The researchers paid 122 young adults (53 men and 69 women) to take part in the study. The participants filled out diaries about their activities over eight days, focusing on their interactions with others and whether these were positive or negative. The participants were also given stress tests in the lab. Saliva samples were taken before and after those tests, to measure biological markers for inflammation.
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The researchers found that cytokine levels went up after "negative" interactions, usually arguments. But playing sports didn't have the same effect, even though it's competitive. This may be because "we're really talking about people doing friendly games," Taylor said. "We're not looking at USC playing in the football finals."
It's possible that some kinds of competitions, like poker games, could trigger inflammation, she said.
Why does it matter if stress triggers molecules linked to inflammation? "If you aren't wounded, there's no place for them to go, and they're circulating," Taylor said. "It's not like they've gone to the site of a wound and engaged in anti-infection activity."
Low-grade inflammation in the body can contribute to the buildup of artery-blocking plaque and contribute to disorders linked to an out-of-control immune system, such as asthma, Taylor said.
So what does this all mean? The challenge, Emory's Miller said, is figuring out which came first -- stress or inflammation.
"Do aggressive, socially disadvantaged individuals exhibit more inflammation because they are constantly stressed?" he asked. "Or are they running their immune system hot because that is their fundamental nature, and the cytokines are driving their aggression because cytokines induce the brain to perceive the world as threatening?"
induce v. 诱导;引诱;感应
perceive v. 察觉;感知;认知
The study appears in this week's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Question time:
1. What's the beneficial aspect when immune system is activated by stress?
2. According to the research, what happened when people had "negetive" communication?
【参考答案】
1. In the context of a situation where a fight and wounding may ensue, stress activates the immune system in preparation for fighting infection and healing wounds.
2. The researchers found that cytokine levels went up after "negative" interactions, usually arguments.
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