Being popular can be healthy or unhealthy: Stress, social network diversity, and incidence of upper respiratory infection.

Abstract

Diverse social contacts are generally associated with better health. However, diverse contacts can increase exposure to infectious agents. This should increase risk for disease, particularly among those whose host resistance is otherwise compromised (e.g., stressed individuals). In this prospective study, healthy college students who completed questionnaires assessing social network diversity and stressful life events were subsequently interviewed weekly for 12 weeks to track incidence of upper respiratory infections (URIs). URI episodes were defined by a symptom criterion and by clinically verified self-reported illness. Stress and diversity of social contacts interacted; diversity was associated with more illnesses among those with more stressful life events and slightly fewer illnesses among those with fewer stressful life events. Associations remained after controlling for neuroticism.

Perceived Stress is Associated with Impaired T-Cell Response to HPV16 in Women with Cervical Dysplasia

“…As illustrated in Table 2, 47% (28/60) of HPV16-negative patients were positive "responders" to E6 compared to only 14% (2/14) of HPV16-positive patients, χ 2 (1) = 4.94, p < .03. This association was also observed for E7 [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] and L1 382-396 peptides, both χ 2 (1)s > 5.40, ps < .03.…”

“…For example, among patients with lupus (an autoimmune disorder), daily stress, but not stressful life events, was related to clinical symptomatology (50). In the context of upper respiratory infections, it has often been the case that stressful life events, by themselves, have not directly predicted illness (51). Rather, the association between life events and health outcomes may be more likely to be observed under certain conditions or in a particular subgroup of individuals (e.g., individuals with low social support).…”

“…The level of fluorescence was measured by luminometer in a microplate format. HPV types targeted in the high risk probe cocktail included HPV 16,18,31,33,35,39,45,51,52,56,58,59, 68. HPV types targeted in the low risk probe cocktail included HPV 6,11,42,43,44.…”

Transcript origin analysis identifies antigen-presenting cells as primary targets of socially regulated gene expression in leukocytes

“…That finding is consistent with previous data linking loneliness to decreased expression of genes involved in antibody production (which occurs in B-lymphocyte lineage cells) (15). Interestingly, reduced B-cell gene expression was the only cell-specific transcriptional dynamic linked to objective social network size, suggesting that this specific component of loneliness-related transcriptional inhibition might potentially stem from socially mediated differences in pathogen exposure (20). Thus, the overall leukocyte transcriptional response to loneliness may involve multiple cellular components that are activated through distinct biological pathways [e.g., APCs sensitive to threat-related neuroendocrine dynamics associated with subjective loneliness (21) and B-lymphocyte dynamics stemming from social-behavioral differences (20)].…”

The behavioural immune system and the psychology of human sociality

“…But gregariousness may have infection-specific costs as well. People who are more gregarious tend to come into interpersonal contact with a relatively larger number of people, with the implication that they are more likely to be exposed to interpersonally transmitted pathogens [25,26]. These costs of gregariousness are relatively greater (and more likely to outweigh the social benefits) under conditions in which individuals are more vulnerable to infection.…”