Mechanisms of Psychological Influence on Physical Health

Mechanisms of Psychological Influence on Physical Health PDF Author: Laura L. Carstensen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461307759
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
In recent years ideas about the influence of psychological status on physical health have been elevated from intuition and clinical lore to a legitimate area of scientific study. Mechanisms of influence are, indubitably, diverse. Some of this influence is indirect, accounted for simply by the instrumental help that social engagement, associated with good mental health, affords people; for example, psychologically "healthy" people are probably more likely to comply with medication regimens and engage in other healthful behaviors to a greater extent than those who are socially withdrawn or psychologically unstable. But recent studies suggest that while the importance of these more obvious factors cannot be denied, the complete picture includes factors that are much more subtle and complex. A body of research is beginning to accumulate that suggests that all three major regulatory systems -- the central nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system -- are affected by cognitions, emotions and behavior. There is no doubt that a relationship between mental and physical health exists, but very little is known about the specific mechanisms by which such influence occurs. At least in part, empirical research in this area has been limited by the inherent need for an interdisciplinary approach and synthesis of collected data. Recently, a few researchers in a number of different disciplines have begun to study directly the linkage between psychological and emotional well being and health.

Mechanisms of Psychological Influence on Physical Health

Mechanisms of Psychological Influence on Physical Health PDF Author: Laura L. Carstensen
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461307759
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Get Book Here

Book Description
In recent years ideas about the influence of psychological status on physical health have been elevated from intuition and clinical lore to a legitimate area of scientific study. Mechanisms of influence are, indubitably, diverse. Some of this influence is indirect, accounted for simply by the instrumental help that social engagement, associated with good mental health, affords people; for example, psychologically "healthy" people are probably more likely to comply with medication regimens and engage in other healthful behaviors to a greater extent than those who are socially withdrawn or psychologically unstable. But recent studies suggest that while the importance of these more obvious factors cannot be denied, the complete picture includes factors that are much more subtle and complex. A body of research is beginning to accumulate that suggests that all three major regulatory systems -- the central nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system -- are affected by cognitions, emotions and behavior. There is no doubt that a relationship between mental and physical health exists, but very little is known about the specific mechanisms by which such influence occurs. At least in part, empirical research in this area has been limited by the inherent need for an interdisciplinary approach and synthesis of collected data. Recently, a few researchers in a number of different disciplines have begun to study directly the linkage between psychological and emotional well being and health.

Social Support and Physical Health

Social Support and Physical Health PDF Author: Bert N. Uchino
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300127987
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world. The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems - climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others - don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as essential, this is it.

Stress and Health

Stress and Health PDF Author: William R. Lovallo
Publisher: SAGE Publications
ISBN: 1483378284
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 366

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Book Description
Stress and Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions is a brief and accessible examination of psychological stress and its psychophysiological relationships with cognition, emotions, brain functions, and the peripheral mechanisms by which the body is regulated. Updated throughout, the Third Edition covers two new and significant areas of emerging research: how our early life experiences alter key stress responsive systems at the level of gene expression; and what large, normal, and small stress responses may mean for our overall health and well-being.

Educating the Student Body

Educating the Student Body PDF Author: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309283140
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Book Description
Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being

Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being PDF Author: Stuart J.H. Biddle
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134566824
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
The 'feel-good' effect of physical activity is widely reported among participants. Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being represents a research consensus on the relationship between physical activity and aspects of mental health, providing an overview of the case for the role of exercise in the promotion of psychological well-being. Topics covered include: * anxiety and stress * depression * mood and emotion * self-perceptions and self-esteem * cognitive functioning and ageing * psychological dysfunction This book is invaluable reading for students and researchers working in the exercise, sport and health sciences, and for health and clinical psychologists. It is also a foundation text for health promotion and health service professionals, particularly those working in the area of mental health.

U.S. Health in International Perspective

U.S. Health in International Perspective PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309264146
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Mechanisms Underpinning the Link between Emotion, Physical Health and Longevity

Mechanisms Underpinning the Link between Emotion, Physical Health and Longevity PDF Author: Andrew H. Kemp
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889452743
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
The 1990’s was designated as ‘the decade of the brain’ and now, common mental disorders are described as ‘brain disorders’. Yet intense research interest on the brain has largely side-lined the body as a passive observer, disconnecting mental from physical health and contributing to further societal stigma on the nature of psychiatric illness and mental distress. The biopsychosocial pathway to premature mortality or longevity is a complex one, involving a host of closely intertwined mechanisms and moderating factors, some of which are investigated in this special issue. All the articles published here provide new insights into the pathways linking emotion, physical health and longevity, highlighting the tight linkage between mind, brain and body.

