← Introduction to Psychology

Unit 14: Stress, Lifestyle, and Health

What stress actually does to the body over time, the coping strategies that blunt its damage, and what predicts a person's lasting happiness.

7 topics · 24 questions

Each topic is a path, not a menu: work down it in order and every question builds on the one above. Click any of them to watch the answer draw itself.

14.1 The Fight-or-Flight Response

  1. How it worksHow does the sympathetic nervous system trigger the fight-or-flight response within seconds of a threat?
  2. Going furtherWhat happens to the body when the fight-or-flight response is triggered constantly by everyday, non-physical stressors?
  3. Common mistakeWhy isn't the fight-or-flight response something a person can just consciously will away in the moment?
Your turn1 of 2
A hiker suddenly encounters what looks like a snake on the trail, and within a second or two, before they've even consciously processed what they're looking at, their heart is already pounding and their muscles are tense. What system is responsible for this near-instant physical reaction?

14.1 Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

  1. How it worksHow does Selye's general adaptation syndrome move through alarm, resistance, and exhaustion over time?
  2. Worked exampleFind which stage of the general adaptation syndrome a person is in after months of unrelenting job stress, once their resistance finally collapses.
  3. Going furtherWhat happens to the immune system specifically once the body reaches the exhaustion stage?
  4. Common mistakeWhy isn't the alarm stage of the general adaptation syndrome the same as the exhaustion stage, even though both feel like stress?
Your turn1 of 2
After months of unrelenting job stress, an employee's body finally seems to give out, their resistance to illness collapses, and they become seriously ill. According to Selye's general adaptation syndrome, which stage does this collapse represent?

14.2 Acute Versus Chronic Stressors

  1. How it worksHow do acute stressors and chronic stressors differ in how the body responds to each over time?
  2. Worked exampleFind where a divorce would rank relative to a daily traffic jam on a life-stress scale like the Social Readjustment Rating Scale.
  3. Going furtherWhat happens to the health impact of a chronic stressor when a person has no sense of control over ending it?
Your turn1 of 2
On the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, divorce carries about 75 life-change units, while a relatively minor daily hassle like a traffic jam might be informally scored at only about 6 life-change units. How many more life-change units does divorce carry than the daily traffic jam?

14.3 How Chronic Stress Suppresses Immunity

  1. How it worksHow does prolonged cortisol release from chronic stress suppress the immune system's response?
  2. Going furtherWhat happens to cardiovascular health specifically after years of chronic, unmanaged stress?
  3. Common mistakeWhy isn't stress-related illness just something that happens in a person's head with no physical basis at all?
  4. Worked exampleFind why students caring for a sick family member show slower wound healing than students without that added stress.
Your turn1 of 2
During final exam week, many college students report catching colds and other minor illnesses far more often than during less stressful parts of the semester. What physiological mechanism helps explain this pattern?

14.4 Problem-Focused Versus Emotion-Focused Coping

  1. How it worksHow does problem-focused coping target the stressor itself rather than the feelings it causes?
  2. How it worksWalk me through how emotion-focused coping instead manages the distress when the stressor can't be changed.
  3. Worked exampleFind which coping style, problem-focused or emotion-focused, fits studying harder for a retake exam versus accepting a diagnosis that can't be cured.
Your turn1 of 2
One student, upon failing an exam they can retake, immediately starts a rigorous new study schedule to prepare for the retake. A different person, upon receiving a diagnosis for a chronic condition that has no cure, focuses instead on processing their emotions and finding acceptance and meaning in their new situation. Which coping style does each person use, respectively?

14.4 Social Support and Perceived Control as Buffers

  1. How it worksHow does social support buffer the physiological impact of a stressful event?
  2. How it worksWalk me through why a sense of perceived control over a stressor reduces its harm even when nothing about the stressor itself changes.
  3. Going furtherWhat happens to stress's health impact for someone who is socially isolated compared to someone with a strong support network?
Your turn1 of 2
Two people experience the exact same stressful event, a serious car accident. One has a close network of supportive friends and family to talk to afterward, while the other has no one to confide in. Research on social support generally predicts what difference in physiological stress impact between these two people?

14.5 Positive Psychology and the Components of Happiness

  1. How it worksHow does positive psychology's broaden-and-build theory explain positive emotion expanding a person's resources over time?
  2. How it worksWalk me through what psychological flow feels like and what conditions tend to produce it.
  3. Going furtherWhat predicts lasting happiness across cultures better than income does once basic needs are met?
  4. Common mistakeWhy isn't chasing more pleasure the most reliable path to a lasting sense of well-being?
Your turn1 of 2
A skilled rock climber becomes so completely absorbed in a challenging climb that they lose track of time entirely, their usual worries disappear, and their full focus merges seamlessly with the physical actions of climbing. What psychological state is being described, and what conditions tend to produce it?