Chapter

Emotions,
12

Stress,
and Health

PowerPoint

Presentation
by Jim Foley
2013 Worth Publishers

Chapter Overview
Emotions

Stress and
Health

How emotions are

related to cognition,
and yet sometimes
seem to bypass
cognition
How emotions are
related to the body
Communicating
emotions: detecting,
verbal and nonverbal
expression, and the
influence of culture
and gender
Experiencing emotions
such as anger and
happiness

Defining stress,
and how it works
How stress relates
to illness
How people can
cope with stress or
reduce it
Promoting health
through pets,
alternative
medicine, and
stress reduction

Emotion: Arousal,
Behavior, and Cognition

Someone cuts you off on the road. You may feel

the emotion of anger. Emotions are a mix of:
Expressive behavior:
yelling, accelerating

Bodily arousal:
sweat, pounding heart
Conscious experience:
(thoughts, especially the
labeling of the emotion)
What a bad driver! I am
angry, even scared; better
calm down.

How do these
components of
emotion interact and
relate to each other?
Do our thoughts
trigger our emotions,
or are they a product
of our emotions?
How are the bodily
signs triggered?
How do we decide
which emotion were
An emotion is a full
feeling?
body/mind/behavior
response to a

Theories of Emotion:
The Arousal and
Cognition
Chicken and Egg
Debates James-Lange Theory:
Which came first, the
chicken or the egg? Or
did they evolve
together?
Which happens first, the
body changes that go
with an emotion, or the
thoughts (conscious
awareness and labeling
of an emotion), or do
they happen together?

body before thoughts

Cannon-Bard Theory:
body with thoughts
Singer-Schachter/Twofactor theory:
body plus
thoughts/label
Zajonc, LeDoux,
Lazarus:
body/brain without
conscious thoughts

James-Lange Theory:
Body Before Thoughts

William James (1842-1910): We feel

afraid because we tremble, sorry
because
we cry.
The James-Lange
theory states that
emotion is our
conscious
awareness of our
physiological
Our body arousal
responses
to and
happens first,
stimuli.
then the cognitive

awareness and label

for the feeling: Im
angry.
According to this
theory, if something
makes us smile, we
may then feel happy.

Cannon-Bard Theory:
Simultaneous Body Response
and Cognitive Experience
The Cannon-Bard
theory asserts that
we have a
conscious/cognitive
experience of an
emotion at the
same time as our
body is responding,
not afterward.
Human body
responses run parallel
to the cognitive
responses rather than
causing them.

Adjusting the
Cannon-Bard Theory
Emotions are not just a
separate mental
experience. When our
body responses are
blocked, emotions do
not feel as intense.
Our cognitions
influence our emotions
in many ways, including
our interpretations of
stimuli: Is that a
threat? Then Im afraid.

Schachter-Singer Twofactor Theory:

Emotion = Body Plus a
Cognitive
The Schachter- Label In a study by Stanley
Singer two-factor
theory suggests
that emotions do
not exist until we
add a label to
whatever body
sensations we are
feeling.

I face a stranger, and my heart is

pounding. Is it fear? Excitement? Anger?
Lust? Or did I have too much caffeine?
The label completes the emotion.

Schachter and Jerome

Singer in 1962, subjects
experienced a
spillover effect when
arousal was caused by
injections of what
turned out to be
adrenaline.
The subjects
interpreted their
agitation to whatever
emotion the others in
the room appeared to
be feeling; the
emotional label spilled
over from others.

LeDoux,
and Richard Lazarus:
Emotions without
Awareness/Cognition
Theory: some emotional reactions,
especially fears, likes, and dislikes,
develop in a low road through the
brain, skipping conscious thought.

In one study, people

showed an amygdala
response to certain
images (above, left)
without being aware of
the image or their
reaction.

When Appraisal Affects

Emotion
Richard Lazarus noted that
Stanley Schachter and Jerome
Singer highlighted the role of
appraisal in labeling
consciously experienced
emotions: this agitation is
fear.

even in emotional
responses that operate
without conscious thought,
top-down cognitive
functions such as appraisal
of stimuli (is that a threat
or something I would
enjoy?) can be involved .

Summary: Theories of
Emotion

Theorie
s of
Emotio
n

Emotion can include

the appraisal of the
stimulus such as, is it a
threat or not?

