General Phycology

Module 7:  Lecture Content - Stress and Health

Stress and Health

In life, there are many factors that can cause stress, from details of daily routine to dangerous events. It's not just limited to stress from negative experiences, as some things that make us happy can also cause stress. How we adapt to stress is an area of considerable interest in health psychology.

Consider stress as the possible result of the relationship between the individual and the environment. What the individual perceives as threatening, which can overwhelm his resources and endanger his or her well-being, is stress (Feldman et al., 2017). There are different types of stress. For example, physical stress is mainly caused by tiredness or fatigue. Mental stress is usually due to interpersonal relationships, frustrations, attachments, and conflicts related to culture or health. Let’s consider some important concepts related to stress and how it is studied in the field of psychology. (See table 1).  

Table 1: Definitions (APA, 2020)

Those definitions paint a clearer picture of stress's severe effects on a person. But at the same time, stress is considered a natural and sometimes a strong motivator (APA, 2019). This may sound like a contradiction, but the fact is a little stress can be good at times. You may feel a little stressed when interviewing for a job, which is ok. You may also feel stressed about a date or social event you have been looking forward to. The problem is when stress becomes a constant presence in our daily lives and has a negative implication. Studies have demonstrated that sudden emotional stress related to anger can trigger severe physical consequences, such as arrhythmia, heart attacks, and death (APA, 2013). If the stress lasts for a longer period, it worsens your overall health. Eventually, the individual will start exhibiting symptoms of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and other similar difficulties. Chronic stress can cause illness for a variety of reasons. People who are constantly stressed are more prone to damaging habits such as smoking taking legal/illegal drugs, which can cause severe damage to your body. Depression, a mental disorder, is associated with chronic stress as well. Stress is also associated with anxiety, and the combination can be highly detrimental to an individual’s overall health.  What exactly do we know about the effects stress has on our bodies? Let’s consider some of the findings related to stress and its effects on the body. (See figure 1). Figure 1: Effect of stress on the body (APA, 2018)

  There is also evidence of stress having a negative effect on the gastrointestinal and nervous systems. It can also cause damage to the male and female reproductive systems.  There are ways to prevent these consequences, which is also an area of constant study in psychology. One study found that when you increase positive affect in your life, which relates to being happier and feeling more joy, your risk of heart disease decreases (Davidson et al., 2010). Some recommended strategies for reducing stress can be seen in Figure 2.  

Figure 2: Basic recommendations for reducing stress (APA, 2013)

References:

American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Chronic stress. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/chronic-stress American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Fight or flight response. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/fight-or-flight-response American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stress. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stress American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stressor. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stressor American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stress hormone. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stress-hormone American Psychological Association [APA]. (2019, August 10). Why stress and anxiety aren't always bad [Press release]. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/08/stress-anxiety American Psychological Association [APA]. (2018, November 1). Stress effects the body. http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body American Psychological Association [APA]. (2013, January 1). How stress affects your health. http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/health Davidson, K.W., Mostofsky, E. & Whang, W. (2010). “Don't worry, by happy: Positive affect and reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease: The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey.” European Heart Journal, 31, 1065–1070. Feldman, R. S., Villagómez Ruíz, A., Villaseñor Ponce, M., García Pérez, J. M. L., Ortiz Salinas, M. E., Nuñez Herrejón, J. L., Palos Báez, E., & Olivares Bari, S. O. (2017). Psicología con aplicaciones de América Latina. McGraw-Hill Education.

Module 7:  Lecture Content - Stress and Health

Stress and Health

In life, there are many factors that can cause stress, from details of daily routine to dangerous events. It's not just limited to stress from negative experiences, as some things that make us happy can also cause stress. How we adapt to stress is an area of considerable interest in health psychology.

Consider stress as the possible result of the relationship between the individual and the environment. What the individual perceives as threatening, which can overwhelm his resources and endanger his or her well-being, is stress (Feldman et al., 2017). There are different types of stress. For example, physical stress is mainly caused by tiredness or fatigue. Mental stress is usually due to interpersonal relationships, frustrations, attachments, and conflicts related to culture or health. Let’s consider some important concepts related to stress and how it is studied in the field of psychology. (See table 1).  

Table 1: Definitions (APA, 2020)

Those definitions paint a clearer picture of stress's severe effects on a person. But at the same time, stress is considered a natural and sometimes a strong motivator (APA, 2019). This may sound like a contradiction, but the fact is a little stress can be good at times. You may feel a little stressed when interviewing for a job, which is ok. You may also feel stressed about a date or social event you have been looking forward to. The problem is when stress becomes a constant presence in our daily lives and has a negative implication. Studies have demonstrated that sudden emotional stress related to anger can trigger severe physical consequences, such as arrhythmia, heart attacks, and death (APA, 2013). If the stress lasts for a longer period, it worsens your overall health. Eventually, the individual will start exhibiting symptoms of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and other similar difficulties. Chronic stress can cause illness for a variety of reasons. People who are constantly stressed are more prone to damaging habits such as smoking taking legal/illegal drugs, which can cause severe damage to your body. Depression, a mental disorder, is associated with chronic stress as well. Stress is also associated with anxiety, and the combination can be highly detrimental to an individual’s overall health.  What exactly do we know about the effects stress has on our bodies? Let’s consider some of the findings related to stress and its effects on the body. (See figure 1). Figure 1: Effect of stress on the body (APA, 2018)

  There is also evidence of stress having a negative effect on the gastrointestinal and nervous systems. It can also cause damage to the male and female reproductive systems.  There are ways to prevent these consequences, which is also an area of constant study in psychology. One study found that when you increase positive affect in your life, which relates to being happier and feeling more joy, your risk of heart disease decreases (Davidson et al., 2010). Some recommended strategies for reducing stress can be seen in Figure 2.  

Figure 2: Basic recommendations for reducing stress (APA, 2013)

References:

American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Chronic stress. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/chronic-stress American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Fight or flight response. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/fight-or-flight-response American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stress. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stress American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stressor. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stressor American Psychological Association [APA]. (2020). Stress hormone. APA dictionary of psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/stress-hormone American Psychological Association [APA]. (2019, August 10). Why stress and anxiety aren't always bad [Press release]. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/08/stress-anxiety American Psychological Association [APA]. (2018, November 1). Stress effects the body. http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body American Psychological Association [APA]. (2013, January 1). How stress affects your health. http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/health Davidson, K.W., Mostofsky, E. & Whang, W. (2010). “Don't worry, by happy: Positive affect and reduced 10-year incident coronary heart disease: The Canadian Nova Scotia Health Survey.” European Heart Journal, 31, 1065–1070. Feldman, R. S., Villagómez Ruíz, A., Villaseñor Ponce, M., García Pérez, J. M. L., Ortiz Salinas, M. E., Nuñez Herrejón, J. L., Palos Báez, E., & Olivares Bari, S. O. (2017). Psicología con aplicaciones de América Latina. McGraw-Hill Education.