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Don't Worry, Be Happy, and Get
Less Colds
From the
Center for the Advancement of Health comes a July 23, 2003 article
published on InteliHealth, that according to a recent study, people who
are energetic, happy and relaxed are less likely to catch colds, while
those who are depressed, nervous or angry are more likely to complain
about cold symptoms.
Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., of Carnegie Mellon University
and colleagues, writing in the July issue of Psychosomatic Medicine noted
that of those in his study participants who had a positive emotional style
weren't infected as often and experienced fewer symptoms compared to
people with a negative emotional style.
Cohen's research team interviewed 334 healthy
volunteers three evenings a week for two weeks to assess their emotional
states. The volunteers described how they felt that day in three
positive-emotion areas: vigor, well-being and calm. They were also
questioned about three categories of negative feelings: depression,
anxiety and hostility. After their assessment, each volunteer got a squirt
in the nose of a rhinovirus, the virus that causes most common colds. The
researchers kept the subjects under observation for five days to see
whether or not they became infected and how they manifested symptoms.
"We found that experiencing positive emotions was
associated with greater resistance to developing a common cold," Dr. Cohen
reports. Interestingly enough, further analysis of this study revealed
that good health practices and lower levels of certain hormones did not
account for the link between positive emotional style and illness. So, if
you want to avoid cold just follow the advice of the famous song, "Don't
Worry, Be Happy".
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