Avoiding the highway

today without
identifying or
explaining any fear is
an example of the

Embodied Emotion:
The role of the autonomic
nervous
system
The physiological
arousal felt
during various emotions is

orchestrated by the sympathetic nervous system,

which triggers activity and changes in various organs.
Later, the parasympathetic division calms down the body.

Embodied Emotion:
How Do Emotions Differ in
Body Signs?
It is difficult to see
differences in emotions
from tracking heart
rate, breathing, and
perspiration.
There is also a large
overlap in the patterns
of brain activity across
emotions.
There are some small
differences; for
example, fear triggers
more amygdala
activity than anger.

A general brain pattern:

hemispheric differences

Positive
approach
emotions
(joy, love,
goalseeking)
correlate
with left
frontal lobe
activity.

Negative
withdrawal
emotions
(disgust,
fear, anger,
depression)
correlate
with right
hemispher
e activity.

 Are there universal forms of emotional expression

seen on human faces across all cultures?
Are there differences by individual, culture, or
gender in how emotions are expressed?
What is the relationship between emotional
expression and the inner experience of emotion?
What emotion do we see in these faces and body
positions?
If these emotions are hard to read, is it because
its a different culture from your own, or because
its a performance?

Detecting Emotion in
Others
People read a great deal
We are primed to quickly

of emotional content in
the eyes (the window to
the soul) and the faces.
Introverts are better at
detecting emotions;
extroverts have
emotions that are easier
to read.

detect negative
emotions, and even
negative emotion words.
Those who have been
abused are biased
toward seeing fearful
faces as angry, as in the
test below.

These faces morph from fear to anger.

Raise your hand when you first see anger under
the red box.

Detecting Lies and Fakes

Polygraphs (detecting
physiological arousal) fail
sometimes at correctly
identifying when people are
lying.
Visible signs of lying: eye
blinks decrease, and other
facial movements change.
In which image is Paul
Ekman lying with a
fake smile?
A real smile uses
involuntary muscles
around the eyes.

Brain signs of lying:

Gender and
Emotional Expression and
Detection
Women seem to have
greater and more
complex emotional
expression.
Women are also more
skilled at detecting
emotions in others.
However, this is an
overgeneralization.
People tend to
attribute womens
emotionality to their
dispositions, and
attribute mens
emotions to their
circumstances.

We also see some emotions as

being more male, changing our
perception of a gender-neutral face
based on the emotion (below):

Male or female? How about

now?

Culture and Emotional

Expression:
Are There Universally Recognized
Emotions?
There seem to be some
universally understood
facial expressions.
People of various
cultures agree on the
emotional labels for
the expressions on the
faces on the right.
People in other studies
did have more
accuracy judging
emotions from their
own culture.

An Evolutionary Theory of
the Origins of Emotional
Facial
Expressions
People blind from
birth show the same facial
expressions as sighted people. This

suggests that the origin of facial expressions

must be largely genetic.
Why would we have facial expressions in our
genetic code? Could facial expressions
improve the survival of our ancestors?
Perhaps sneering at someone might be like
a wolfs snarl, warning competitors to back
off.
The surprised facial expression allows us
to take in information.
Shared smiles build protective social bonds,
which may explain why we smile more when
facing someone.

Emotion Detection and

Context Cues
What emotions do you see below?
How can you tell what emotions he is
feeling?
Because the faces are exactly the same, our
detection of emotion must be based on
context: the situation, gestures, and the tears.

Linking Emotions
and Expressive
Behaviors:
Facial Feedback

The facial feedback effect: facial position and muscle changes

can alter which emotion we feel.
In one study, people whose faces were moved into smiling or
frowning positions experienced a change in mood.
Fake a relaxed smile, and you might feel better!
Its not just about faces. In one experiment, extending a 1)
middle finger or 2) thumb while reading led to seeing characters
with 1) hostility or 2) positive attitude.

The guy at the top, though

forced into a smiling
position, ended up feeling

Is Experienced Emotion as
Universal as Expressed
Emotion?
Carroll Izzard
suggested that
there are ten
basic emotions:
those evident
at birth (seen
here) plus
contempt,
shame, and
guilt.

Two Dimensions of
Emotion
We experience
this image in
dimensions of
up/down and
left/right.
James Russell sees our
emotional experience
in two dimensions:
1.from pleasant to
unpleasant
2.from low to high
arousal.

