Health Research: Link Between Emotional Well-Being and Immune System

What is the relationship between chronic stress and the immune response? Which emotions can slow down the healing process? How does suppressing those emotions make it even worse? Why does passive coping style increase cancer risk?

Attitude, meaning, mindset, feelings, emotions, thoughts, resilience, outlook, coping strategies – what do they have to do with our biology?

Our cells’ behaviour depends on signals sent by matter (our body) and energy (our mind), to which the cells respond indiscriminately.

While allopathic medicine relies on pharmaceutical drugs and surgical interventions, there are no reasons (except for financial ones) why it shouldn’t investigate the role of patients’ stress levels and emotional states in the onset and development of cancer. Until it happens, patients have to do their own research and enrich their knowledge independently.

Below is a list of open-access scholarly articles and research publications on the effects of emotional expression, stress, and negative emotions on the immune function.

Emotions and Immunity

‘As above, so below’ examining the interplay between emotion and the immune system

Brod, S., Rattazzi, L., Piras, G. and D'Acquisto, F. (2014), ‘As above, so below’ examining the interplay between emotion and the immune system. Immunology, 143: 311-318. https://doi.org/10.1111/imm.12341

Emotion and health: An overview

Pandey, R., & Choubey, A. K. (2010). Emotion and health: An overview. SIS Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 17(2).

A review and novel theoretical model of how negative emotions influence inflammation: The critical role of emotion regulation

Renna M. E. (2021). A review and novel theoretical model of how negative emotions influence inflammation: The critical role of emotion regulation. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 18, 100397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100397

Anger suppression mediates the relationship between optimism and natural killer cell cytotoxicity in men treated for localized prostate cancer

Penedo, F. J., Dahn, J. R., Kinsinger, D., Antoni, M. H., Molton, I., Gonzalez, J. S., Fletcher, M. A., Roos, B., Carver, C. S., & Schneiderman, N. (2006). Anger suppression mediates the relationship between optimism and natural killer cell cytotoxicity in men treated for localized prostate cancer. Journal of psychosomatic research, 60(4), 423–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.08.001

Stress and Immunity

The Impact of Everyday Stressors on the Immune System and Health

Seiler, A., Fagundes, C.P., Christian, L.M. (2020). The Impact of Everyday Stressors on the Immune System and Health. In: Choukèr, A. (eds) Stress Challenges and Immunity in Space. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16996-1_6

Editorial: Stress and Immunity

Bae, Y.-S., Shin, E.-C., Bae, Y.-S., Van Eden, W. (2019). Editorial: Stress and Immunity. Frontiers in Immunology. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00245

The impact of stress on body function: A review

Yaribeygi, H., Panahi, Y., Sahraei, H., Johnston, T. P., & Sahebkar, A. (2017). The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI journal, 16, 1057–1072. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2017-480

Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry

Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601

Differences in emotional distress between breast tumor patients with emotional inhibition and those with emotional expression

Iwamitsu, Y., Shimoda, K., Abe, H., Tani, T., Kodama, M. and Okawa, M. (2003), Differences in emotional distress between breast tumor patients with emotional inhibition and those with emotional expression. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 57: 289-294. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1819.2003.01119.x

Psychoneuroimmunology examined: The role of subjective stress

Thornton, L. M., & Andersen, B. L. (2006). Psychoneuroimmunology examined: The role of subjective stress. Cellscience, 2(4), 66–91.

Psychoneuroimmunology: A bio-psycho-social approach to health and disease

Zachariae, R. (2009), Psychoneuroimmunology: A bio-psycho-social approach to health and disease. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 50: 645-651. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00779.x

Emotional States and Cancer Risk

Personality, Coping Style, and Constitutional Neuroimmunology

Zozulya, A. A., Gabaeva, M. V., Sokolov, O. Yu., Surkina, I. D. and Kost, N. V. (2008) Personality, Coping Style, and Constitutional Neuroimmunology, Journal of Immunotoxicology,5:2, 221-225, DOI: 10.1080/15476910802131444

Mind matters in cancer survival

Spiegel, D. (2012), Mind matters in cancer survival. Psycho-Oncology, 21: 588-593. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.3067

Psychologic intervention improves survival for breast cancer patients

Andersen, B.L., Yang, H.-C., Farrar, W.B., Golden-Kreutz, D.M., Emery, C.F., Thornton, L.M., Young, D.C. and Carson, W.E., III (2008), Psychologic intervention improves survival for breast cancer patients. Cancer, 113: 3450-3458. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.23969

Decrease in depression symptoms is associated with longer survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a secondary analysis

Giese-Davis, J., Collie, K., Rancourt, K. M., Neri, E., Kraemer, H. C., & Spiegel, D. (2011). Decrease in depression symptoms is associated with longer survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a secondary analysis. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 29(4), 413–420. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2010.28.4455

Chronically Depressed Mood and Cancer Risk in Older Persons

Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Jack M. Guralnik, M.D., Ph.D., Richard J. Havlik, Marco Pahor, Luigi Ferrucci, James R. Cerhan, Robert B. Wallace, Chronically Depressed Mood and Cancer Risk in Older Persons, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 90, Issue 24, 16 December 1998, Pages 1888–1893, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/90.24.1888

Psychologic Stress, Immunity, and Cancer

Sheldon Cohen, Bruce S. Rabin, Psychologic Stress, Immunity, and Cancer, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 90, Issue 1, 7 January 1998, Pages 3–4, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/90.1.3

A review and novel theoretical model of how negative emotions influence inflammation: The critical role of emotion regulation.

Renna M. E. (2021). A review and novel theoretical model of how negative emotions influence inflammation: The critical role of emotion regulation. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health, 18, 100397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100397