Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health Export

@article{citeulike:6015057, abstract = {ABSTRACT Empirical evidence suggests that there are marked associations between positive psychological states and health outcomes, including reduced cardiovascular disease risk and increased resistance to infection. These observations have stimulated the investigation of behavioral and biological processes that might mediate protective effects. Evidence linking positive affect with health behaviors has been mixed, though recent cross-cultural research has documented associations with exercising regularly, not smoking, and prudent diet. At the biological level, cortisol output has been consistently shown to be lower among individuals reporting positive affect, and favorable associations with heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 have also been described. Importantly, these relationships are independent of negative affect and depressed mood, suggesting that positive affect may have distinctive biological correlates that can benefit health. At the same time, positive affect is associated with protective psychosocial factors such as greater social connectedness, perceived social support, optimism, and preference for adaptive coping responses. Positive affect may be part of a broader profile of psychosocial resilience that reduces risk of adverse physical health outcomes.}, address = {University College London}, author = {Steptoe, Andrew and Dockray, Samantha and Wardle, Jane}, citeulike-article-id = {6015057}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00599.x}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://view.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19796062}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=19796062}, citeulike-linkout-3 = {http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/122614068/ABSTRACT}, day = {30}, doi = {10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00599.x}, issn = {1467-6494}, journal = {Journal of Personality}, keywords = {affect, pathways, positive, psychobiology}, month = {September}, number = {9999}, posted-at = {2009-11-06 16:31:26}, priority = {2}, title = {Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00599.x}, volume = {9999}, year = {2009} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:6015057 L3 - citeulike-article-id:6015057 N2 - ABSTRACT Empirical evidence suggests that there are marked associations between positive psychological states and health outcomes, including reduced cardiovascular disease risk and increased resistance to infection. These observations have stimulated the investigation of behavioral and biological processes that might mediate protective effects. Evidence linking positive affect with health behaviors has been mixed, though recent cross-cultural research has documented associations with exercising regularly, not smoking, and prudent diet. At the biological level, cortisol output has been consistently shown to be lower among individuals reporting positive affect, and favorable associations with heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 have also been described. Importantly, these relationships are independent of negative affect and depressed mood, suggesting that positive affect may have distinctive biological correlates that can benefit health. At the same time, positive affect is associated with protective psychosocial factors such as greater social connectedness, perceived social support, optimism, and preference for adaptive coping responses. Positive affect may be part of a broader profile of psychosocial resilience that reduces risk of adverse physical health outcomes. IS - 9999 JF - Journal of Personality SN - 1467-6494 AD - University College London TI - Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health VL - 9999 KW - affect KW - pathways KW - positive KW - psychobiology AU - Steptoe, Andrew AU - Dockray, Samantha AU - Wardle, Jane PY - 2009/09/30/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00599.x ER -