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Review
. 2010 Sep;35(1):69-75.
doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2010.01.006. Epub 2010 Jan 25.

Positive affect and psychobiological processes

Samantha Dockray  1 , Andrew Steptoe
Affiliations
Review

Positive affect and psychobiological processes

Samantha Dockray et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Positive affect has been associated with favourable health outcomes, and it is likely that several biological processes mediate the effects of positive mood on physical health. There is converging evidence that positive affect activates the neuroendocrine, autonomic and immune systems in distinct and functionally meaningful ways. Cortisol, both total output and the awakening response, has consistently been shown to be lower among individuals with higher levels of positive affect. The beneficial effects of positive mood on cardiovascular function, including heart rate and blood pressure, and the immune system have also been described. The influence of positive affect on these psychobiological processes is independent of negative affect, suggesting that positive affect may have characteristic biological correlates. The duration and conceptualisation of positive affect may be important considerations in understanding how different biological systems are activated in association with positive affect. The association of positive affect and psychobiological processes has been established, and these biological correlates may be partly responsible for the protective effects of positive affect on health outcomes.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The circumplex model of emotion. The horizontal axis represents the valence dimension and the vertical axis represents the arousal dimension.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean cortisol sampled on waking, 30 minutes and 60 minutes later in young men divided on the basis of EMA assessments into low (solid line) and high (dotted line) positive affect groups. Values are adjusted for age, BMI, time of waking, and negative affect. Error bars are standard error of the mean. Adapted from Steptoe et al, 2007.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean plasma fibrinogen sampled at baseline (base), immediately following challenging behavioral tasks (tasks), and 45 min post-tasks (recovery), in participants in the highest (solid line) and lowest (dashed line) of a cohort of 209 individuals. Adapted from Steptoe et al (2005).
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