Study states, not talking about your emotions can affect your immunity
| Dec 20, 2018, 16:09 IST
A new study has found that teenagers who tend to bottle up or suppress their emotions are more prone to lower immunity levels. The University of Pennsylvania in the US conducted the study where they found the strategies most adolescents used in dealing with stress could actually affect various metabolic and immune processes in the body. Most teenagers try to suppress their feelings when they feel stressed about certain things. This ultimately leads to their immune system getting affected.
It was found that such teenagers had more inflammation in their cells when they were exposed to bacteria in the lab. And this was despite the presence of anti-inflammatory signals. Teenagers who used cognitive reappraisal - trying to think of the stressor in a positive way, fared a lot better with their metabolic measures, like blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio. “The results could lend support to the idea that reappraising a situation during times of stress could be beneficial,” said one researcher.
Another researcher said that the way teenagers cope with stress during their teen years can help better develop their immune system as they grow up. “These changes are not something that will detrimentally impact anyone’s health within a week or two, but that over years or decades could make a difference,” she said. Stay tuned for more updates.
It was found that such teenagers had more inflammation in their cells when they were exposed to bacteria in the lab. And this was despite the presence of anti-inflammatory signals. Teenagers who used cognitive reappraisal - trying to think of the stressor in a positive way, fared a lot better with their metabolic measures, like blood pressure and waist-to-hip ratio. “The results could lend support to the idea that reappraising a situation during times of stress could be beneficial,” said one researcher.
Another researcher said that the way teenagers cope with stress during their teen years can help better develop their immune system as they grow up. “These changes are not something that will detrimentally impact anyone’s health within a week or two, but that over years or decades could make a difference,” she said. Stay tuned for more updates.