PSYC 4850D - Psychological Aspects of Health and Wellbeing
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 42822,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
James Juergensen
Email: jejuergensen@ysu.edu
Course Description
4850. Seminar. Major topics in psychology selected by the instructor not covered in other courses. Prereq.: C or better in PSYC 2617. 3 s.h.
Professor’s Additional Course Description:
This is not going to be a traditional Health Psychology course. If you look at textbooks in this field, you will see a series of topics including provider-patient relationships, the effects of smoking/drinking, illness cognitions, screening, stress, pain, HIV, heart disease, measuring health, etc. These are all very important topics. However, this course is going to be focused on the promotion of healthy behaviors. Most notably, we are going to read two books about how two major parts of healthy living, habit and exercise, can affect us. Additionally, we will be reading some influential scientific articles and watching some informative documentaries to help us gain a well-rounded perspective on what it really means to be healthy.
A major theme to this course will be the importance of analyzing/thinking critically about all sources of health information. We are not reading/watching content and accepting everything as fact; rather, we are going to investigate further and gather as much pertinent information before drawing conclusions.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Spark | John Ratey | 2818440023439 |
| Required | Power of Habit | Charles Duhigg | 2818440023422 |
| Required | Food addiction: a valid concept?. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43(13), 2506-2513. Gearhardt, A. N., Yokum, S., Orr, P. T., Stice, E., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2011). Neural correlates of food addiction. Archives of general psychiatry, 68(8), 808-816. | Fletcher, P. C., & Kenny, P. J. (2018). | |
| Required | Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 943998. | Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). | |
| Required | Nutrition as metabolic treatment for anxiety. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 598119. | Norwitz, N. G., & Naidoo, U. (2021). | |
| Required | The China Study: A Formal Analysis and Response | Minger, D. (2010). | |
| Required | Sleep hygiene for optimizing recovery in athletes: review and recommendations. International journal of sports medicine, 40(08), 535-543. | Vitale, K. C., Owens, R., Hopkins, S. R., & Malhotra, A. (2019). | |
| Required | Sleep interventions designed to improve athletic performance and recovery: a systematic review of current approaches. Sports medicine, 48(3), 683-703. | Bonnar, D., Bartel, K., Kakoschke, N., & Lang, C. (2018). | |
| Required | Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS medicine, 19(3), e1003950. | Debras, C., Chazelas, E., Srour, B., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Esseddik, Y., de Edelenyi, F. S., ... & Touvier, M. (2022). | |
| Required | Caffeine as a factor influencing the functioning of the human body—friend or foe?. Nutrients, 13(9), 3088. | Rodak, K., Kokot, I., & Kratz, E. M. (2021). | |
| Required | Caffeine intake and anxiety: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1270246. | Liu, C., Wang, L., Zhang, C., Hu, Z., Tang, J., Xue, J., & Lu, W. (2024). | |
| Required | The benefits of prebiotics and probiotics on mental health. Cureus, 15(8). Obayomi, O. V., Olaniran, A. F., & Owa, S. O. (2024). Unveiling the role of functional foods with emphasis on prebiotics and probiotics in human health: A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 119, 106337. | Bistas, K. G., Tabet, J. P., & Bistas, K. (2023). | |
