Evidence begins to accumulate You might think it obvious that psychological stress would affect your ability to get a good night’s sleep. But it wasn’t that long ago (2004) when researchers at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit first showed that individuals who had stronger perceptions that psychological stress impaired sleep took longer to fall…
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Psychosocial Stress, Obesity, and Diet
Higher psychosocial stress predicts more body fat and poorer diet Additional stressors may lead to even more body fat Psychosocial stress appears to promote formation of body fat but, as of 2011, longitudinal studies showed inconsistent results. A meta-analysis involved 14 studies with 32 separate analyses of stress and measures of body fat. Twenty-two of…
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Ageism
Ageism refers to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination against people based on their age. Unlike racial or sexual stereotypes that people typically frown upon, ageism is socially condoned and institutionalized in the US. The combination of negative age-related stereotypes and discrimination can make ageism a chronic stressor for older people.
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