To Your Health
Positive Emotion Can Improve Health

by Paulette Avery, R.N., M.S.N.

Do you believe negative emotion makes you more vulnerable to illness? I do, and although many share my view, until recently there has been little scientific evidence to support this supposition. However, according to a recent article in the Contra Costa Times, studies in recent years have demonstrated that people who are depressed have a higher risk for heart disease and other illnesses, and that stress makes us more susceptible to colds and flu. One study found that wound healing is slower in women who care for patients with Alzheimer's disease than it is in women without similar stress.

Last month, researchers at the University of Wisconsin reported the results of a study that looked at the effects of negative emotion on immunity. In the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 52 women were asked to spend a minute thinking about an intensely positive experience and then to write about it for five minutes. Next they did the same exercise, but focused on a negative memory, one that caused them intense sadness, anger, or fear. During this process, the electrical activity of the prefrontal area of their brains was recorded. Then they were given a flu vaccine.

Six months later, those who had showed greater activity in the right prefrontal area of the brain, the area connected with negative emotion, had fewer antibodies to the flu. Conversely, those who had a stronger activation in the left prefrontal cortex, an area connected with positive emotion, showed a greater immune response.

Dr. Richard Davidson, director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin and a senior author of the study, says the relationship between brain activation and immune response is not clear, but that environment and genetics may be involved. It is known that the right prefrontal cortex uses the chemical dopamine to communicate with certain immune cells and that stress can interfere in this process.

Further evidence of the adverse effects of negative emotion comes from an experiment conducted by Dr. Daniel G. Amen, a neuropsychiatrist and author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. He scanned the brain of a psychologist while she thought about the positive aspects of her life, and later scanned it while she focused on negative thoughts. When she focused on the negative, the activity in her cerebellum, an area of the brain involved in motor and thought coordination, dropped significantly.

As for evidence that positive emotion is good for our health, there are a number of studies demonstrating this effect. A recent one reported in the May issue of Diabetes Care, found benefits from laughter. In both diabetics and nondiabetics who consumed the same meal, there was a lower rise in blood sugar in those who watched a comedy as compared to those who watched a dry lecture before consuming the meal. Other studies indicate laughter helps our hearts.

So how can we apply these studies in our own lives? Should you delay getting a flu shot if you just had a fight with your spouse? Maybe. But in the bigger picture, I believe this study suggests the benefits of any activity that decreases stress and makes you feel better emotionally. For me this means that when I can, I choose activities that make me feel good and avoid those that make me feel bad. For example, I watch movies and read books that uplift me or make me laugh and avoid those that do the opposite. I also limit the amount of TV news I watch and frequently avoid the front section of the daily newspaper, which seems to have nothing but bad news. Go out and see what you can do to feel good!

Paulette Avery is a registered nurse and a freelance writer who specializes in health issues.