Stress and HealthStress and Health

Psychology 3906Psychology 3906

IntroductionIntroduction

Our behaviour has serious health Our behaviour has serious health effectseffects• SmokingSmoking• Other drugsOther drugs• DietDiet• Reaction to stressReaction to stress

Health PsychologistsHealth Psychologists

How do our perceptions affect our How do our perceptions affect our reaction to stressreaction to stress

Emotions, personality and diseaseEmotions, personality and disease When/why do some seek treatment When/why do some seek treatment

(and of course why do some not)(and of course why do some not)

Stress and IllnessStress and Illness

Evolution and the Evolution and the fight or flight fight or flight responseresponse

Made great sense Made great sense 100 000 years ago100 000 years ago

Maybe today you Maybe today you just got pwned just got pwned playing Halo2playing Halo2

Good things about stressGood things about stress

Sometimes it will save your life, or Sometimes it will save your life, or help youhelp you

FightFight AccidentAccident Test…Test…

What is stress?What is stress?

The process by which we appriase The process by which we appriase and cope with environmental threats and cope with environmental threats and challengesand challenges

Good a definition as anyGood a definition as any Careful, the idea of stress is way over Careful, the idea of stress is way over

usedused

How does it work?How does it work?

CannonCannon Fight of flightFight of flight Epinephrine, norepinephrineEpinephrine, norepinephrine Heart rate goes upHeart rate goes up Breathing increasesBreathing increases

SeyleSeyle

Injected rats with various hormonesInjected rats with various hormones Found enlargement of adrenal cortexFound enlargement of adrenal cortex Shrinkage of thymusShrinkage of thymus UlcersUlcers Other liquids did the same thing!Other liquids did the same thing! Same response to fear, shock etc.Same response to fear, shock etc.

General Adaptation SystemGeneral Adaptation System

1) Alarm reaction1) Alarm reaction• Heart rate upHeart rate up• Blood to skeletal musclesBlood to skeletal muscles

2) Resistance2) Resistance• Stay ‘up’Stay ‘up’• PeakPeak• Hormones released until you don’t have Hormones released until you don’t have

any moreany more

More GASMore GAS

3) Exhaustion3) Exhaustion• Defenses depleted at this pointDefenses depleted at this point• Very vulnerableVery vulnerable

Lots of this is badLots of this is bad• Leads to destruction of hippocampal cells Leads to destruction of hippocampal cells

caused by cortisol releasecaused by cortisol release• So, memory loss!So, memory loss!

Stressful EventsStressful Events

CatastrophesCatastrophes• Nobody likes theseNobody likes these

Significant life changesSignificant life changes• DeathDeath• DivorceDivorce• Job lossJob loss

Stressful EventsStressful Events

Daily HasslesDaily Hassles• Loud neighboursLoud neighbours• Annoying profs…Annoying profs…• Bad weatherBad weather• Coffee maker breaks downCoffee maker breaks down• Your team losesYour team loses

While these seem like nothing, if you While these seem like nothing, if you are facing other bad stuff they can are facing other bad stuff they can add upadd up

Perceived ControlPerceived Control

Effects of stressors are mediated by Effects of stressors are mediated by perceived controlperceived control

Optimists fare better in life than Optimists fare better in life than pessimistspessimists

Less control, more stress hormones Less control, more stress hormones releasedreleased

Coronary Heart Disease, Stress Coronary Heart Disease, Stress and Personalityand Personality

Friedman and Rosenman got the ball Friedman and Rosenman got the ball rollingrolling

Fat in diet and smoking were equal in Fat in diet and smoking were equal in men and womenmen and women

Men got CHD not womenMen got CHD not women Men had higher stress jobsMen had higher stress jobs Accountants were fine until AprilAccountants were fine until April

Type A PersonalityType A Personality

Type A personalityType A personality DrivenDriven Time dependentTime dependent Why more CHD?Why more CHD? Sleep lessSleep less Smoke moreSmoke more Fly off the handle Fly off the handle

more easilymore easily angeranger

Stress and the Immune SystemStress and the Immune System

Immune system has two types of Immune system has two types of cellscells

B Cells fight bacteriaB Cells fight bacteria T cells fight viruses, cancerT cells fight viruses, cancer Stress suppresses the immune Stress suppresses the immune

systemsystem• Diverting resources to the GASDiverting resources to the GAS• More infectionsMore infections• Even more cancerEven more cancer

RememberRemember

Only a healthy lifestyle can help you Only a healthy lifestyle can help you in a big wayin a big way

You can’t smoke, drink, smoke crack, You can’t smoke, drink, smoke crack, have unprotected sex and say “Oh, have unprotected sex and say “Oh, but I have a positive outlook, so I will but I have a positive outlook, so I will be just fine…be just fine…

Health psychologists are also Health psychologists are also interested in promoting health, why interested in promoting health, why people go to the Dr. etc.people go to the Dr. etc.

In other words….In other words….

How do you deal with stressHow do you deal with stress Aerobic exercise is the keyAerobic exercise is the key Probably helps you stay in the Probably helps you stay in the

resistance phase of the GAS for resistance phase of the GAS for longerlonger

Therefore, less exhaustionTherefore, less exhaustion

DietingDieting

Hard to change your set pointHard to change your set point Dieting alone is less effective than Dieting alone is less effective than

diet and exercisediet and exercise You do not ‘burn off’ fat and turn it You do not ‘burn off’ fat and turn it

into muscleinto muscle

The Paleolithic PrescriptionThe Paleolithic Prescription

Is is all vegetable?Is is all vegetable? Is it all meat?Is it all meat? No it is just less dense!No it is just less dense! So not as processedSo not as processed See we could not get fat and sugar in See we could not get fat and sugar in

the quantities we can nowthe quantities we can now

AcceptanceAcceptance

AdvantagesAdvantages• Happier so less stressHappier so less stress

DisadvantagesDisadvantages• Still overweight…Still overweight…

Much of the publicity is poorly doneMuch of the publicity is poorly done

ConclusionsConclusions

Stress is goodStress is good Stress is badStress is bad Your mom was rightYour mom was right