psy week1 post
Mommia
soc5_mod01_health.pptxMODULE 1
Social Psychology and Health
Social Psychology, 5th edition
© 2019 by W. W. Norton & Company
Evolution and Health: Short-Term and Chronic Stress
Psychological stress
The sense that challenges and demands surpass one’s current capacities, resources, and energies
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Evolution and Health: The Effects of Cortisol
Cortisol has many effects on the body.
Most notably, cortisol increases the heart rate and blood pressure, distributing blood to appropriate muscle groups involved in the fight-or-flight response to stress.
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The HPA Axis and the Release of Cortisol
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FIGURE A1.1 THE HPA AXIS AND THE RELEASE OF CORTISOL
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Evolution and Health: Rumination
Rumination
The tendency to think about a stressful event repeatedly
Trouble begins when we experience chronic stress, which is frequently the result of rumination.
Chronic stress can kill.
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How to Stop Ruminating
Engage in distracting activities, such as doing a crossword puzzle, knitting, or reading a book.
Say “stop” to yourself, shifting your attention to other matters in your life.
Set aside 30 minutes of ruminating time each day.
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Evolution and Health: Self-Distancing
Self-distancing
The ability to focus on one’s feelings from the perspective of a detached observer
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Culture and Health: Class, Stress, and Health Outcomes
Social psychologists think of wealth in terms of class or socioeconomic status (SES).
Dozens of studies have explored the association between social class and indicators of physical health.
Just about every health problem is more prevalent in people from lower SES.
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Class, Neighborhood, and Stress (1)
It’s clear that people from lower-SES and upper-SES backgrounds inhabit very different social and physical environments.
People living in poorer neighborhoods are more often exposed to air and water pollution, pesticides, and hazardous wastes.
Lower-SES neighborhoods have fewer recreational spaces and parks, so residents have fewer opportunities to exercise, to be outdoors, to relax, or to calm down.
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Class, Neighborhood, and Stress (2)
Poorer neighborhoods also have a higher incidence of violent crime, and residents experience more pervasive feelings of threat.
Lower-SES neighborhoods tend to have few healthy grocery stores or health care centers, both of which would support a healthier lifestyle.
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Class, Rank, and Health
Another explanation for the connection between social class and health has to do with rank or power.
Lower-SES individuals have fewer resources and more limited access to opportunities, and these play an important role in defining a person’s rank in society.
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The Ladder Measure
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FIGURE A1.2
THE LADDER MEASURE
Place a large X on the rung that best represents your socioeconomic rank.
Situational Factors and Health: Benefits of Social Connection
Social connections and health
People who had fewer meaningful connections to others were 1.9 to 3.1 times more likely to have died nine years later.
People who report having strong ties to others live longer.
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A Social Support Scale
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TABLE A1.1
A SOCIAL SUPPORT SCALE
Situational Factors and Health: Benefits of Social Connection (cont.)
Correlational studies raise questions about causation.
Experimental results indicate that physiological stress is lowered by being with other supportive people.
Social connections lead to positive responses to stress and better health overall.
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Health Benefits of Social Connection
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FIGURE A1.3
HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOCIAL CONNECTION
This study demonstrated that breast cancer survivors live longer thanks to social support.
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Tips for Reducing Stress
Focus on adaptive coping approach
Exercise (the more, the better)
Seek out positive emotions
Meditate
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Construal and Health: Benefits of Perceived Control and Optimism (1)
One construal process that seems to benefit a person’s overall health is developing a sense of control—a feeling of mastery, autonomy, and efficacy in influencing important life outcomes.
In general, people with a more pronounced sense of control enjoy better health and well-being.
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Construal and Health: Benefits of Perceived Control and Optimism (2)
Research raises an intriguing possibility: Might introducing a sense of control into the lives of people with declining health improve their situation?
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Personal Control and Happiness
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FIGURE A1.4
PERSONAL CONTROL AND HAPPINESS
The elderly woman in the photo appears to be experiencing little control in her nursing home.
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Construal and Health: Benefits of Perceived Control and Optimism (3)
A construal that has emerged as quite important in health is optimism.
Highly optimistic people have positive expectations about the future.
With an increased sense of control, people generally respond to stress more effectively.
People with a heightened sense of control and an optimistic outlook tend to engage in better health practices.
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