| Required | Animal proteins as important contributors to a healthy human diet. Annual review of animal biosciences, 5(1), 111-131. | Elmadfa, I., & Meyer, A. L. (2017). | |
| Required | Association of animal and plant protein intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. JAMA internal medicine, 176(10), 1453-1463. | Song, M., Fung, T. T., Hu, F. B., Willett, W. C., Longo, V. D., Chan, A. T., & Giovannucci, E. L. (2016). | |
| Required | Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular health. The American journal of medicine, 135(10), 1213-1230. | Krittanawong, C., Isath, A., Rosenson, R. S., Khawaja, M., Wang, Z., Fogg, S. E., ... & Lavie, C. J. (2022). | |
| Required | Association between patterns of alcohol consumption (beverage type, frequency and consumption with food) and risk of adverse health outcomes: a prospective cohort study. BMC medicine, 19(1), 8. | Jani, B. D., McQueenie, R., Nicholl, B. I., Field, R., Hanlon, P., Gallacher, K. I., ... & Lewsey, J. (2021). | |
| Required | Mapping the effectiveness and risks of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Nature medicine, 31(3), 951-962. | Xie, Y., Choi, T., & Al-Aly, Z. (2025). | |
| Required | Healthy weight loss maintenance with exercise, GLP-1 receptor agonist, or both combined followed by one year without treatment: a post-treatment analysis of a randomised placebo-controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine, 69. | Jensen, S. B. K., Blond, M. B., Sandsdal, R. M., Olsen, L. M., Juhl, C. R., Lundgren, J. R., ... & Torekov, S. S. (2024). | |
| Required | Healthy lifestyle and cancer risk: modifiable risk factors to prevent cancer. Nutrients, 16(6), 800. | Marino, P., Mininni, M., Deiana, G., Marino, G., Divella, R., Bochicchio, I., ... & Sanseverino, F. (2024). | |
| Required | Healthy lifestyle and cancer survival: A multinational cohort study. International Journal of Cancer, 154(10), 1709-1718. | Bian, Z., Zhang, R., Yuan, S., Fan, R., Wang, L., Larsson, S. C., ... & Li, X. (2024). | |
| Required | Sleep and mental health in undergraduate students with generally healthy sleep habits. PloS one, 11(6), e0156372. | Milojevich, H. M., & Lukowski, A. F. (2016). | |
| Required | The impact of social media use on sleep and mental health in youth: a scoping review. Current psychiatry reports, 26(3), 104-119. | Yu, D. J., Wing, Y. K., Li, T. M., & Chan, N. Y. (2024). | |
| Required | A short history of saturated fat: the making and unmaking of a scientific consensus. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, 30(1), 65-71. | Teicholz, N. (2023). | |
| Required | Dietary saturated fats and health: are the US guidelines evidence-based?. Nutrients, 13(10), 3305. | Astrup, A., Teicholz, N., Magkos, F., Bier, D. M., Brenna, J. T., King, J. C., ... & Krauss, R. M. (2021). | |
| Required | Cardio Vs Strength Training: Which is Better for Overall Health. International Journal of Computational Research and Development, 9(2), 99-105. | Kumar, M. S., & Vinayakan, K. (2024). | |
| Required | Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 8(6), a029769. | Hughes, D. C., Ellefsen, S., & Baar, K. (2018). | |
| Required | Cognitive reappraisal increases heart rate variability in response to an anger provocation. Motivation and Emotion, 35(1), 14-22. | Denson, T. F., Grisham, J. R., & Moulds, M. L. (2011). | |
| Required | Effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies measured by self-report and EMG as a result of strategy used, negative emotion strength and participants’ baseline HRV. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 6226. | Kobylińska, D., Lewczuk, K., Wizła, M., Marcowski, P., Blaison, C., Kastendieck, T., & Hess, U. (2023). |
The books will be purchased through Perusall. All scientific articles will be accessible for free via Perusall.
