This course is designed to give you a broad overview of the field of health psychology. Health psychology is a young and exciting field of study that examines the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will try to answer such questions as: Are certain personality types more likely to get sick, or to get certain illnesses? What does stress do to your health? What psychological and social factors cause people to behave in unhealthy ways? How best to communicate health information? What helps people adjust to illness? Does having a lot of friends affect your health? What can psychologists do to help cure illness? Who is healthier, men or women? Are there ethnic variations in health? How can we help people who are in pain without getting them addicted to pain-killers? Does it matter how your doctor talks to you? Does being bereaved make you ill? Does dieting work? Can a sugar pill cure back pain?