CEP 260 1nd Edition Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I. StressOutline of Current Lecture II. Stress, Personality and IllnessIII. Habits, Lifestyle and HealthCurrent LectureStress, Personality, and Illness• Health psychology is “concerned with how psychological factors relate to the promotion and maintenance of health, and with the causation, prevention, and treatment of illness”• Biopsychosocial model “holds that illness is caused by a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors”• Personality, emotions, and heart disease– Coronary heart disease – “results from a reduction in blood flow through the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood”– Atherosclerosis – “is a gradual narrowing of the coronary arteries” – Hostility and coronary risk - Research suggests a link between coronary risk and abehavior pattern termed the Type A personality.– Type A personality:1. A competitive orientation.2. Impatience and a sense of time urgency.3. Anger and hostility.– The “anger – hostility” component of Type A behavior has the strongest link to coronary disease.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.• Research shows that individuals with above-average hostility scores were twice as likely to have atherosclerosis than were those with below-average hostility scores• Emotional reactions and heart disease– Stress seems to tax the heart– Even brief periods of stress can trigger acute cardiac symptoms such as angina (chest pain).– When interviewed after surviving a heart attack, many patients say that an episode of anger triggered the symptoms.• Depression and heart disease– Recent studies suggest that the emotional dysfunction of depression may cause heart disease – Overall, it seems that depression doubles one’s chances of developing heart disease.– Depression also seems to affect how heart disease progresses and is associated with worse outcomes in cardiology patients.• Stress and cancer– Cancer refers “to malignant cell growth, which may occur in many organ systems in the body”• Stress and personality can affect the course of the disease.– There may be a cancer-prone personality (Type C)• These individuals:– Are passive.– Do not complain.– Do not cope well with stress.– Hold in negative emotions, such as anger.• Stress and other diseases– Life stress has been associated with the following:• Rheumatoid arthritis.• Emergence of lower back pain.• Asthma.• Periodontal disease.• Gastrointestinal disorders.• Stress and immune function– The immune response is “the body’s defensive reaction to invasion by bacteria, viral agents, or other foreign substances”– A large body of experimental research indicates that stress can impair immune functioning in animals. Similar immune suppression may also occur in humans.Habits, Lifestyle, and Health- Unhealthy habits account for the most premature deaths• Other leading behavioral causes of death include– Alcohol consumption.– Unsafe driving.– Risky sexual behavior.– Illicit drug use.• Smoking– Health effects associated with smoking include:• Greater risk of premature death (13-14 years shorter life expectancy)• Lung cancer, as well as higher risk for many other cancers in the body• Hypertension, stroke, and other cardiac diseases – Giving up smoking• If people give up smoking, studies show that their health risks decline reasonably quickly, reaching normal levels after about 15 years • Quitting smoking is difficult, however, and many people fail several times before succeeding.• Drinking– Why do people drink?• Drinking is widely endorsed in our culture and is viewed as a desirable social ritual. • Drinking dulls negative emotions such as tension, worry, anxiety and depression.• Alcohol makes people feel more relaxed in social settings.• To keep friends and company.– Short-term risks and problems• The hangover (headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting)• Life-threatening overdoses. This is especially problematic when alcohol is mixed with sedatives or narcotic drugs.• Poor judgment and reduced intellectual functioning.• Poor motor coordination.• Increased anger.– Long-term risks and social costs• Alcohol dependence, or alcoholism, is “a chronic, progressive disorder marked by a growing compulsion to drink and impaired control over drinking that will eventually interfere with health and social behavior”• Overeating– Obesity is a serious risk factor for a number of health problems and diseases – Determinants of obesity: What causes it?• Genetic factors (heredity) account for the majority of cases.• However, environmental factors also contribute:– Excessive eating.– Lack of exercise.– Overabundance of high-calorie food.• Set point theory “proposes that the body monitors fat-cell levels to keep them (and weight) fairly stable”.• When fat stores get low, we have increased hunger and decreased metabolism, making it difficult to lose weight.• Settling point is an alternative theory that makes more room for long-term benefits of lifestyle changes.• Losing weight– Losing even small amounts of excessive weight can significantly reduce many of the health risks associated with obesity.– Essentially, there are three options:1. Sharply decrease food intake.2. Sharply increase exercise.3. Moderate changes in both diet and exercise (most recommended option).• Poor nutrition– Nutrition “is a collection of processes (mainly food consumption) through which an organism utilizes the materials (nutrients) required for survival and growth.– Nutrition and health• Numerous studies demonstrate a link between patterns of nutrition and health.I. Heavy consumption of foods that raise serum cholesterol levels II. Too little fiber and high intake of red meats.III. High salt intake is associated with hypertension.IV. High caffeine consumption is also associated with hypertension.V. High-fat diets (Associated with cardiovascular disease and may contribute to certain types of cancer)– The basis for poor nutrition• Most nutrition problems are due to– Ignorance (we don’t know what’s really good for us).– Poor motivation (it takes effort to change your diet).• The first steps toward better nutrition are a change in