Closer Look at a Particular Emotion:

Anger
A flash of anger gives us

The catharsis myth

to the idea that
energy and initiative to fight refers
we can reduce anger
or otherwise take action
by releasing it, and
when necessary.
we do this by acting
aggressively (yelling,
Persistent anger can cause
punching a pillow).
more harm than whatever
In most cases,
were angry about.
expressing anger
Some ways to keep anger
worsens it, and any
from persisting: distraction,
release reinforces
constructive action,
the aggression,
problem-solving, exercise,
making it a
conditioned habit.
verbal expression, and
allowing others to be wrong. Sometimes, releasing
anger causes harm,
and results in guilt.
Instead, try calming
down and moving on.

Closer Look at a Particular Emotion:

Happiness

Happiness is:
a mood.
an attitude.
a social phenomenon.
a cognitive filter.
a way to stay hopeful,
motivated, and connected
to others.
The feel-good, do-good
phenomenon: when in a
good mood, we do more for
others. The reverse is also
true: doing good feels good.

Happines
s has its
ups and
downs.
Levels of
happiness, as
well as other
emotions, can
vary over the
course of a
week (we like
the weekend),
and even over
the course of
a day (dont
stay awake
too long!).

Over the Course of a W

Over the Course of a Day

How far are you up a 10-step

ladder toward the best possible
life? The answers worldwide:

Brighter
color
means
feeling
higher up
the ladder.

People in Chad and Tanzania are not feeling

successful.

Wealth and Well-Being:

A Change in Goals

In the late 1960s, students entering college had a

primary goal of developing a meaningful life
philosophy.
Since 1977, being very well-off financially has become
more of a primary goal for first year students.

Can Money Buy

Happiness?
Money seems to buy
happiness when it lifts
people out of extreme
poverty. Otherwise,
money doesnt seem to
help our mood much.
1.The average level of
income (adjusted for
inflation) and
purchasing power has
increased in the United
States.
2.The percentage of
people feeling very
happy, though, has not
followed the same
trend of improvement.

 When we step into the sunshine, it seems very

bright at first. Then our senses adapt and we
develop a new normal. If a cloud covers the
sun, it may seem dark in comparison.
The very bright sensation is temporary.
The adaptation-level phenomenon: when our
wealth or other life conditions improve, we are
happier compared to our past condition.
However, then we adapt, form a new normal
level, and most people must get another boost
to feel the same satisfaction.

Adapting Attitudes
Instead of Circumstances
Because of the adaptation-level phenomenon, our
level of contentment does not permanently stay
higher when we gain income and wealth; we keep
adjusting our expectations.
It is also true that misfortune, disability, and loss do
not result in a permanent decrease in happiness.
In both cases, humans tend to adapt.

Relative Deprivation
If the average income has risen by
10 percent in your area, it might be
hard to feel great about a 5 percent
rise in your income because of
People who were satisfied with their
own lives might become less
satisfied if other people get more
power, recognition, and income.
We can affect our happiness by
choosing the people to whom we
compare ourselves.
However, the tendency is to
compare ourselves to people who
are more successful.

relative
deprivati
on:
feeling
worse off
by
comparin
g yourself
to people
who are
doing
better.

Correlates of
Happiness
There are behaviors that seem to go with

happiness. Whether they are the cause or

the effect of happiness is not clear, but it
cant hurt to try them.

Researchers have found that

happy people tend to:
Have high self-esteem (in
individualistic countries)
Be optimistic, outgoing, and
agreeable
Have close friendships or a
satisfying marriage
Have work and leisure that engage
their skills
Have an active religious faith
Sleep well and exercise

However, happiness seems

not much related to other
factors, such as:
Age (example: the woman
at the laptop in the picture)
Gender (women are more
often depressed, but also
more often joyful)
Parenthood (having children
or not)
Physical attractiveness

There also may be a genetic basis for a predisposition to

happiness. Whether because of genes, culture, or personal
history, we each seem to develop a mood set point, a level
of happiness to which we keep returning.

