emotion
a response of the whole organism, involving 1) physiological arousal 2) expressive behaviors 3) conscious experience
James-Lange theory
the theory that our experience of emotion is our awareness of our physiological responses to emotion-arousing stimuli
Cannon-Bad theory
the theory that an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers 1)physiological responses and 2) the subjective experience of emotion
two-factor theory
the Schacter-Singer theory that to experience emotion one must 1) be physically aroused and 2) cognitively labeled the arousal
behavioral medicines
an interdisciplinary field that integrates behavioral and medical knowledge to health and disease
health psychology
a subfield of psychology that provides psychology's contribution to behavioral medicine
amount of people feeling stressed
4 in 10
stressor
the stimulus that causes stress
stress reaction
emotional and physical responses
stress
the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging
characteristics of stress
1. can mobilize the immune system for fending off infections and healing wounds
2. arouses and motivates us to conquer problems
3. can harm us by raising the risk of chronic disease
Walter Cannon (1929)
confirmed that stress response is part of a unified mind-body system
stress hormones
triggered by extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and emotion-arousing (epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal glands)
sympathetic nervous system involvement
increases heart-rate and respiration, diverts blood from digestion to skeletal muscles, dulls pain, and releases sugar and fat from body stores
prepares body for fight or flight
secretes glucocorticoid stress hormones such as cortisol
alternative to fight or flight
withdraw --> pull back, conserve energy
General Adaption Syndrome (GAS)
Seyle's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in the stages
GAS three stages
1. Alarm: sudden activation of the sympathetic nervous system: heart rate increases. Blood diverted to skeletal muscles. Faintness of shock
2. Resistance: Ready to fight the challenge. Temperature, blood pressure, and respiration remain high --> outpourin
due to sustained child abuse, combat, or endocrine disease
some people may have a shrunken hippocampus
Catastrophes
unpredictable large-scale events that nearly everyone appraises as threatening
significant life changes
life transitions and insecurities: commonly felt during young adulthood
Daily hassles
Negative events, daily annoyances, cell-phone talkers
hypertension
high blood pressure
coronary heart disease
the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries
-caused by elevated blood pressure (smoking, obesity, high-fat diet, physical inactivity, behavioral and psychological factors)
Type A
Friedman and Rosenman's term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people
-hormonal secretions, pulse rate, and blood pressure soar
Type B
Friedman and Rosenman's term for easygoing, relaxed people
pessimists more likely to get heart disease than optimists
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Psychophysiological illness
mind body" illness; any stress-related physical illness, such as hypertension and some headaches. Distinct from hypochondriasis-misinterpreting normal physical sensations as symptoms of disease
Explanatory Style
those who have hope live longer
those who seek and utilize humor benefit too
social support
feeling liked, affirmed, and encouraged by intimate friends-promotes not only happiness but also health
relationships can also be helpful
writing about personal traumas in a diary helps
Aerobic exercise
sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; may also alleviate depression and anxiety
1. People who do not exercise frequently to not feel happy
2. Strengthens heart, increases blood flow, keeps blood vessels open, lowers blood pressure
Biofeedback
a system for electronically recording, amplifying, and feeding back information regarding subtle physiological state, such as blood pressure or muscle tension
-works best on tension headaches
relaxation
breathing exercises and relaxing muscles
Meditation
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Spirituality
Spiritual healing over antibiotics
-belonging to a religious collective was associated with a strong protective effect
-social support
The risks of smoking
12 min of life lost when you smoke
smoking is a pediatric disease
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nicotine-withdrawal symptoms
craving, insomnia, anxiety, and irritability
characteristics of nicotine
1. not only compulsive and mood altering, is reinforcing
2. Stimulates central nervous system to release neurotransmitters that calm anxiety and reduce sensitivity to pain
3. stimulates dopamine and opiod release
quitting
better quitting with a partner or group then solo
advertising targeted to youth
not likely to start in mid-adulthood
fat
an ideal from of stored body energy, a high calorie fuel reserve to carry the body through periods when food is scarce
Obesity
increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, gallstones, arthritis, and certain types of cancer
lymphocytes
two types of white blood cells that are a 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 other lymphatic tissue and attack cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances
Macrophage
identifies, pursues, and ingests harmful invaders
immune system
can fail by overreacting: attacking its own tissues causing arthritis or an allergic reaction; or it can be dormant and cause viruses or cancer cells to multiply
AIDS
is the number one immune disorder: an acquired immune deficiency syndrome caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
-spread by exchange of body fluids, primarily semen and blood
Scientists put carcinogens into rodents to test the cause of cancer
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More at risk for cancer
