TY - JOUR
T1 - Engagement and arousal
T2 - Optimism's effects during a brief stressor
AU - Nes, Lise Solberg
AU - Segerstrom, Suzanne C.
AU - Sephton, Sandra E.
PY - 2005/1
Y1 - 2005/1
N2 - Optimism is usually associated with better psychological and physiological adjustment to Stressors, but some contradictory findings exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate how optimism could result in negative immunological changes following difficult Stressors. Because optimists are likely to see positive outcomes as attainable, they may invest greater effort to achieve their goals. It is proposed that such engagement would be more physiologically demanding when pursuing difficult goals. Participants (N = 54) worked on 11 difficult or insoluble anagrams. Optimism when combined with high self-awareness increased time spent working on the anagrams and skin conductance and salivary cortisol during the recovery period. The results support the notion that the increased engagement that arises from optimism may lead to short-term physiological costs.
AB - Optimism is usually associated with better psychological and physiological adjustment to Stressors, but some contradictory findings exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate how optimism could result in negative immunological changes following difficult Stressors. Because optimists are likely to see positive outcomes as attainable, they may invest greater effort to achieve their goals. It is proposed that such engagement would be more physiologically demanding when pursuing difficult goals. Participants (N = 54) worked on 11 difficult or insoluble anagrams. Optimism when combined with high self-awareness increased time spent working on the anagrams and skin conductance and salivary cortisol during the recovery period. The results support the notion that the increased engagement that arises from optimism may lead to short-term physiological costs.
KW - Cortisol
KW - Heart rate
KW - Optimism
KW - Persistence
KW - Skin conductance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=11144291474&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=11144291474&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0146167204271319
DO - 10.1177/0146167204271319
M3 - Article
C2 - 15574666
AN - SCOPUS:11144291474
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 31
SP - 111
EP - 120
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 1
ER -