1. In your opinion, does stress really affect physical health? Do you have any anecdotal experiences with this phenomenon? If so, please share them with the rest of the class. If you watched the TED talk about stress with Kelly McGonigal, included in the course resources, has your opinion changed?

2. Are you interested in pursuing a career in the field of health psychology? What particular areas are you interested in? Weight loss? Smoking cessation? Exercise increase? In what type of setting would you hope to practice as a health psychologist?

3. What cultural factors may contribute to the manner in which a psychologist practices health psychology? How can a health psychologist encourage better communication between patients and their physicians?

4. In your opinion, how does the act of writing about one’s health problems (e.g., chronic pain) decrease the psychological problems (e.g., depression) associated with that pain. What, specifically, is the mechanism at work in this phenomenon?

5. Were you surprised to learn that 75–90% of all visits to health care providers result from stress-related disorders and that those who are stressed are six times more likely to be hospitalized for a physical ailment than those who are not? Has the level of stress you experience ever affected your health, for example, during or after finals week?