Building Resistance to Stress and Aging: The Toughness Model

378 Pages·2015·1.583 MB·English

by  Richard A. Dienstbier (auth.)

Building Resistance to Stress and Aging
Also by Richard A. Dienstbier
Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (Coeditor)
Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Human Emotion (Editor)
Nebaska Symposium on Motivation: Perspectives on Motivation (Editor)
Building Resistance to
Stress and Aging
The Toughness Model
Richard A. Dienstbier
University of Nebraska Lincoln, NE
© Richard A. Dienstbier 2015
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2015 978-1-137-45484-3
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in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
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175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
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Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
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ISBN 978-1-349-49803-1 ISBN 978-1-137-45485-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137454850
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With love, to my wife Karen.
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Contents
List of Figures and Tables ix
Introduction 1
Part I The Basics 9
1 Toughness: An Opponent Process 11
2 The Basic Brain: Grand Structures 22
3 The Basic Brain: Neurons and Neurochemistry 38
4 Heredity, Genes, and Environment 52
Part II Arousal and the Elements of Weakness 65
5 Stress and Challenge: Kinds of Arousal 67
6 Long-term Stress: Stress Kills Neurons Too 85
7 The Aging Brain: Not for Sissies 95
8 Fat and the Brain: Dumbing with Adiposity 109
Part III Toughening (At Last) 119
9 Basic Toughness: Helplessness and Cold 121
10 Basic Toughness: Scandinavians and Exercise 134
11 Nurturance Toughens and Neglect Weakens 144
12 Cognitive Enrichment Toughens 165
13 Physical Exercise Toughens 182
14 Meditation Toughens 201
Part IV Applications of Toughness 213
15 Toughness Affects Learning 215
16 Toughening Self-control and Mental Energy 223
17 Toughness, Emotional Control, and Therapy 242
18 Summary and a Full Model: It’s a Tough Life 250
Glossary 264
Notes 279
References 325
Index 357
vii
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List of Figures and Tables
Figures
2.1 Views of white and gray matter 24
2.2 The brain cut at midline 25
3.1 The neuron 39
3.2 The synapse with neurotransmitters and receptors 42
3.3 Neurotransmitter projections from the brain stem 45
4.1 From environmental events to neural modifications 59
4.2 Interrelationships between genes, environments,
gene expression and outcomes for brain and behavior 63
5.1 Sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) arousal 70
5.2 Pituitary-adrenal-cortical (PAC) arousal 73
6.1 A nasty positive feedback loop involving PAC arousal 91
18.1 Long- and short-term relations between
toughness and success 262
Tables
5.1 Stress, challenge, and harm/loss 81
8.1 Body mass index (BMI) calculator 294
10.1 Noradrenaline levels during the treadmill from the
Hull study 140
13.1 Recovery from major depressive disorder from Babyak 187
18.1 Toughness as a unifying concept 257
ix