lecture 27 from a college level introduction to psychology course taught Fall 2011 by Brian J. Piper, Ph.D. (psy391@gmail.com) at Willamette University, Seyle

1. Stress
Brian J. Piper, Ph.D.

2. Stress and Health
 Stress and Illness
 Stress and the Heart
 Stress and Susceptibility to Disease

3. Stress and Health
Psychological states cause physical illness. Stress
is any circumstance (real or perceived) that
threatens a person’s well-being.
When we feel severe stress, our ability to cope with it is
impaired.

4. Stress and Health
Stress can be adaptive. In a fearful or stress-
causing situation, we can run away and save our
lives.
Stress can be maladaptive. If it is prolonged
(chronic stress), it increases our risk of illness and
health problems.
Stress

5. Stress and Stressors
Stress is a slippery concept. At times it is the
stimulus (missing an appointment) and at other
times it is a response (sweating while taking a
test).

6. Stress and Stressors
Stress is not merely a stimulus or a response. It is
a process by which we appraise and cope with
environmental threats and challenges.
Bob Daemmrich/ The Image Works
When short-lived or taken as a challenge, stressors may
have positive effects. However, if stress is threatening or
prolonged, it can be harmful.

7. The Stress Response System
Walter Cannon proposed
that the stress response
(fast) was a fight-or-flight
response marked by the
outpouring of epinephrine
and norepinephrine from
the inner adrenal glands
(medulla), increasing
heart and respiration
rates, and dulling pain.
Medulla: Epinephrine
Cortex: Cortisol

8. Evolutionary Psychology
• Robert Sapolsky
• 0:15 – 3:58:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPS7GnromGo

9. General Adaptation Syndrome
According to Selye, a stress response to any kind of
stimulation is similar. The stressed individual goes
through three phases.

10. General Adaptation Syndrome
Alarm
“Fight or Flight” reaction: body mobilizes resources to combat threat; activates the
sympathetic nervous system.
Resistance
Enhanced ability to fight stressor via moderate physiological arousal; ability to
withstand additional stressors (e.g., infection) is reduced.
Exhaustion
Depletion of resources brings on diseases and disorders (e.g., chronically high heart
rate and blood pressure increase chances of heart attack and stroke).
3 min: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCeDtNh_Aw

11. Chronic Stress &
Neurogenesis
• Rats were exposed to 125 dB 12kHz noises for 2 hours/day for 10
weeks
• Hippocampampal tissue was processed for doublecortin for new
neurons (subgranular zone or SGZ).
*
Kraus et al. (2010). Neuroscience, 167, 1216-1226.

12. Stressful Life Events
Catastrophic Events: Catastrophic events like
earthquakes, combat stress, and floods lead
individuals to become depressed, sleepless, and
anxious.

13. Significant Life Changes
The death of a loved one, a divorce, a loss of job,
or a promotion may leave individuals vulnerable
to disease.

14. Stress & Lifespan?
• Top Causes of Death (2009):
– Heart Disease
– Cancer
– Chronic respiratory diseases
– Stroke
– Accidents
– Alzheimer’s
– Diabetes
– Influenza & pneumonia
– Kidney disease
– Suicide http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_04.pdf

15. Stress& Lifespan?
Expected Lifespan (2009):
– Caucasian Males: 76.2
– Caucasian Females: 80.9
– African American Males: 70.9
– African American Females: 77.4
Center for Disease Control, 2009

16. Health-Related Consequences
Stress can have a variety of health-related
consequences.
Kathleen Finlay/ Masterfile

17. Stress and the Heart
Stress that leads to elevated blood pressure may
result in coronary heart disease, a clogging of the
vessels that nourish the heart muscle.
Plaque in
Artery
coronary artery
clogged

18. Personality Types
Type A is a term used by Meyer Friedman for
competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally 1910-2001
aggressive, and anger-prone people.
Type B refers to easygoing, relaxed people.
Type A personalities are more likely to die from
coronary heart disease.
Total (3154) CHD Death (50)
A 1589 (50.4%) 34 (68%)
B 1565 (49.6%) 16 (32%)
Rosenman et al. (1975). JAMA, 233, 872-877.

19. Pessimism and Heart Disease
Pessimistic adult men (sample = 2000 Veterans)
are twice as likely to develop heart disease over a
10-year period.
Kubzansky et al. (2001). Psychosomatic Medicine, 63, 910-916.

20. Stress & Susceptibility to Disease
A psychophysiological illness is any stress-related
physical illness such as hypertension and some
headaches.
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is a developing
field in which the health effects of psychological,
neural, and endocrine processes on the immune
system are studied.

21. Psychoneuroimmunology
B lymphocytes fight bacterial infections
T lymphocytes attack viruses and cancer cells
microphages ingest foreign substances
During stress, energy is mobilized away from
the immune system making it vulnerable.

22. Stress and Colds
People with the highest life stress scores were also
the most vulnerable when exposed to an
experimental cold virus.

23. Stress and AIDS
Stress and negative emotions may accelerate the
progression from human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV) to acquired immune deficiency syndrome
(AIDS).

24. HIV Worldwide
UN AIDS/WHO, 2004 Data

25. Stress and Cancer
Stress does not create cancer cells. Researchers
disagree on whether stress influences the
progression of cancer. However, they do agree
that avoiding stress and having a hopeful attitude
cannot reverse advanced cancer.

26. Behavioral Medicine
Psychologists and physicians have developed an
interdisciplinary field of behavioral medicine
that integrates behavioral knowledge with
medical knowledge.
“Mind” and body interact; everything psychological
is simultaneously physiological.

27. Summary
• GAS
• Stress & Health

28. Course Summary
• Biopsychosocial
• Comparative
• Scientific process (Question authorities!)