People picturing positive experiences found to produce more antibodies, hinting at future clinical potential
Positive thoughts may boost the immune system according to research that points to a connection between the mind and our body’s natural defences.
Scientists have found people who used positive thinking to boost activity in the brain’s reward system responded better to vaccination, with their immune systems producing more antibodies than others after having the shot.
The work does not mean being hopeful can rid people of disease, but hints at the potential for mental strategies to help the immune system fight infections and even attack tumours to keep them at bay.
“It’s the first demonstration in humans, in what seems to be a causal manner, that if you learn how to recruit your reward system in the brain, the effectiveness of immunisation increases,” said Talma Hendler, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Tel Aviv University.
