Positive emotion – a new anti-inflammatory?

Positive emotions are linked to lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (the proteins that signal the immune system to work harder) in research published in the journal Emotion.
It has long been established that a healthy diet, exercise and sleep bolster the body’s defences against physical and mental illnesses. But the new findings suggest that positive emotions can be added to the list.
“Our findings demonstrate that positive emotions are associated with the markers of good health,” explains Jennifer Stellar, lead author of the study.
Over 200 young adults reported on a given day the extent to which they had experienced positive emotions such as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. Samples of gum and cheek tissue taken on the same day showed that those who experienced more of these positive emotions had the lowest levels of the cytokine, interleukin 6 (a marker of inflammation).
“That awe, wonder and beauty promote healthier levels of cytokines suggests that the things we do to experience these emotions – a walk in nature, losing oneself in music, beholding art – has a direct influence upon health and life expectancy,” says Dacher Keltner, co-author of the study.
It could, however, be a chicken and egg situation (ie which came first, the low cytokines or the positive feelings?) the team agrees:
“It is possible that having lower cytokines makes people feel more positive emotions, or that the relationship is bidirectional.”

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Image credit: Shane Gorski