The interaction between stress and positive affect in predicting mortality

Abstract

ObjectivePositive affect is associated with longevity; according to the stress-buffering hypothesis, this is because positive affect reduces the health harming effects of psychological stress. If this mechanism plays a role, then the association between positive affect and mortality risk should be most apparent among individuals who report higher stress. Here, we test this hypothesis.MethodsThe sample consisted of 8542 participants aged 32–86 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Epidemiological Follow-up Study (NHEFS). We used Cox's proportional hazards regression to test for the main effects of and the interaction between positive affect and perceived stress in predicting mortality risk over a 10 year follow up period.ResultsGreater positive affect was associated with lower mortality risk. We found a significant interaction between positive affect and perceived stress such that the association between positive affect and mortality risk was stronger in people reporting higher stress. In the fully adjusted model, a standard deviation increase in positive affect was associated with a 16% (HR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.75, 0.95) reduction in mortality risk among participants who reported high levels of stress. The association between positive affect and mortality risk was weaker and not significant among participants who reported low levels of stress (HR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.89, 1.08).ConclusionOur results support the stress-buffering model and illustrate that the association between positive affect and reduced risk may be strongest under challenging circumstances.

Does laughing have a stress-buffering effect in daily life? An intensive longitudinal study

“…For instance, the stress-buffering function of laughing in the context of experiencing one single, only mildly stressful event might be different from that of laughing in the context of multiple, highly stressful events. However, results of a recent study investigating the prospective association between positive affect and longevity suggest that the link between positive affect and positive health outcomes is more pronounced in people who experience high stress levels [17]. Thus, it would be interesting to explore whether this holds also true in daily life, where the experience of different affect and stress levels are subject to frequent rapid change.…”

“…The cardiac responses of those participants who watched the amusing movie recovered faster to baseline level than the cardiac responses of the other two groups, supporting the assumptions of the stress-buffering model of positive affect (for further examples, see also Kraft and Pressman [16]). A recent prospective study showed that the stress-buffering function of positive affect is more pronounced in individuals who experience high levels of stress [17]. Along these lines, a recent review of investigations into humor and pain reported a humor-triggered increased pain tolerance for experimental pain and a keen sense of humor as a coping mechanism for chronic pain conditions [18].…”

“…The link between laughter and a reduced stress response has mostly been investigated in the laboratory (e.g., [15,16]) or in prospective studies using typically two measurement points (e.g., [17]). Whether the relationship between stress and positive affect also applies to daily life experiences when stress and positive affect might happen in close temporal approximation has not been investigated so far.…”

Between vulnerability and resilience: A network analysis of fluctuations in cognitive risk and protective factors following remission from depression

“…In this context, several resilience factors have been proposed, among which stress recovery, self-compassion, promotion, and positive appraisal (e.g., Kalisch et al, 2015;Trompetter, de Kleine, & Bohlmeijer, 2017;Waugh & Koster, 2015), most of which are related to positive affectivity as a key ingredient. Indeed, ample studies have shown that positive affect buffers against negative effects of stressors (Garland et al, 2010;Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004;Okely, Weiss, & Gale, 2017;Wichers et al, 2007). As such, we test the role of positive affect as a central resilience factor following remission from depression, linking key depression vulnerability and protective factors.…”

Chronic widespread pain and increased mortality: biopsychosocial interconnections

“…Also positive affect has been associated with increased longevity 21 22. A truly prospective study analysed handwritten biographies of 180 catholic nuns composed when the sisters joined the congregation at a mean age of 22 23.…”