Possible Ways to
Increase Your
Chances at
Happiness
Look beyond wealth for satisfaction.
Bring your habits in line with your goals; take
control of your time.
Smile and act happy.
Find work and leisure that engages your skills.
Exercise, or just move!
Focus on the needs and wishes of others.
Work, rest, and SLEEP.
Notice what goes well, and express gratitude.
Nurture spirituality, meaning, and community.
Make your close relationships a priority.

Health Psychology
Emotions, as well as
personality,
attitudes, behaviors,
and responses to
stress, can have an
impact on our
overall health.
Health psychology
studies these
impacts, as part of
the broader field of
behavioral
medicine.
Topics of study in
health psychology
include:

the phases of stress

response and adaptation
how stress and health are
affected by
appraisal of stressors
severity of stressors
personality types
perceived control
emotion or problem focus
optimism
social support
exercise
relaxation
religious faith and
participation

Stress: A Focus of Health

Psychology
Many people report
being affected by stress.

Some terms psychologists use to talk about

stress:
Stress refers to
the process of
appraising and
a stressor is an event or
responding to
condition which we view as
events which we
threatening, challenging, or
consider
overwhelming.
threatening or
Examples include poverty, challenging.
an explosion, a
psychology test, feeling
cold, being in a plane, and
loud noises.
appraisal refers to deciding
whether to view something
as a stressor.
stress reaction refers to

Clarifying the Components

of Stress
Stress isnt something that
happens to you; its a
process in which you
participate.
The process includes the
stressor (event or condition),
cognitive appraisal, body
response, and coping
strategies.
The advantage of breaking
stress into these
components is that we can
see options for altering each
of these different factors.

What could
this person
do to reduce
his level of
suffering
from stress?

Appraisal:
Choosing How to View a
Situation
Questions to ask
yourself when facing a
possible stressor:
Is this a challenge, and will I tackle it?
Is it overwhelming, and will I give up?

There are few

conditions* that are
inherently and
universally
stressful; we can
often choose our
appraisal and our
responses.
*extreme, chronic
physical threats
or challenges
(such as noise or
starvation)

Beneficial and Harmful

Stress Effects
A brief experience of stress can be beneficial:
improving immune system response
motivating action
focusing priorities
feeling engaged, energized, and satisfied
providing challenges that encourage growth,
knowledge, and self-esteem
Extreme or prolonged stress, causes problems:
mental and physical coping systems become
overwhelmed and defeated rather than
strengthened
immune functioning and other health factors
decline because of damage
The key factor is whether
there is a chance for
recovery and healing.

Stressors
There may be a
spectrum of levels of
intensity and
persistence of stressors.
We can also see
stressors as falling into
one of four* categories:
catastrophes.
significant life
changes.
chronic daily hassles.
low social status/power.

*the text focuses on

the first three.

Stressors refer to the

events and conditions
that trigger our stress
response, because they
are perceived/ appraised
as overwhelmingly
challenging, threatening,
and/or harmful.

Catastrophic
Events/Conditions

Appraisal is not essential in

a catastrophic event. Most
people agree that the event
is harmful and
overwhelming
Examples include
earthquakes, floods,
hurricanes, war/combat, and
wildfires.
It can be one single event or
chronic harmful conditions.

Short-term effects
include increased heart
attacks on the day of the
event
Long term effects include
depression, nightmares,
anxiety, and flashbacks.
Bonding: both the
trauma and the recovery
are shared with others.

 Even supposedly happy life changes, such as marriage,

starting college or a new job, or the birth or adoption of a
child, can bring increased challenge and stress.
Change is often challenging.
New roles, new priorities, and new tasks can put a strain
on our coping resources.
The challenge, and the negative impact on health,
increases when:
the changes are painful, such as a death in family, loss
of job, or heart attack.
the changes are in a cluster, and there are too many at
once.

Chronic Daily Difficulties

Daily difficulties can be
caused by facing too many
tasks, too little time, and
too little control.

Daily difficulties can be

caused by the lack of
social power and
freedom:
being bullied
living in poverty
living under oppressive
political conditions

The Bodys Stress

Response System
When encountering a sudden trauma or other stressor, our
body acts to increase our resistance to threat and harm.

