3 psychology question
Describe how stress makes us more vulnerable to disease.
Psychophysiological illness refers to any stress-related physical illnesses such as hypertension and some headaches. Our understanding of the impact of stress on resistance to disease has fostered the development of the field of psychoneuroimmunology, which studies how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect our immune system and resulting health.
The secretion of stress hormones suppresses the immune system’s white blood cells, called
lymphocytes. B lymphocytes are important in fighting bacterial infections, and T lymphocytes
fight cancer cells, viruses, and foreign substances. Two other agents of the immune system are the macrophage and the natural killer cells (NK cells). When animals are physically restrained, given unavoidable electric shocks, or subjected to noise, crowding, cold water, social defeat, or maternal separation, they become more susceptible to disease. Studies suggest that stress similarly depresses the human immune system, making us more vulnerable to illness. The immune system can err in two directions: overreacting it may attack the body’s own tissues, or under-reacting it may allow a virus to erupt.
Stress and negative emotions correlate with a progression of HIV infection to AIDS and with the speed of decline in those infected. Efforts to reduce stress also help somewhat to control the disease. Educational initiatives, bereavement support groups, cognitive therapy, relaxation training, and exercise programs that reduce distress have all had positive consequences for HIV-positive individuals.
Describe how relaxation and meditation might influence stress and health.
Biofeedback, a system of recording, amplifying, and feeding back information about subtle physiological responses, enables people to control specific physiological responses. Research suggests that biofeedback works best on tension headaches. Simpler methods of relaxation produce many of the technique’s same benefits. For example, research indicates that relaxation procedures can help alleviate headaches, hypertension, anxiety, and insomnia. In Type A heart-attack survivors, relaxation lowers rates of recurring attacks. Those experienced in meditation assume a comfort- able position, breathe deeply, relax their muscles, close their eyes, and focus on a simple repeated phrase. Research on mindfulness meditation found that it is associated with increased left frontal lobe activity and improved immune functioning.
Describe what is meant by the faith factor, and offer some possible explanations for this link.
Research indicates that those who attend religious services regularly live as many as 8 years longer than non-attendees. Investigators who attempt to explain this faith factor have isolated three intervening variables. (1) Religiously active people have healthier lifestyles; for example, they smoke and drink less. (2) Faith communities provide social support networks and often encourage marriage, which, when happy, is linked with better health and a longer life span. (3) Attendance at religious services is often accompanied by a coherent worldview, sense of hope for the future, feelings of acceptance, and a relaxed meditative state. These may enhance positive emotions and immune functioning, and decrease feelings of stress and anxiety.