Handbook of Affective Sciences

Handbook of Affective Sciences PDF Author: Richard J Davidson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195377001
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1218

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Book Description
One hundred stereotype maps glazed with the most exquisite human prejudice, especially collected for you by Yanko Tsvetkov, author of the viral Mapping Stereotypes project. Satire and cartography rarely come in a single package but in the Atlas of Prejudice they successfully blend in a work of art that is both funny and thought-provoking. The book is based on Mapping Stereotypes, Yanko Tsvetkov's critically acclaimed project that became a viral Internet sensation in 2009. A reliable weapon against bigots of all kinds, it serves as an inexhaustible source of much needed argumentation and-occasionally-as a nice slab of paper that can be used to smack them across the face whenever reasoning becomes utterly impossible. The Complete Collection version of the Atlas contains all maps from the previously published two volumes and adds twenty five new ones, wrapping the best-selling series in a single extended edition.

The Handbook of Stress Science

The Handbook of Stress Science PDF Author: Richard Contrada, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
ISBN: 0826117716
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 672

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Book Description
"[F]or those who are entering the field or who want to broaden their perspective, Ibelieve that this Handbook is indispensible. More than just a contribution to the field, theHandbook may well become a classic."--PsycCRITIQUES "The editors fully achieved their goal of producing a state-of-the-science stress reference for use by investigators, educators, and practitioners with clinical and health interests."--Psycho-Oncology "This is an important book about the scientific study of stress and human adaptation. It brings together both empirical data and theoretical developments that address the fundamental question of how psychosocial variables get inside the body to influence neurobiological processes that culminate in physical disease." From the Foreword by David C. Glass, PhD Emeritus Professor of Psychology Stony Brook University Edited by two leading health psychologists, The Handbook of Stress Science presents a detailed overview of key topics in stress and health psychology. With discussions on how stress influences physical health-including its effects on the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and immune systems-the text is a valuable source for health psychologists, as well as researchers in behavioral medicine, neuroscience, genetics, clinical and social psychology, sociology, and public health. This state-of-the-art resource reviews conceptual developments, empirical findings, clinical applications, and investigative strategies and tools from the past few decades of stress research. It represents all major approaches to defining stress and describes the themes and developments that characterize the field of health-related stress research. The five sections of this handbook cover: Current knowledge regarding the major biological structures and systems that are involved in the stress response Social-contextual contributions to stress and to processes of adaptation to stress, including the workplace, socioeconomic status, and social support The concept of cognitive appraisal as it relates to stress and emotion psychological factors influencing stress such as, personality, gender, and adult development The evidence linking stress to health-related behaviors and mental and physical health outcomes Research methods, tools, and strategies, including the principles and techniques of both laboratory experimentation and naturalistic stress research

Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity and Mental Health

Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity and Mental Health PDF Author: Panteleimon Ekkekakis
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000950557
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 583

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Book Description
A growing body of evidence shows that physical activity can be a cost-effective and safe intervention for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of mental health problems. As researchers and clinicians around the world look for evidence-supported alternatives and complements to established forms of therapy (medication and psychotherapy), interest in physical activity mounts. The Routledge Handbook of Physical Activity and Mental Health offers the most comprehensive review of the research evidence on the effects of physical activity on multiple facets of mental health. Written by a team of world-leading international experts, the book covers ten thematic areas: physical activity and the ‘feel good’ effect anxiety disorders depression and mood disorders self-perceptions and self-evaluations cognitive function across the lifespan psychosocial stress pain energy and fatigue addictions quality of life in special populations. This volume presents a balanced assessment of the research evidence, highlights important directions for future work, and draws clear links between theory, research, and clinical practice. As the most complete and authoritative resource on the topic of physical activity and mental health, this is essential reading for researchers, students and practitioners in a wide range of fields, including clinical and health psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, behavioural and preventive medicine, gerontology, nursing, public health and primary care.