Anticipatory stress response: a significant commonality in stress, relaxation, pleasure and love responses.

Full Abstract

With this work we examine common pathways and autoregulatory similarities between different physiological phenomena, particularly with regard to stress, relaxation and love responses, against the background of recent research findings. Various stress reducing practices that incorporate an initial and short-lived stress pathway activation, e.g., love, relaxation and placebo responses, exhibit anticipatory stress response (ASR) physiology. The initial activation of this stress component of the total response, i.e., love, relaxation, and mental or physical stress responses, is significant and, as we speculate, may represent a common protective mechanism, since activation (i.e., stress response) is started first and, if the situation appears to be 'safe', may be followed by relaxation, if appropriate. Also, the emergence of love became evolutionarily important in organisms exhibiting cognition, because it deployed the validation for emotionality-controlling logical behavior. Therefore, love and relaxation responses may be considered as intrinsic health promoting physiological capabilities.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Stefano, George B (GB); Stefano, Judith M (JM); Esch, Tobias (T);

Affiliation: Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY 11568-0210, USA. gstefano(-atsign-)sunynri.org

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research (Med Sci Monit), published in Poland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Feb; vol 14 (issue 2) : pp RA17-21

Dates: Created 2008/01/29; Completed 2008/05/02;

PMID: 18227772, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals
Humans
Love
Nitric Oxide - physiology

Nitric Oxide - physiology
Pleasure-Pain Principle
Relaxation - physiology; psychology
Stress - physiopathology; psychology

Associated Chemicals: Nitric Oxide (10102-43-9)

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.