difficulty in recognizing when men are seriously unhappy 11-20

Communicating Emotions Display rules – Social & cultural rules that regulate when, how, and where a person may express (or must suppress) emotions 11-21

The Nature of Stress What is stress? A stimulus that triggers arousal – Many different things to different people E.g., conflict with parents or partner, frustration with life, feeling overwhelmed with work or caring for others, etc. Stress is influenced by physiology, cognitive processes, and cultural rules

General Adaptation Syndrome Hans Selye, 1956 – Enhanced our understanding of the mind-body connection – Keeping our bodies in balance – Failure to cope with or adapt to stressors can produce “diseases of adaptation” 11-23

General Adaptation Syndrome 1.Alarm Phase – Body mobilizes the sympathetic nervous system to deal with immediate threat 11-24

2.Resistance Phase – Body attempts to resist or cope with stressor that cannot be avoided – Physiological alarm responses occur but increase vulnerability to other stressors 11-25

3.Exhaustion Phase – Persistent stress depletes the body of energy – Increased vulnerability to physical problems & illness 11-26

Stress & the Body HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex) axis – A system activated to energize the body to respond to stressors (crucial for short-term stress responses) – Start 30 seconds in 11-27

Coping with Stress Immediate way of coping is to reduce physiological arousal caused by stress/reduce tension: – Journaling – Art work – Meditation – Talking to someone – Praying – Social support (more on this soon) – Do something you enjoy 28

Emotion-focused coping – Concentrates on the emotions the problem has caused (anger, anxiety, grief etc.) – After tragedy or disaster, emotions may be overwhelming – This may be the only realistic option when the source of stress is outside the person’s control 11-29

Coping with Stress Problem-focused coping – Dealing with a problem by solving the problem itself – Define the problem, research options – Increases feeling of control and speeds recovery 11-30

Cognitive Coping Three effective cognitive coping methods: 1.Reappraising the situation – Reappraisal: thinking about problem differently – Become aware of your thoughts – Evaluate content – Challenge negative perceptions by questioning their validity 11-31

Cognitive Coping 2.Learning from the experience –Looking for a positive change from the experience –Gain strength and resilience –Find meaning in tragedy 11-32

Cognitive Coping 3.Making social comparisons – Social comparison: compare self to others who are believed to be less fortunate or in a similar situation but doing well 11-33

Social Support Do not always need professional help… Social support – Assistance from others in your network of family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers – Provide concern and affection, resources, connection 11-34

Social Support Friendships can reduce the risk of health problems – Associated with fewer colds, less harmful stress reactions, and longer lives Social support may enhance health because it bolsters the immune system (greater sense of control & optimism) 11-35

Social Support Under stress, women who got a supportive touch from their close partner resulted in a reduced stress response 11-36

Oxytocin “fight or flight” mechanism does not explain social responses to stress Oxytocin – a “tend and befriend mechanism” – If social contacts are supportive and comforting, stress responses decline – Seeking friends, helping others – May affect sensitivity of HPA axis – – 1 minute 11-37

Stress and the Mind Some persons experience extremely stressful situations and do not become ill How we respond to stress may protect us – Optimism – Sense of control 11-38

Optimism & Pessimism Optimism – general expectation that things will go well despite setbacks – associated with better health relative to pessimists: Relative to pessimists, optimists tend to: – Live longer (lower physiological response to stress) – Take better care of their health – Are active problem-solvers – Don’t give up – Keep a sense of humour 11-39

The Sense of Control Locus of control People can tolerate all kinds of stressors if they feel able to predict or control them – Crowds, work place Feelings of control can reduce or even eliminate the relationship between stressors and health 11-40

Hostility Being easily angered is a significant risk factor all on its own for impairments of the immune system, elevated blood pressure, heart disease, and even slower healing of wounds Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education Canada 11-41

Positive Emotions Positive emotions can have healthful benefits – The nun study – Positive emotions may counteract high arousal caused by negative emotions/chronic stressors 11-42

Positive Emotions People who express positive feelings are also more likely to attract friends and social support (contributes to good health) Everyone feels negative emotions, importantly is having a higher ratio of positive emotions 11-43

Managing Negative Emotions Suppression of negative emotions can have detrimental health effects – Inhibition is physically challenging – By trying to avoid a thought, you are actually rehearsing it - prolonging an emotional response 11-44

Managing Negative Emotions Controlling anger – Venting typically worsens physical and mental discomfort – People often feel worse after an angry confrontation – Cannot control emotional reactions but can control subsequent behaviour 11-45

Benefits of Confession Confession (divulging private thoughts that make you ashamed, worried or sad) linked to better health Writing a journal can increase immune system functioning and positive emotions, and decrease illness 11-46

Expressing Emotions More likely to attain a healthy perspective (forgiveness) Promotes empathy Removes the situation to outside of the self Forgiveness does not mean ignoring or denying wrongdoings 47

Forgiveness 11-48

End of Chapter