Loneliness Impairs the Immune System

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Updated June 08, 2015.

A 2005 study provides more support for the theory that social support may strengthen the immune system. This study actually found that social isolation and loneliness can impair the immune system. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that lonely and socially-isolated first-year students mounted a weaker immune response to the flu shot than other students.

37 men and 46 women in their first semester of college took part in the study.

Most were 18-19 years old. The researchers reported that the students got their "first-ever" flu shots at a university health clinic and filled out questionnaires on health behavior. Subjects carried palm computers beginning two days before their vaccination that "prompted them four times a day to register their momentary sense of loneliness, stress levels and mood". Twenty saliva samples were taken over five of the days to measure levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

The study found stronger evidence for immune system impact from self-reported loneliness than from social isolation. Lead author Sarah Pressman explained that these results this way in an APA release: "You can have very few friends but still not feel lonely. Alternatively, you can have many friends yet feel lonely." It seems that feeling lonely clearly impairs the immune system's response following a dose of influenza vaccine, while having fewer friends does not as clearly affect the immune system. This research adds to a growing body of evidence that social support can enhance the functioning of the immune system.

Reference: ?Loneliness, Social Network Size and Immune Response to Influenza Vaccination in College Freshman,? Sarah D. Pressman, MS and Sheldon Cohen, PhD, Carnegie Mellon University; Gregory E. Miller, PhD, University of British Columbia; Anita Barkin, DrPH, CRNP, Carnegie Mellon University; Bruce S. Rabin, MD, University of Pittsburgh; John J. Treanor, MD, University of Rochester; Health Psychology, Vol. 24, No. 3.
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