after a time of depression, helplessness, or bereavement
5.5% more risk for colon cancer in the workplace
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stress does not grow cancer but stimulates growth
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Rat and saccharin
sweetened water experiment paired with injections of a drug that suppresses immune functioning (Robert Ader)
Placebos might promote healing, negative beliefs have opposite effects
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Mind and body interact
everything psychological is simultaneously physiological
stressors are unavoidable
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coping
alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods
Problem-focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress directly-by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor: feel a sense of control over the situation and the ability to change it
Emotion-focused coping
attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to one's stress reaction: when we believe we can't change a situation
Uncontrollable threats
trigger the strongest stress response
Elderly residents who have little perceived control over their activities tend to decline faster and die sooner
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Losing control
provokes an outpouring of stress hormones
perceived control can be socially toxic
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determinants of body fat
the size and number of fat cells. An obese person's cells will swell to two or three times the normal size, and divided to make more cells divide resulting in more cells
Protein leptin
tells the body it is full: good weight loss use
Social psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Attribution theory
suggests how we explain someone's behavior-by crediting either the situation or the person's deposition
-either to external or internal situations
fundamental attribution error
the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of personal disposition
dispositional attribution
our side over another
situational attribution
considers the possible reasons for the situation. Tends to look at the other side also
attitude
feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
Strong social pressures
weaken the attitude-behavior connection
-democrats voted for the war despite their private reservations
attitudes follow behavior
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foot in the door phenomenon
tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
-"start small and build""
-moral actions strengthen moral convictions
Role-playing
when you adopt a new role you strive to follow the social prescriptions
-stanford Prison experiment
cognitive dissonance
relief from tension theory: we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thought (cognitions) are inconsistent
-example: when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changi
behavior is contagious
yawning, laughing, coughing, etc
chameleon effect
we are natural mimics, copying other people's expressions, postures, and voice tones
mood linkage
sharing up and down moods: hearing someone read a neutral text in a mood sets the mood for the audience
conformity
adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
-Line comparison experiment (Solomon Asch)
Normative social influence
influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
Informational social influence
influence resulting from one's willingness to accept other's opinions about reality
Milgram experiment
shocks, only a minority were disobedient
social facilitation
stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
-pool table example
-what you do well you are likely to do better in front of others, what you find difficult you might not be able to do at all
social loafing
the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
-feel less accountable in groups, worry less about what other people think
deindividuation
the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
Group polarization
the enhancement of a groups prevailing inclination through discussion within the group
suicide bombers: "red" vs. "blue" states
Group think
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
-Fed by overconfidence, self-justification, and group polarization
-ex. Bay of Pigs, Pearl Harbor, Chernobyl
Social Control
the power of situation
personal control
the power of individual
social/personal control
-when feeling pressured we may do the opposite of what is expected
-minority influence: the power of one or two individuals to sway majorities
Prejudice
an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action
Stereotype
a generalized (sometimes accurate but often over generalized) belief about a group of people
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members
In-group
Us"-people with whom one shares a common identity
Out group
them"-those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup
Ingroup bias
the tendency to favor one's own group
Scape-goat theory
the theory that prejudice offers and outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
Agression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
Just-world phenomenon
the tendency of people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
Frustration-aggresson principle
the principle that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal-creates anger, which can generate aggression
conflict
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas
social trap
a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, became caught in mutually destructive behavior
Mere-exposure effect
phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking them
Passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship
Companionate love
the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined
Equity
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give it
self-disclosure
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others