Class 12

Unrealistic Optimism, Depression, & Hostility

Announcements:

Midterm postponed to 10/26; Review on 10/21

Read Kriegel Falling Into Life for Next Class

Is Optimism Always a Good Thing?

Health Outcomes Questions1. Compared to most other college students, what is your risk of an alcohol-

related injury?

2. Compared to most other college students, what is your risk of getting into a car accident?

Much Below

Average

Below Average

Slightly Below

Average

Average for

Rutgers students

SlightlyAbove

Average

Above Average

Much Above

Average

-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Much Below

Average

Below Average

Slightly Below

Average

Average for

Rutgers students

SlightlyAbove

Average

Above Average

Much Above

Average

-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

02468

101214161820

Much Below Below SlightlyBelow

Average SlightlyAbove

Above Much Above

"Rational" Expected Results

02468

101214161820

Much Below Below SlightlyBelow

Average SlightlyAbove

Above Much Above

Risk of Alcohol Injury, Compared to Most Students

n = 48 Mean = 2.46 Median = 2.00 Mode = 1 SD = 1.64

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Much Below Below SlightlyBelow

Average SlightlyAbove

Above Much Above

Risk of Auto Injury, Compared to Most Students

n = 48 Mean = 3.15 Median = 3.00 Mode = 4 SD = 1.58

Defined: Belief that one is immune from bad events, or that one will not be injured or harmed even when taking risks.

Arises from:

1. Easier to think up things that reduce risk than things that increase risk.

2. Lack of info about others' risk prevention efforts.

3. Egocentric dismissal of other's efforts to reduce risk.

Illusion of Invulnerability

GROUP 1 COMPLETE INFO.: ABOUT ME AND ABOUT OTHERSYour Risk Factor for Heart Attack Me Others

1. Cigarettes smoked per week _____ ( 8 )2. # Family members with heart ailments _____ ( 2 )3. Hours of exercise per week _____ ( 3 )

GROUP 2PARTIAL INFO: ABOUT ME ONLY, NO COMPARISON TO OTHERSYour Risk Factor for Heart Attack Me Others

1. Cigarettes smoked per week _____ ? 2. # Family members with heart ailments _____ ?3. Hours of exercise per week _____ ?

GROUP 3NO INFO: NO TRACKING OF SELF, NO COMPARISON TO OTHERS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weinstein Unrealistic Optimism Study

Represents actual average

All subjects next answer the following question:

Compared to other Rutgers students of my sex, my chances of having a heart attack are:

Much Below

Average

Below Average

Slightly Below

Average

Average for Rutgers students

SlightlyAbove

Average

Above Average

Much Above

Average

-3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

Weinstein Unrealistic Optimism Study

-2

-1

0

1

2

Heart Attack Tooth Decay

Re

lativ

e D

eg

ree

of R

isk Self and Others Info

Self Only Info

No Info

Results of Weinstein Study

Severe Risks Mild/Mod Risks

1. 15% of all people suffer depression

2. Chronic depression --> brain damage

* Poorer Memory* Failed concentration

3. ____ Men / ____ Women 2 X more likely to get depressed.

Depression: The High Costs of Being Low

X

Hypercortisolemia and Hippocampus DamageHippocampus functions include:

a. Long term memoryb. Spatial navigation

Hippocampus in depressed women smaller than in non-depressed women.

Rats given cortisol show atrophied hippocampus.

Depression --> increased cortisol (cortisolemia).

What does this add up to? Depression --> cortisolemia --> hippocampus atrophy --> memory loss

Linking Depression to Hippocampus AtrophyDepressed people have smaller hippocampus, therefore depression hippocampus atrophy, right???

Why doesn’t this clear association between depress. & hippo. atrophy establish depression as cause?

Depression Hippo. Atrophy

Brain Virus, for example

What kind of study would allow us to determine causality?

Confirming that Depression Hippocampus AtrophyExperiment: Make some people depressed, others not depressed, check on hippocampus in 3 yrs. Problems?

Cross-Sectional Study: Look at people of different ages, with or w/o depression, and look at hippocampus.

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

20 40 60 80

Age

Hip

po

cam

pu

s R

em

ain

ing

Depressed

Not Depressed

Prospective Study: Look at people at same starting age (e.g., 20), diagnosed as depressed/not depressed, and monitor hippo. size as they age.

60

65

70

75

80

85

90

95

100

2000 2010 2020 2030

Year

Hip

po

cam

pu

s R

em

ain

ing

Depressed

Not Depressed

Artificial Data

Hostility as a Health ThreatSelye: A person confronted with major stressor goes into one of two modes: Fight FlightOR

Anxious, pessimistic, low efficacy will tend to which response? Flight

Imagine someone in chronic “fight” mode, always ready for attack or defense

How would he/she appraise situations? Other people?

More threatening, as self-serving, un-trustworthy, dog-eat-dog world

How would this person respond to others?

Socially abrasive, smaller social network, avoid others when in need

Hostility is considered to be an attitudinal set—perhaps a personality trait—which stems from an absence of trust in the basic goodness of others and centers around the belief that others are generally mean, selfish, and undependable.

Williams, Barefoot, & Shekelle, 1985

Hostility Defined

http://fawlty.towers.videowall.sytes.org/?p=bXYwb25YaHlMbEUvQmFzaWwgdGhyYXNoZXMgaGlzIGNhciAtIEZhd2x0eSBUb3dlcnMgLSBCQkOvK6y9

Case Study of Hostile Personality

YES NO

1 No one cares much what happens to you

2 I have often met people who were supposed to be experts who were no better than I.

3 Some of my family have habits that bother and annoy me very much.

4 I often have to take orders from someone who did not know as much as I did.

5 It makes me feel like a failure when I hear of the success of someone I know well.

6 People often disappoint me.

7 It is safer to trust nobody.

8 I have often felt that strangers were looking at me critically.

9 I tend to be on my guard with people who are somewhat more friendly than I expected.

10 My way of doing things is apt to be misunderstood by others.

Hostility Scale(Cook and Medley, 1954)

1. Hostile

2. Competitive

3. Work-a-holic

4. time-pressed

Qualities of Type A Personality

Which component the most important?

X

Blockage of blood vessels

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) (1.5 time greater odds)

20-year increased risk of death due to:

* CHD* Malignant Neoplasms (cancer)* All causes of death combined

Health Correlates of Hostility

Is Relation Between Hostility and Heart Disease Linear or Catastrophic?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

None VeryLittle

Little Moderate Mod Plus A Lot A GreatDegree

Hostility Score

Hea

rt D

isea

se

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

None VeryLittle

Little Moderate Mod Plus A Lot A GreatDegree

Hostility Score

Hea

rt D

isea

se

Linear Catastrophic

-1

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

0 TO 8 9 TO 13 14 TO 17 18 TO 31

Hostility Score

CH

D E

ve

nts

Hostility and Coronary Heart Disease Among MDsBarefoot, et al., 1983

0.85

0.87

0.89

0.91

0.93

0.95

0.97

0.99

1960- 1965- 1970- 1975- 1980-

Pe

rce

nt

Su

rviv

ing

Low HostileHigh Hostile

MD Survival Rates Over 25 Years:Low Hostile vs. High Hostile

Appraisal of threat higher defensive mode (fight)

more cardiac output ↑ cortisol atherosclerosis

Pathway From Hostility to Heart Disease

What seems to be common physio culprit in link between stress, depression, hostility and health risks?

Cortisol