Psychology Influence On Health

Health is an important part of everyone’s lives. It is what keeps illness away and gives us a chance to live longer.  The problem with society is that not everyone knows how to live a healthy life.  Through applied social psychology, people can learn how to have a healthy life.

Healthy lives are promoted by schools, society, and other influences. In order for people to be promoted by health, influences often use the idea of prevention.  To do so, the social influences target ways to reduce unhealthy lives and behaviors (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  When the ways to reduce unhealthy lives is shown, people are able to understand what they can do to live a healthy life.

What is important to know about health related to applied social psychology is the importance of social influences.  Social influence is when those around us affect our behaviors and beliefs (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  With that being said, the beliefs of those around us will affect our health both negatively and positively.  The way media is portrayed is also important on our beliefs.  We should want to be healthy, but we should also not expect to look like a model or be extremely thin.

When thinking about the media and health, TLC channel has a show “My 600 pound life.” This show portrays what can happen when people do not have healthy lifestyles.  Informational appeals, or facts about health, are used to promote the need for healthy lifestyles.  In this show, the overweight people on the show not only explain their health problems and journey after having gastric bypass surgery; they also speak about how those around them affect the way they gain or lose weight.  Positive emotional support from families is often a benefit and increases weight loss.  For most of the people on the show, there is weight loss when their family supports their choices and promotes positive eating habits.

Our lifestyles and those around us will affect how healthy we are. It is essential to promote positive health and implement ways to become healthier, live longer, and have less illness.  Applied social psychology gives people the understanding of how to become healthier and how to promote healthy lifestyles to others.

 

Refrences

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.).

2 comments

  1. Michael Edward Montgomery

    Hello
    Great job on your blog. I like the information on a healthy life style using applied social psychology. I do believe that we are 95% influenced from media and friends on how to be and live. The problem that I see is that some people can not distinguish between the healthy and unhealthy information. I have seen some very destructive behaviors in friends that because of bad information or media they go the wrong way. I would love to have seen more on the effects that this problem has on teenagers and dose it continue into adult hood. Also the facts on the negativity that the media puts out their on how to look. You did a great job and thank you for sharing .

  2. Rory Richard Rieger

    I really liked you post about the psychology influence on health. I was really interested in how you mentioned the television show my 600 pound life. Watching it before you can see how the support in the overweight persons life has a link to how well they do with the procedure. I think back to my parents always telling me show me who you associate with and I will tell you what kind of a person you are. I now believe that is very true. I do wish you would have added some aspects to what qualities make for positive support in a persons life. Thank you for your post.

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