Psychology

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Chapter 11Emotion, Stress, and Health

Learning Objectives

  1. LO 11.1.AExplain the components that define an emotion, list the emotions that have a universal facial expression, and describe some of the limits affecting the ability to decode facial expressions of emotion.

  2. LO 11.1.BDiscuss the brain structures involved in the experience of emotions, explain what mirror neurons do, and describe the primary chemicals involved in emotional experience.

  3. LO 11.1.CSummarize the basic research findings indicating that cognitive appraisal plays a role in emotional experience.

  4. LO 11.2.ADescribe the ways emotional experience can differ across cultures, in terms of concepts, language, and expectations.

  5. LO 11.2.BExplain how display rules and emotion work influence the communication of emotion in a social and cultural context.

  6. LO 11.2.CExplain sex differences that appear to exist in emotional experience, and comment on the complex reasons for these differences.

  7. LO 11.3.ADescribe the three phases of the general adaptation syndrome, and discuss how modern conceptualizations of the HPA axis and psychoneuroimmunology extend those ideas.

  8. LO 11.3.BDescribe some of the contributions to health that result from optimism, conscientiousness, and a sense of control.

  9. LO 11.4.ASummarize the evidence that negative emotions (such as hostility and depression) detract from health.

  10. LO 11.4.BSummarize the evidence that positive emotions contribute to health.

  11. LO 11.4.CDiscuss how confession, forgiveness, and other forms of “letting grievances go” contribute to health benefits.

  12. LO 11.5.ADiscuss how emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping contribute to the problem-solving approach to dealing with stress.

  13. LO 11.5.BDescribe three effective coping strategies that rely on rethinking the stressful problem at hand, and give an example of each.

  14. LO 11.5.CDiscuss the ways in which friends can help or hinder successful coping efforts.

Ask questions . . . be willing to wonder

  • Do people everywhere in the world feel the same emotions?

  • Do we have any control over our emotions or do they just “come out of nowhere”?

  • Does stress increase your chances of getting sick?

  • When life hands you a lemon of a problem, how can you make lemonade?

“I think he should suffer.”

“Without a doubt, this was what I was definitely hoping for.”

“I wasn't disappointed either way.”

“I just wish he'd showed some kind of emotion.”

These comments were made by Boston residents in a recent Boston Globe article, reflecting on the fate of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was sentenced to death in 2015 for planting bombs at the 2013 Boston Marathon. Aided by his brother Tamerlan, Tsarnaev was responsible for killing three people and wounding over 250 others. During the days in which they eluded capture, the brothers also murdered an MIT police officer, carjacked a Mercedes, and engaged law enforcement in a shootout that involved a wounded Dzhokhar running over Tamerlan with the stolen SUV. After a tense manhunt, Tsarnaev was eventually captured, tried, and convicted of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.

This is a story that's defined by strong emotions. Think of how the brothers' actions were characterized: Terrorism. Few emotion terms carry as much weight as terror, and few among us would say we can't imagine what that feels like. The Tsarnaev brothers had anger and hatred in their hearts to guide their actions, and Boston residents suffered fear and anxiety during the bombing and subsequent manhunt. The sadness and anguish felt by the wounded and the relatives of the victims will surely take time to diminish, yet for many, there was joy and satisfaction that justice was eventually served.

This is also a story of stress and coping. The thousands of law enforcement officials searching for the brothers were on high alert, not sure of who they were looking for or where they might find them. The citizens of Watertown, where Tsarnaev was eventually captured, dealt with curfews, flying bullets, and tremendous amounts of uncertainty. Coping with the loss of a loved one, regrouping after a serious injury, or simply moving ahead with life in the wake of tragedy may be the most stressful circumstances of all.

In this chapter, we will examine the physiology and psychology of emotions and stress. Prolonged negative emotions such as anger can certainly be stressful, and stress can certainly produce negative emotions. Both of these processes, however, are shaped by how we interpret the events that happen to us, by the demands of the situation we are in, and by the rules of our culture.