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Hi class,

See this article on the association between psychological well-being and cardiovascular health:

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.678.9678&rep=rep1&type=pdf

How can health psychologists help promote psychological well-being?

Boehm, J. K., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2012). The heart’s content: The association between positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. Psychological Bulletin, 138(4), 655691. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027448

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R
        Thank you Dr. Serafini for such an informative article by Boem and Kubzansky (2012) which was extremely interesting to read. The focal point of the article was to explore the relationship between positive psychology well-being (PPWB) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Additionally, an integral element of the article was to consider the mechanisms of positive psychology in association with various health behaviors and biological functioning that influences heart disease. Health behaviors to consider would include smoking, alcohol use, physical activity or lack thereof, the amount and quality of sleep one gets, and eating habits. Biological factors would include cardiovascular health, inflammation, and metabolic process.

        The article (Boem & Kubazansky, 2012) specifies an aspect of PPWB, namely either eudaimonia or hedonic well-being. The distinguishing feature between these two concepts is that eudaimonia focuses on the meaning and purpose of living a life well. Hedonic enjoyment is defined as it relates to sensory pleasures. The findings suggest that PPWB has great utility against CVD. One interesting area is the domain of optimism which relates to a reduction of the risk of cardiovascular issues. A cursory glance in terms of findings indicates that cardiovascular health is associated with optimism and hedonic pleasure as opposed to eudaimonic pleasure. However, this finding could be due to the dearth of research on eudaimonia as it relates to cardiovascular health.

          Taylor (2018) discusses the notion of cardiac rehabilitation, which is an intervention that is designed to help heart patients achieve their optimal physical, medical, psychological, emotional, and social status after being diagnosed with heart disease or having a heart attack. It seems to me that the use of PPWB may be an integral part of the rehabilitation process. As health psychologists, the promotion of optimism perhaps through a strengths-based approach may be a great way to foster hope and positivity. It appears to me that focusing on client strengths may engender great motivation as well. This would be as opposed to perseverating about the negative and adverse elements of the person’s situation. Additionally, hedonic and eudemonic activities can be discussed and encouraged. Physical pleasures and living a meaningful and purposeful life can greatly contribute to one’s sense of well-being. This can decrease stress and ostensibly to improve cardiovascular functioning.

References

Boehm, J. K., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2012). The heart’s content: The association between positive psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. Psychological Bulletin, 138(4), 655691.

Taylor, S. (2018). Health psychology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.