What are the keys to a longer, happier life? Answers from five decades of health psychology research.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

It has long been known that factors of the mind and of interpersonal relationships influence health, but it is only in the last 50 years that an independent scientific field of health psychology appeared, dedicated to understanding psychological and behavioral processes in health, illness, and healthcare.

Objective and method

This article (a) reviews important research that answers the question of how human beings can have longer, happier lives; and (b) highlights trends in health psychology featuring articles in Social Science & Medicine as well as other related literature.

Results

Since the 1970s, health psychology has embraced a biopsychosocial model such that biological factors interact and are affected by psychological and social elements. This model ha

SUBMITTER: Johnson BT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6894515 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature