Stress, Lifestyle, and Health – Concise Exam Notes

Stress: Concepts & Appraisals

• Stress = process of perceiving/responding to events appraised as \text{threatening or overwhelming}.
• Stimulus-based view: stress = demanding event; Response-based view: stress = physiological reaction; neither complete.
• Cognitive appraisal (Lazarus):
  • Primary: evaluate \text{threat vs. challenge}.
  • Secondary: judge coping options; low perceived options → higher stress.
• Eustress (positive, motivating) vs. Distress (excessive, impairs performance); optimal performance at moderate stress.

Stressors

• Traumatic events: combat, assault, disasters ⇒ risk of PTSD.
• Life changes: SRRS ranks 43 events by life-change units (e.g., death of spouse =100).
• Daily hassles: minor irritants; frequency predicts health better than life-change totals.
• Chronic vs. acute stressors.
• High-stress occupations (job strain) & relationship conflict.

Prevalence & Demographics

• Nearly \tfrac12 of U.S. adults report increased stress in last 5 yrs.
• Higher mean stress: women, unemployed, low income/education; lowest: retirees.
• 2006\text{–}2009 spike tied to economic downturn; rise notable in men, ages 45\text{–}64, full-time workers, Whites.

Physiological Response

• Sympathetic activation (Cannon): fight-or-flight via epinephrine/norepinephrine.
• HPA axis: stress → hypothalamus \to CRF \to pituitary ACTH \to adrenals → cortisol.
  • Short-term: energy boost, ↓ pain; Long-term: immunosuppression, tissue wear.
• Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome:
  1. Alarm
  2. Resistance
  3. Exhaustion ⇒ illness/death.

Stress & Health

• Psychophysiological disorders: tension headaches, asthma, eczema, IBS, hypertension, CHD.
• Immune effects: stress hormones ↓ lymphocyte production → higher infection risk; chronic stress predicts colds (Cohen).
• Telomere shortening links stress to accelerated aging.
• Cardiovascular:
  • Hypertension from job strain, conflict; asymptomatic, escalates CVD risk.
  • Type A (competitive, hostile) >7× heart disease risk; hostility/anger key factor.
  • Depression & negative affectivity elevate CVD risk via unhealthy behaviors.
• Asthma: attacks triggered by stress, negative emotion; expectation can induce symptoms.

Coping & Control

• Problem-focused coping: alter stressor (used when controllable).
• Emotion-focused coping: manage emotions (when uncontrollable).
• Perceived control buffers stress; low control ⇒ learned helplessness (Seligman) linked to depression.

Social Support & Reduction Techniques

• Strong social ties ↑ survival by \approx50\%; boost immunity, ↓ BP.
• Techniques: regular exercise, relaxation/meditation (relaxation response), biofeedback.

Positive Psychology & Happiness

• Happiness = enduring well-being + life meaning.
• Predictors:
  • Age ↑ life satisfaction.
  • Marriage, quality relationships, social support.
  • Income ↑ happiness up to \$75{,}000; GDP correlates nationally.
  • Religion boosts well-being under harsh conditions.
  • Cultural fit with valued traits.
• Affective forecasting errors: large events (e.g., lottery) yield temporary mood changes; adaptation occurs.
• Positive affect & optimism: linked to social connectedness, adaptive coping, longevity, better physiology.
• Flow: deep, effortless engagement in challenging, skill-matched activity; enhances happiness.