Phase 1: The fight or

Phase 2: The brain
flight sympathetic
sends signals to the
nervous system
outer part of the adrenal
responds, reducing pain glands to produce
and increasing the heart cortisol and other stress
rate.
hormones. These focus
us on planning adaptive
The core of the adrenal
coping strategies and
glands produces
resisting defeat by the
norepinephrine and
stressor.
epinephrine
(adrenaline).
Hans Selye (1907-1982)
indentified this extended
This system, identified
resistance phase of
by Walter Cannon
Phase
the stress response,
(1871-1945), gives
us3: Exhaustion.
followed by:
energy to act.

General Adaptation
Syndrome [GAS]
(Identified by Hans Selye):
Our stress response system
defends, then fatigues.

Effects of Prolonged Stress

The General Adaptation Syndrome [GAS] works
well for single exposures to stress.
Repeated and prolonged stress, with too much
Phase 3 time, leads to various signs of physical
deterioration and premature aging:
the production of new neurons declines
neural circuits in the brain break down
DNA telomeres (chromosome tips) shorten,
cells lose ability to divide, cells die,
tissue stops regenerating, early aging and
death

Female and Male Stress

Response

In response to a stressor
such as the death of a
loved one, women may
tend and befriend:
nurture themselves and
others, and bond
together.
The bonding hormone
oxytocin may play a
role in this bonding.
Women show behavioral
and neurological signs of
becoming more
empathetic under stress.

Men under stress are

more likely to socially
withdraw and numb
themselves with alcohol.
Men are also more likely
to become aggressive
under stress.
In either case, mens
behavior and brains
show LESS empathy and
less tuning in to others
under stress.

Studying the Stress-Illness

Relationship
How does stress increase our risk of
disease?
This is the subject of a new field of
study: psycho-neuroimmunology,
the study of how interacting
psychological, neural, and endocrine
processes affect health.
Psychologists no longer use the term
psychosomatic because it has
come to mean an imagined illness.
We now refer to
psychophysiological illness, a real
illness caused in part by
psychological factors such as the
experience of stress.

How the
immune
system
works,
before
stress
plays a
role:

Stress
Increases The
Risk of Illness
Here we see psychoneuroimmunology in
action:
psychological factors,
such as appraisal,
thoughts, and feelings.
neurological factors,
such as brain signals
engaging the stress
response system.
immunology, such as
stress hormone exposure
which suppresses the
immune system.

Psychoneuroimmunology
Example:
The Impact of Stress on
Catching
a
Cold
In a group
exposed to
germs, those
experiencing
stress were
more likely to
catch a cold.

This tradeoff between

stress response and
immune response
may help our bodies
focus energy on
managing stress.

Stress, AIDS, and Cancer

AIDS = Acquired
Immune Deficiency
Syndrome

Cancer: the stress

link is not as clear

Because the stress

Stress may weaken
response suppresses
the bodys defenses
the immune response,
against the
exposure to stress
replication and
obviously worsens the
spread of malignant
development of AIDS
cells
in those exposed to
HIV.
Reducing stress slows
the progression of
AIDS.
This does NOT mean

that stress causes

cancer or AIDS.

Stress and Heart Disease

In coronary heart/artery
disease, the blood vessels that
provide oxygen and nutrients to
the heart muscle itself become
clogged, narrowed, and closed.

Clogging of the coronary

artery

Many factors
contribute to heart
disease.
Biological: genetic
predisposition to
high blood pressure
and high cholesterol
Behavioral:
smoking, inactivity,
and high-fat diet
Psychological:
chronic stress, and
personality styles
that worsen the
experience of stress

Type A
PersonalityStress
Heart Disease

Some personality traits

tend to cluster into
personality types.
People with a type A
personality are impatient,
verbally aggressive, and
always pushing themselves
and others to achieve.
People with a type B
personality are more
relaxed and go with the
flow.
In one study, heart attacks
ONLY struck people with
Type A traits.

Accomplishing goals is healthy, but a compulsion to always be

working, with little time spent smelling the flowers, is not.

Pessimism and Heart

Disease
It can be
helpful to
realistically
anticipate
negative
events that
may happen,
and to plan
how to
prevent or
cope
with
Pessimism
refers
them.
to the assumption

that negative
outcomes will
happen, and often
facing them by
complaining and/or

Men who are generally

pessimistic are more
likely to develop heart
disease within ten
years than optimists.

Depression and Heart

Disease
Why does
depression appear
so often with heart
disease? Does one
cause the other?
One possible
answer is that the
two problems are
both caused by
chronic stress.
There may be an
intervening
variable: excessive
inflammation.

