There is a significant amount of research that substantiates the connection between social support/relationships and the development, onset, and/or recovery of several physical diseases/illnesses. Research has shown, for example, that an unhappy marriage can increase the likelihood of becoming ill by 35% while stressful communication can lead to an increase in cardiovascular reactivity which in turn increases the risk of coronary heart disease and premature mortality.
This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the influences of communication on physiology and physical health status occurring in a variety of contexts, from families, interpersonal relationships, and public speaking to sport fandom, affection, fear, and the escalation of conflict. It offers a broad and up-to-date review of the relevant literature in this area of study.

James M. Honeycutt (PhD, University of Illinois) is Distinguished Professor of Communication Studies at Louisiana State University.
Chris R. Sawyer (PhD, University of North Texas) is Professor of Communication at Texas Christian University.
Shaughan A. Keaton (PhD, Louisiana State University) is Assistant Professor of Communication at Young Harris College.

Contents: James M. Honeycutt/Brandon D. Bannon/Laura C. Hatcher: Effects of Positive Family: Conflict-Renewal Stories on Heart Rate ¿ Charles H. Tardy: Cardiovascular Reactivity in Social Interaction: Predictors and Consequences of Physiological Changes While Speaking in Everyday Life ¿ Chris R. Sawyer/ Ralph R. Behnke: Profiles of Response Stereotypy and Specificity for Public Speaking State Anxiety ¿ James M. Honeycutt/Shaughan A. Keaton/Laura C. Hatcher/Dale Hample: Effects of Rumination and Observing Marital Conflict on Observers¿ Heart Rates as They Advise and Predict the Use of Conflict Tactics ¿ Shaughan A. Keaton/James M. Honeycutt: The Effects of Team Identity Formation and Sport Team Identification on Mental Health, Cognition, Behavior, and Physiology ¿ Kory Floyd/Perry M. Pauley/Colin Hesse/Alice E. Veksler/Jen Eden/Alan C. Mikkelson: Affectionate Communication Is Associated with Markers of Immune and Cardiovascular System Competence ¿ Mark A. Hamilton/Alice E. Veksler: Types of Stress and Their Effects on Mental Health, Verbal Aggression, and Assault ¿ Alan D. Heisel: Asymmetry in the Brain: Communication, Personality, and Health ¿ Andrew Faulkner/Kim Hellemans/Alfonso Abizaid/Amedeo D¿Angiulli: The Neurophysiology of Craving and Drug-Related Cues: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials ¿ Joseph LeDoux: Rethinking the Emotional Brain.