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue | 8/25 | Course Introduction | ||
| Thu | 8/27 | Project Discussion, Questions | ||
| Tue | 9/1 | Spark Introduction and Chapter 1 | Exercise and the Brain | SparkNote 1 |
| Thu | 9/3 | Fletcher, P. C., & Kenny, P. J. (2018). Food addiction: a valid concept? Neuropsychopharmacology, 43(13), 2506-2513. Gearhardt, A. N., Yokum, S., Orr, P. T., Stice, E., Corbin, W. R., & Brownell, K. D. (2011). Neural correlates of food addiction. Archives of general psychiatry, 68(8), 808-816. | Food Addiction | Article Commentary 1 |
| Tue | 9/8 | Spark Chapter 2 | Learning and Exercise | RC 1 SparkNote 2 |
| Thu | 9/10 | Grajek, M., Krupa-Kotara, K., Białek-Dratwa, A., Sobczyk, K., Grot, M., Kowalski, O., & Staśkiewicz, W. (2022). Nutrition and mental health: A review of current knowledge about the impact of diet on mental health. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, 943998. Norwitz, N. G., & Naidoo, U. (2021). Nutrition as metabolic treatment for anxiety. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 598119. | Diet and Mental Health | RC 2 Article Commentary 2 |
| Tue | 9/15 | Spark Chapter 4 | Anxiety and Exercise | RC 3 SparkNote 3 |
| Thu | 9/17 | Forks Over Knives Part 1 | ||
| Tue | 9/22 | Spark Chapter 5 | Depression and Exercise; Forks Over Knives Part 2 | SparkNote 4 |
| Thu | 9/24 | Minger, D. (2010). The China Study: A Formal Analysis and Response. | Discuss Response to China Study | RC 4 Article Commentary 3 |
| Tue | 9/29 | Spark Chapter 7 | Addiction and Exercise | RC 5 SparkNote 5 |
| Thu | 10/1 | Vitale, K. C., Owens, R., Hopkins, S. R., & Malhotra, A. (2019). Sleep hygiene for optimizing recovery in athletes: review and recommendations. International journal of sports medicine, 40(08), 535-543. Bonnar, D., Bartel, K., Kakoschke, N., & Lang, C. (2018). Sleep interventions designed to improve athletic performance and recovery: a systematic review of current approaches. Sports medicine, 48(3), 683-703. | Sleep and Exercise Performance | RC 6 Article Commentary 4 |
| Tue | 10/6 | Debras, C., Chazelas, E., Srour, B., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Esseddik, Y., de Edelenyi, F. S., ... & Touvier, M. (2022). Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS medicine, 19(3), e1003950. Debras, C., Chazelas, E., Sellem, L., Porcher, R., Druesne-Pecollo, N., Esseddik, Y., ... & Touvier, M. (2022). Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Bmj, 378. | Artificial Sweeteners | RC 7 Article Commentary 5 |
| Thu | 10/8 | Rodak, K., Kokot, I., & Kratz, E. M. (2021). Caffeine as a factor influencing the functioning of the human body—friend or foe?. Nutrients, 13(9), 3088. Liu, C., Wang, L., Zhang, C., Hu, Z., Tang, J., Xue, J., & Lu, W. (2024). Caffeine intake and anxiety: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 15, 1270246. | Caffeine | RC 8 Article Commentary 6 |
| Tue | 10/13 | Power of Habit Ch 1 | The Habit Loop | RC 9 SparkNote 6 |
| Thu | 10/15 | Bistas, K. G., Tabet, J. P., & Bistas, K. (2023). The benefits of prebiotics and probiotics on mental health. Cureus, 15(8). Obayomi, O. V., Olaniran, A. F., & Owa, S. O. (2024). Unveiling the role of functional foods with emphasis on prebiotics and probiotics in human health: A review. Journal of Functional Foods, 119, 106337. | Prebiotics and Probiotics | RC 10 Article Commentary 7 |
| Tue | 10/20 | Game Changers Part 1 | ||
| Thu | 10/22 | Elmadfa, I., & Meyer, A. L. (2017). Animal proteins as important contributors to a healthy human diet. Annual review of animal biosciences, 5(1), 111-131. Song, M., Fung, T. T., Hu, F. B., Willett, W. C., Longo, V. D., Chan, A. T., & Giovannucci, E. L. (2016). Association of animal and plant protein intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. JAMA internal medicine, 176(10), 1453-1463. | Game Changers Part 2; Protein | Article Commentary 8 |
| Tue | 10/27 | Power of Habit Ch 2 | The Craving Brain | RC 11 SparkNote 7 |
