Chapter 5: Emotion, Stress, and Motivation

Why do you do what you do? Why does holding a cat make you happy, a job rejection make you sad, and a deadline make you stressed? This chapter covers the three interwoven answers: motivation (what pushes you to act), emotion (what you feel while acting), and stress (what happens when demands outpace resources). All three converge on the same brain machinery - the limbic system and the autonomic nervous system - and all three shape health in the long run.

In This Chapter

• 5.1 The Limbic System and the Three Components of Emotion
• 5.2 Four Theories of Emotion
• 5.3 Stress, the Stress Response, and General Adaptation Syndrome
• 5.4 Coping, Stress Management, and Physical Effects of Stress
• 5.5 Motivation: Drives, Arousal, Incentive, and Maslow
• 5.6 Attitudes, Persuasion, and Cognitive Dissonance
• Section Test