Immune function 101: Mood and the immune response

Immune function 101: Mood and the immune response

Feel happy, have good immune function?

Unlike the perception of being well rested, the perception of being happy may have an association with resistance to illness, independent of other physical, cognitive and character factors.

In this study, a +190 person group was assessed for ‘Positive Emotional Style’ (happy, lively and calm) or a ‘Negative Emotional Style’ (anxious, hostile, depressed), other dispositions and self-assessed health – and then exposed to a virus. The tendency to express positive emotions was associated with greater resistance to developing a cold.

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