Even though doctors have all but rejected the idea that going out in the winter with wet hair causes colds, many mothers still insist it's a recipe for illness. Those moms may soon have data on their side from some new research linking stress and the immune system.
The research indicates that stress--maybe even the stress of being cold--appears to tap into the same immune systemnervous system loop that triggers symptoms of the common cold, according to Steven Maier, PhD, who gave the Neal Miller Lecture at APA's 2001 Annual Convention.
For more than a decade, researchers have known that behavioral and psychological events can influence the immune system. But now new research shows that the immune system sends signals to the brain "that potently alter neural activity and thereby alter everything that flows from neural activity, mainly behavior, thought and mood," said Maier, professor of psychology at the University of Colorado.
"In a real, true sense, stress makes you physically sick," explained Maier. "In addition, many of the changes over time in mood and cognition from day to day are driven by events in the immune system of which we are unaware."
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