Topic 3 - Mind Matters

Happiness

A sense of wellbeing and satisfaction in one’s life

Positive Psychology

• Study of what makes humans function at their best

• Helps people find happiness and meaning

What does not affect Happiness

• Age

• Education

• IQ

• Wealth (as long as basic needs are met)

Acts of Kindness

• Happiness lasts longer when performing an act of kindness to another person

• Makes us feel generous, capable, a greater sense of connection to others

Altruism

The unselfish concern for other people

Nature (happiness)

Genes can influence personality, stress, and likelihood of developing mental illnesses

Nurture (Happiness)

Life experiences can impact how we feel about life e.g. upbringing, relationships, life events

Factors for happiness (OCTV)

1. Outlook on life - we learn to be either positive or negative 

2. Cultural Differences - different beliefs, behaviours etc considered unique to a certain ethnicity or origin

3. Values - what we believe is important/beneficial

4. Temperament - Inborn qualities that determine how well we interact with our environment

Optimists

people who see the world from a positive viewpoint

Pessimists

people who see the world from a negative viewpoint

Happiness Level

• Increasing levels of happiness if something positive happens

• Decrease happiness level if something negative happens

• Eventually return to typical level of happiness (setpoint)

    ~ To live a full and meaningful life, we need to feel both negative and positive emotions ~

Depression

The diagnosed feelings of sadness that are intense and will not go away. It affects a person’s ability to function in their normal day-to-day activities.

Biopsychosocial (BPS) Framework

• Developer: George L. Engel

• Core idea: Interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors

• States: Interactions between all 3 factors determine:

  • Cause

  • Manifestation

  • Outcome of wellness AND disease

• Contrast: Historical theories (nature/nurture) thought ONE factor was sufficient

• BPS argues: One factor is NOT sufficient - need all 3

BPS Framework Advantages

• Holistic approach

• Health professionals consider this model as the basic framework for understanding mental health & illness

• Promotes considering multiple factors when treating illness, not just symptoms

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

• Created by Abraham Maslow in 1943

• Theory often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid 

• Basic needs (vital for our survival) must be met before higher needs can be

Physiological Needs (basic) - food, water, warmth , rest

Safety Needs (basic) - security, safety

Belongingness & Love needs (Psychological) - intimate relationships, friends

Esteem Needs (Psychological) - prestige, feeling of accomplishment

Self-Actualisation (Self-fulfilment) - achieving one’s full potential

Physical / Physiological Benefits of Laughter

• Relaxes whole body

• Lowers blood pressure and increases heart rate

• Exercises muscles like the diaphragm 

• Can ease physical pain and improve pain threshold  

• Improve sleep and boost immunity

Psychological Benefits of Laughter

• Reduces feelings + physical repercussions of stress 

• Can improve memory and overall life satisfaction

Social Benefits of Laughter

• Brings people together

• Provides positive feeling to conversations

• Eases tense situations

Neurochemistry of Laughter

• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins

• The limbic system starts the emotional response, and the frontal lobe controls it.

Limbic System

• Complex set of structures in inner temporal lobe & bottom of frontal lobe

• Includes: amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia

• Handles basic emotions (fear, anger, pleasure)

• Receives signals from frontal lobe to trigger physical responses (e.g., laughter)

Too much stress…

• Prolonged stress response activation harms mental & physical health

• Impairs cognitive performance, learning, memory formation & recall

• Prolonged high cortisol levels linked to mental health disorders

Stress

A state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors perceived as challenging or too hard to cope with

Stressors

Stimuli that causes or produces stress and challenges our ability to cope

Cortisol

• Stress Hormone

• Stress response releases it into the bloodstream to activate a response to a stressor (fight, flight, freeze)

• Excessive amounts can impair immune system functioning, increasing vulnerability to disease

Feedback system

• Turns the stress response off

• If activated regularly, it can become damaged.

Serotonin

• Neurotransmitter and hormone

• predominantly produced in the brain & gut

• Essential for mood, appetite, digestion, sleep, and brain function. 

• Precursor for melatonin, it helps regulate sleep-wake cycles and the body clock

Dopamine

= Neurotransmitter and hormone that enhances the experience of happiness

• Involved in a wide range of activities and experiences 

• Motivates people to push through challenges and provides a reward for doing so

• part of the brain’s reward system - gives you pleasurable sensations

• Motor control + cognitive function

• Motivation and reward system

• Decision-making and impulse control

• Memory and attention

• Maternal and reproductive behaviours

Oxytocin

• Hormone that acts as neurotransmitter; regulates stress responses & calms nervous system

• Linked to bonding, generosity, trust

• Higher levels = greater love, responsiveness, gratitude in couples

• Brain monitors environment for threats & signs of safety using senses

• Secreted in response to stimuli perceived by brain (touch, eye contact)

• Produced when stressed to counterbalance cortisol effects + in response to touch and the right kind of eye contact

Endorphins

• Hormone that acts as neurotransmitter; carries neural messages throughout nervous system

• Released during pain/stress to reduce feeling & create wellbeing

• Boosted by exercise, chocolate, spicy food, massage

• Relieves pain as it's experienced: feel pain → nerves send signals to brain → brain releases endorphins to block nerve cells receiving pain signals