Question: Can emotions affect the immune system?

Carmen Denman answered on 16 Mar 2015:

Hi there,
I would say yes but it is a tricky question. It has been suggested for some time in the literature that there is a link between depression and immune function, but these studies are difficult to interpret and robustly test, they are more ‘qualitative’. Anxiety and other closely linked disorders have been reported to decrease immune function as well. But basically, those reports are more anecdotal (something doctors have observed but don’t have solid evidence for). We overall know so little about how the brain actually works and how its’ health could affect our overall health, there is MUCH to learn and study!

Carmen