| Thu | 10/29 | Krittanawong, C., Isath, A., Rosenson, R. S., Khawaja, M., Wang, Z., Fogg, S. E., ... & Lavie, C. J. (2022). Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular health. The American journal of medicine, 135(10), 1213-1230. Jani, B. D., McQueenie, R., Nicholl, B. I., Field, R., Hanlon, P., Gallacher, K. I., ... & Lewsey, J. (2021). Association between patterns of alcohol consumption (beverage type, frequency and consumption with food) and risk of adverse health outcomes: a prospective cohort study. BMC medicine, 19(1), 8. | Alcohol | RC 12 Article Commentary 9 |
| Tue | 11/3 | Power of Habit Ch 3 | Habit Change | RC 13 SparkNote 8 |
| Thu | 11/5 | Xie, Y., Choi, T., & Al-Aly, Z. (2025). Mapping the effectiveness and risks of GLP-1 receptor agonists. Nature medicine, 31(3), 951-962. Jensen, S. B. K., Blond, M. B., Sandsdal, R. M., Olsen, L. M., Juhl, C. R., Lundgren, J. R., ... & Torekov, S. S. (2024). Healthy weight loss maintenance with exercise, GLP-1 receptor agonist, or both combined followed by one year without treatment: a post-treatment analysis of a randomised placebo-controlled trial. EClinicalMedicine, 69. | GLP-1 For Weight Loss | RC 14 Article Commentary 10 |
| Tue | 11/10 | Power of Habit Ch 7 | Predicting Habits | RC 15 SparkNote 9 |
| Thu | 11/12 | Marino, P., Mininni, M., Deiana, G., Marino, G., Divella, R., Bochicchio, I., ... & Sanseverino, F. (2024). Healthy lifestyle and cancer risk: modifiable risk factors to prevent cancer. Nutrients, 16(6), 800. Bian, Z., Zhang, R., Yuan, S., Fan, R., Wang, L., Larsson, S. C., ... & Li, X. (2024). Healthy lifestyle and cancer survival: A multinational cohort study. International Journal of Cancer, 154(10), 1709-1718. | Cancer and Lifestyle | RC 16 Article Commentary 11 |
| Tue | 11/17 | Power of Habit Ch 9 | Neurology of Free Will | RC 17 SparkNote 10 |
| Thu | 11/19 | Milojevich, H. M., & Lukowski, A. F. (2016). Sleep and mental health in undergraduate students with generally healthy sleep habits. PloS one, 11(6), e0156372. Yu, D. J., Wing, Y. K., Li, T. M., & Chan, N. Y. (2024). The impact of social media use on sleep and mental health in youth: a scoping review. Current psychiatry reports, 26(3), 104-119. | Sleep and Mental Health | RC 18 Article Commentary 12 |
| Tue | 11/24 | Teicholz, N. (2023). A short history of saturated fat: the making and unmaking of a scientific consensus. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity, 30(1), 65-71. Astrup, A., Teicholz, N., Magkos, F., Bier, D. M., Brenna, J. T., King, J. C., ... & Krauss, R. M. (2021). Dietary saturated fats and health: are the US guidelines evidence-based?. Nutrients, 13(10), 3305. | Fat Fiction Part 1 | Article Commentary 13 |
| Thu | 11/26 | Happy Thanksgiving! No Class | ||
| Tue | 12/1 | Kumar, M. S., & Vinayakan, K. (2024). Cardio Vs Strength Training: Which is Better for Overall Health. International Journal of Computational Research and Development, 9(2), 99-105. Hughes, D. C., Ellefsen, S., & Baar, K. (2018). Adaptations to endurance and strength training. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 8(6), a029769. | Fat Fiction Part 2; Types of Exercise | RC 19 Article Commentary 14 |
| Thu | 12/3 | Denson, T. F., Grisham, J. R., & Moulds, M. L. (2011). Cognitive reappraisal increases heart rate variability in response to an anger provocation. Motivation and Emotion, 35(1), 14-22. Kobylińska, D., Lewczuk, K., Wizła, M., Marcowski, P., Blaison, C., Kastendieck, T., & Hess, U. (2023). Effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies measured by self-report and EMG as a result of strategy used, negative emotion strength and participants’ baseline HRV. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 6226. | Heart Rate Variability | RC 20 Article Commentary 15 |
| Tue | 12/8 | Finals Week No Class | ||
| Thu | 12/10 | Final Presentations/Discussions December 10th 1:00-3:00 |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.