Health Consequences of
Chronic Stress: The Repeated
Release of Stress Hormones

The stress hormone

cortisol helps our bodies
respond to brief stress.
Chronically high cortisol
levels damage the body.

Promoting Health
Some ways to
reduce the health
effects of stress
include:
address the
stressors.
soothe emotions.
increase ones
sense of control
over stressors.
exchange
optimism for
pessimism.
get social
support.

Ways that help some people to

reduce levels of stress, and to
improve health:
aerobic exercise
relaxation and meditation
participation in communities of faith
alternative medicine

Coping with Stress

Problem-focused
coping means
reducing the stressors,
such as by working out
a conflict, or tackling a
difficult project.

Risk: magnifying
emotional distress,
especially if trying to
change something
thats difficult to
change (e.g. another
persons traits).

Emotion-focused
coping means reducing
the emotional impact of
stress by getting
support, comfort, and
perspective from others.

Risk: ignoring the

problem.
We might focus on
this style of coping
when we perceive
the stressor as
something we
cannot change.

Stress factor: Perceived

Level of Control

Experiment: the left and middle rats

below received shocks. The rat on the
left was able to turn off the shocks for
both rats. Which rat had the worst
stress and health problems?

Only the
middle,
subordinat
e rat had
increased
ulcers.
It is not
the level of
shock, but
the level of
control
over the
shock,
which
created
stress.

Promoting Health: Social

Support
Having close relationships is
associated with improved
health, immune functioning,
and longevity.
Social support, including from
pets, provides a calming
effect that reduces blood
pressure and stress
hormones.
Confiding in others helps
manage painful feelings.
Laughter helps too.

Well, I think youre wonderful.

Aerobic Exercise and

Health

Aerobic exercise triggers

Aerobic exercise refers
certain genes to produce
to sustained activity that
proteins which guard against
raises heart rate and
more than 20 chronic
oxygen consumption.
diseases and conditions.
Aerobic exercise reduces the
risk of heart disease,
cognitive decline and
dementia, and early death.

Ultimate (Frisbee): you

must run often to get
open for a pass, then
run more to cover the

Aerobic Exercise and Mental

Health

Aerobic exercise reduces

depression and anxiety,
and improves
management of stress.
How do we know?
Aerobic exercise is correlated
with high confidence, vitality,
and energy, and good mood.
Is there causation? Perhaps
depression simply reduces
exercise.
One study establishing
causation: mildly depressed
young women randomly
assigned to an exercise
group showed reduced
depression caused by
exercise alone.

Lifestyle Modification

In one study, a control group was given diet,

medication, and exercise advice.
An experimental group practiced lifestyle
modification, a plan to slow down the pace
of ones life, accept imperfection, and renew
faith.

Result:
modifying
lifestyle led to
reduced heart
attack rates.

Relaxation and Meditation

Use of relaxation techniques
can reduce headaches, high blood
pressure, anxiety, and insomnia,
and improve immune functioning.
People who meditate can learn
to create a relaxation response:
relaxed muscles, lower blood
pressure, and slowed heart rate
and breathing.
Meditation also increases brain
activity associated with positive
emotions.
Steps to get the relaxation
response: focus attention on
breathing, a focus word, and
relaxing muscles from toes
upward.

Religious Involvement and

Health
While attendance at religious services may not
directly save lives, it may make other healthy
practices more likely.

Religious
attendance
seems to have
results,
especially for
men, comparable
to the benefit of
physically
healthy lifestyle
choices.

Religious Involvement and

Health:
Intervening
Factors
The health
impact of religious involvement
may be

indirect.
Health may improve because of the lifestyle and
emotional factors associated with religious involvement,
and not [just] the faith.

Complementary and
Alternative
Medicine
These various
types of medicine
are alternative as they
wait for broader acceptance and more empirical support.
Some, like acupuncture and hypnosis, seem effective but
may be based on a strong placebo effect.

Behavioral Medicine
Lesson

As with other areas of psychology, a study of

emotions, stress and health teaches us:

the body constantly interacts with the mind.

psychological phenomena have connections to
physiological phenomena.
More than 2000 years ago, in a Sanskrit text called
the Santi Parva, it was written, There are two kinds
of diseases, physical and mental. Each springs from
the other. None of them can be seen existing
independently.