With the days getting shorter and the weather getting worse, our moods aren’t always at their best. The darker it gets, the more bad moods accumulate and can even affect our health. A bad mood not only clouds our minds with negative thoughts and emotions, but also poses a danger to our health. At least that is what Dutch researchers claim.
This study, published in 2019 in the scientific journal Plos One, proved that bad moods and stress have real consequences for health and especially the immune system. “We discovered that our moods cause various changes in the number of cells of the innate immune system,” the scientists explain.
Stress disrupts anti-viral cells
Nutritionist Nicola Shubrook explains how stress, anxiety and anger can affect our immune system: “These emotions increase the production of certain hormones that cause low levels of inflammation. This happens while they reduce the body’s production of protective immune cells. Together, this leads to a weakened immunity.”
Specifically: “Stress hormones that bind to adrenal receptors 2 reduce the immune response and this is accompanied by a decrease in the production of certain inflammatory cycles, which are necessary for the elimination of viruses.” So said Sophie Ugolini, research director at Inserm, the French national institute for health and medicine research.
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In addition, the researchers found that “depression, anxiety, perceived stress and loneliness are associated with a 1.3- to 1.5-fold increased risk of self-declared post-Covid-19 symptoms”.
A good mood equals good health
Fortunately, positive emotions such as optimism or gratitude can also have a beneficial effect on our physical and mental health. But experts agree that a negative mood can only affect our bodies if it occurs regularly. In 2017, an experiment by British scientists showed that a good mood can ‘maintain’ our antibodies.
A study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology found that mental well-being can influence cardiovascular health for the rest of our lives. The effects of psychological well-being can reduce the risk of negative factors (eg smoking, inflammation). But that they can also increase the chance of restorative processes (eg optimal sleep). “These results demonstrate once again how closely the immune system is related to psychological well-being,” the researchers conclude.
Health, Immune System.