How Do Your Immune System and Mood Affect Each Other?
A growing body of research has indicated that positive and negative attitudes toward life might have an impact on the functions of the immune system. In these studies on the immune system and mood, it has been found that patients with chronic diseases who had an optimistic outlook lived longer than those with pessimistic thinking about the outcomes.
These studies have revealed a close link between the immune system and mood of a person. The link works both ways. This means a happy and relaxed mood can boost the functions of the immune system while a healthy immunity can allow a person to feel good and avoid sadness and anxiety.
Let us have a closer look at how the immune system and mood are interlinked.
How Are Your Immune System and Mood Interlinked?
Attitude Towards Outcome
An improved mood may increase the secretion of dopamine and serotonin that can support the functions of the immune system, brain, and heart.
In one research study, it was found that people who suffered from a chronic illness like HIV/AIDS had fewer or less intense symptoms if they developed a positive or optimistic attitude.
Patients who were pessimistic, on the other hand, experienced more serious symptoms and were more likely to develop complications of the infection.
These studies have revealed that a positive attitude can have a favorable impact on the patient’s chances of recovery. It can also help patients avoid stress and anxiety related to the adverse outcomes of the diseases.
An improved mood can create a favorable balance of hormones in the brain. It might increase the secretion of dopamine and serotonin that can support the functions of the immune system, brain, and heart. Being in good mood would also reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol that is linked with inflammation and oxidative stress.
These changes created by a happier state of mind can enhance the body’s repair mechanisms while inhibiting factors that contribute to organ damage such as inflammation and oxidative stress. This would also improve immune system functions, the combined effect of which would help the patient to recover faster.
Hedonia Versus Anhedonia
Hedonia refers to the ability of a person to experience pleasant sensations while anhedonia is the loss of capacity to enjoy or experience pleasure.
Research studies have revealed that the immune system and mood can influence the hedonic and anhedonic tendencies of a person. Hedonia refers to the ability of a person to experience pleasant sensations while anhedonia is the loss of capacity to enjoy or experience pleasure.
Research studies have revealed that patients with a weak immune system develop anhedonia due to which their ability to gain pleasure from the normally pleasurable activities is reduced or lost.
Significant differences were also found between hedonic and anhedonic mood groups and the mean cell counts for thrombocytes and basophilic granulocytes. In the adaptive immune system, the mean lymphocyte cell counts were found to be different in hedonic, positive, negative, and anhedonic mood groups.
These findings allow us to have a better understanding of how mood affects the different aspects of the immune system. The findings of this study are expected to open up new avenues of medical intervention for patients suffering from chronic or life-threatening diseases where a strong immune system is likely to improve their chances of survival.
Interventional strategies to improve the patient’s mood would strengthen the immune system and thus, promote the body’s healing and repair mechanisms thereby allowing patients to recover faster.
Emotional Processes to Immune Function
A happier mood can support and regulate the immune functions while a sad or anxious state of mind could contribute to immunological dysfunctions.
A review of evidence linking various emotional processes to the immune system has revealed the impact of mood on the physical health of a person. Acute stressors can produce mixed effects on immunity presumably by activating differential physiological stress mechanisms.
Chronic stress is also associated with the suppression of immune functions. Effects of mental and physical stress accompanying psychological depression and social disruption, when demonstrated, have also been consistently adverse.
The personality styles or moods of a person has also been found to enhance or degrade the immune response. This means a happier mood can support and regulate the immune functions while a sad or anxious state of mind could contribute to immunological dysfunctions.
The findings of these studies have revealed the association between our immune system and mood. It has shown how our mood affects the immune system and vice versa. It is possible to strengthen your immune system and thus, improve your mood by using immunity-boosting supplements like BioPro-Plus.
BioPro-Plus would help to regulate the functions of the immune system to maintain the balance of hormones in the brain thereby allowing you to stay healthy, mentally as well as physically.
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